George Strait Biography

George Strait is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. He became famous after his first single “Unwound” which was a hit in 1981, helping introduce the neotraditional movement to the mainstream.

George Strait Career

In 1975, Strait enrolled at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) in San Marcos following his honorable discharge from the Army. He earned a degree in agriculture upon graduation. On May 26, 2006, Texas State University in San Marcos, Strait’s alma mater, awarded him an honorary doctorate in a private ceremony. As a devoted Texas State alum, Strait founded an endowment fund in 1985 to support the growth and management of the Freeman Ranch for farming, wildlife and land management, and scholarship donations.

After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1975, Strait enrolled at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) in San Marcos. After graduating, he was awarded a degree in agriculture. Strait’s alma mater, Texas State University in San Marcos, granted him an honorary doctorate in a private ceremony on May 26, 2006. Strait established an endowment fund in 1985. It was to help with farming, wildlife and land management, scholarship donations, and the expansion and management of the Freeman Ranch. Without any real ties to the recording business, Strait kept playing with his band and made friends with Erv Woolsey.

Woolsey persuaded a few of his Nashville connections from Music Row to travel to Texas so they could see Strait and his band perform. They left without a deal, impressed with the performance but worried that they could not sell the band’s signature Western Swing sound. Following multiple fruitless journeys to Nashville in pursuit of a record deal, during which Strait encountered rejection from all the labels in the city, he contemplated abandoning the music industry entirely. He chose to accept an offer to work designing cattle pens. He informed the band that he was leaving, but his wife talked him out of it after they had a conversation.

Shortly after, in February 1981, Strait signed a recording contract with major label MCA. It was a one-song deal at first. The record label would think about releasing an album if the single was successful. The Ace in the Hole band continued to tour and provide backup for Strait during his now-solo endeavors. First released in the spring of 1981, “Unwound” was Strait’s first single for MCA Records. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart that year and was featured on his debut album, Strait Country. “Down and Out,” a number-16 hit for Strait, and “If You’re Thinking You Want a Stranger (There’s One Coming Home)” were two more singles from the album.

Critics praised Strait Country as a “new-traditionalist” innovation that reversed the pop-influenced country music trend that was popular at the time. The critically acclaimed Strait from the Heart, his second album, was released in 1982. It included the first number-one single of Strait’s career, “Fool Hearted Memory,” and the top-five Western ballad “Amarillo by Morning.” It was written and sung by Terry Stafford in 1973 and went on to become one of Strait’s signature songs. Following Eddie Rabbitt’s flu-related illness as the featured performer at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 1983, Strait made his debut there. Since then, giving a performance at that rodeo has become a regular feature of his career. He has performed for over a million fans during his more than 20 rodeo appearances.

Throughout the decade, Strait recorded 17 number-ones, including a run of five from his next two albums, Right or Wrong, his first number-one album, and the CMA award-winning Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, which ran from 1983 to 1984. The following year, he released his first greatest hits compilation, which included tracks from his first three albums, and took home the CMA award for top male vocalist. Something Special, the third consecutive number-one album of Strait’s career, which included the number-one single “The Chair,” was also released in 1985. 1986 saw Strait win the CMA Vocalist of the Year award once more and release his fourth consecutive number-one album, #7.

In 1986, a single-car, alcohol-related accident claimed the life of Strait’s 13-year-old daughter, Jenifer, devastatingly affected the family. Gregory Wilson Allen, eighteen, of Staples, Texas, was driving the Ford Mustang in which she was traveling. Following that, Allen was charged with vehicular homicide, a class A misdemeanor. Austin-based Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike Cox stated that the responding trooper determined that excessive speed and improper turn negotiation were the cause of the accident. At the time, none of the four passengers in the front passenger seat—including Jenifer—were using seat belts.

Jenifer was partially ejected from the car when it flipped over onto its passenger side, killing her instantly. After the incident, Strait cut back on his interactions with the media significantly. After the accident, he ceased giving interviews for many years because he and his family did not want to talk about Jenifer’s passing. Despite his grief, he continued to produce and perform well, going on to release 11 consecutive number-one hits, the first being “Nobody in His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her” in 1986 and the last being “Ace in the Hole” in 1989.

All four albums—#7, Ocean Front Property (1987), If You Ain’t Lovin’ You Ain’t Livin’ (1988), and Beyond the Blue Neon (1989)—which peaked at the top of country album charts—were featured in the singles. The first-ever country album to debut at the top of the charts belonged to none other than Ocean Front Property. Songs like “Ocean Front Property,” “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” “Famous Last Words of a Fool,” and “Baby Blue” were among those on the run. In 1989, Strait took home the CMA Entertainer of the Year title, capping off the decade. He received the honor once more a year later.

With the release of his tenth studio album, Livin’ It Up, at the start of the decade, Strait scored two number-one hits: “I’ve Come to Expect It From You” and “Love Without End, Amen,” which became his first multiweek hit. In 1990, both songs held the top spot for five weeks. In 1991, Chill of an Early Fall was released and garnered favorable reviews. According to Entertainment Weekly, Strait stopped “repeating himself” on the album and started coming up with original material. It resulted in the number-one hits “If I Know Me” and “You Know Me Better Than That,” but the cover of “Lovesick Blues,” which peaked at number 24, broke his run of 31 consecutive top-10 hits.

At its number four peak, the record ended his run of eight consecutive top-charting albums. 1992 saw the release of Holding My Own in the spring. “So Much Like My Dad” was one of the two top-five songs it produced, but it didn’t produce any number ones. Later in 1992, Strait released the soundtrack to the movie Pure Country, in which he starred as the lead character. His most successful studio album, it peaked at number one and number six on the Country and Billboard 200 album charts, respectively, and produced hits like “Heartland,” “I Cross My Heart,” and “When Did You Stop Loving Me.”

His next album, Easy Come, Easy Go (1993), featured the number-one title track, “I’d Like to Have That One Back,” and “The Man in Love with You.” It peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 chart, continuing its success. Lead On (1994), Blue Clear Sky (1996), Carrying Your Love with Me (1997), and One Step at a Time (1998) were the four albums that Strait released after that. All four of them peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, with Blue Clear Sky holding the top spot in its first week of release.

Eight number-one hits, including “You Can’t Make a Heart Love Somebody,” “Carried Away,” “One Night at a Time,” and “I Just Want to Dance with You,” were released by Strait from this series of albums. In 1995, Strait also released a four-disc boxed set career retrospective titled Strait Out of the Box, which featured two brand-new tracks: the No. 1 hit “Check Yes or No” and the top-5 hit “I Know She Still Loves Me.” With 8 million units shipped in the US, it rose to the position of the second-best-selling box set of all time.

In 1997 and 1998, he was recognized as the CMA’s Top Male Vocalist. From 1997 to 2001, Strait was the main attraction at the George Strait Country Music Festival, which featured performances by Alan Jackson, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and Kenny Chesney, among other artists. To try and get as many fans to see these acts as possible, the festival committed to visiting no market more than twice. Despite playing a limited number of dates—typically no more than 20 per year—it was nevertheless the ninth-highest-grossing tour of 1998.

With the release of Always Never the Same in 1999, Strait brought the decade to a close. The album matched Pure Country’s crossover success by peaking at number six on the Billboard 200 and at number two on country charts. The singles “What Do You Say to That,” “Meanwhile,” and the number-one hit “Write This Down” were all off the record. Entertainment Weekly noted that at this stage of his career, Strait could record the “most lightweight” material and “make it soar” on the radio with his “grace.” Reviews of the album’s content were generally mixed. Overall, Strait finished the decade with 17 number-one hits on the Billboard country airplay charts, and he continued to enjoy success well into the following century.

In 2000, Strait released his self-titled album, which was the first studio album in his career to not be certified platinum even though it peaked at number one and number seven on the country and Billboard 200 album charts, respectively. The album did not yield any number-one singles. Released from the album, the singles “Go On” and “If You Can Do Anything Else” both peaked in the top five. The Road Less Traveled was published in May 2001. Overall, the album received favorable reviews; Rolling Stone said it followed the formula “but adds a few twists that make it superior to his last few releases.” It was regarded as an experimental album by some critics and featured “vocal processing”.

Out of it, three singles were released, two of which peaked at number one: “She’ll Leave You with a Smile,” which became Strait’s 50th on combined charts, and “Living and Living Well,” both of which made it to the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100, with the former reaching its highest position on the chart at number 23. On the Billboard 100, the single “Run” peaked at number two and reached number 34. In 2003, Strait put out two records. A recording of the final Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo held in the Astrodome was released under the title For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome.

With 68,266 attendees, the performance itself broke Latin music icon Selena’s previous record of roughly 67,000 in 1995 for paid attendance at the venue. “A fiery set of hard country,” his next album Honkytonkville was hailed “for its mixture of the old Strait with his modern, superstar self” and garnered positive reviews. Although Strait did not receive any number-one hits from it, it did feature the hits “Cowboys Like Us” and a cover of “Desperately” by Bruce Robison. With 68,679 spectators, his 2004 performance at Reliant Stadium set a new record for rodeo attendance.

That year, he released a greatest hits package titled “50 Number Ones,” which included all of his career’s number-one hits from the charts, ranging from “Fool Hearted Memory” to “She’ll Leave You With a Smile.” Additionally, a brand-new song called “I Hate Everything” was added, and it went on to become his 51st consecutive number-one in 2004. Strait made her debut on the adult contemporary chart with the release of the hit song “You’ll Be There” from Somewhere Down in Texas the following year. He started a tour the following year that only lasted eighteen shows but brought in over fifteen million dollars.

He explained his success by saying that he and his band are “musically very tight,” that they have a lot of songs to choose from, and that they perform the songs exactly like they do on their albums. On October 3, 2006, Strait’s new album It Just Comes Natural was released, commemorating his 30 years in the music business. The album was recorded in Jimmy Buffett’s Shrimp Boat Sound Studio in Key West, Florida. Troubadour was also recorded there, which is rumored to be a better recording location because there were fewer allergy flare-ups during the recording process.

Fifteen brand-new songs were included. Two of the songs on the album were co-written by Strait’s longtime friend and songwriter, Dean Dillon. Critics gave it largely favorable reviews. One of the album’s co-writers, country music icon “Whispering Bill” Anderson, became the first songwriter to have a number-one hit in five different decades when the album’s lead single, “Give It Away,” debuted at number one. The title

Along with then-newcomer Taylor Swift and country music icon Ronnie Milsap, Strait headlined a 23-date arena tour in January through April of that year. On April 1, 2008, he released a new album called Troubadour. Twelve tracks total, two of which were duets with veteran songwriters Dean Dillon and Patty Loveless. “I Saw God Today”, the album’s lead single, debuted at number 19 on both the Radio and Records and Billboard charts. It is the fourth-highest debut for a song in the history of country music and the highest debut for a single by Strait. “It Just Comes Natural” became his 42nd number one on the Billboard charts. “Wrapped” became the number one song on the Mediabase 24/7 country music charts in 2007, marking the 55th number-one single for Strait overall.

In its first week of release, Troubadour sold over 160,000 copies and opened at the top of the Billboard Top 200 album charts. The third single off the album, “River of Love,” went on to become his 57th number-one single in 2009. The Academy of Country Music awarded Strait the Artist of the Decade Award in April 2009. Garth Brooks, the previous ACM Artist of the Decade, gave the award to Strait. He was the star of the inaugural event held at the brand-new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in June of that same year. Writing credit for the song “Living for the Night” went to Strait, his son Bubba, and Dean Dillon. The song was released on May 28, 2009.

The song was the lead single from his August 11, 2009, album Twang. Twang sold more than 500,000 copies and received a gold certification. Strait was named number one by Billboard in 2010 when listing the top 25 country musicians of the previous 25 years. The album Here for a Good Time, which Strait released on September 6, 2011, produced two number-one hits, “Here for a Good Time” and “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright,” increasing Strait’s total number of number-one hits to 59. “Drinkin’ Man,” the third single from the album, peaked at number 37 but was less successful. The song “Give It All We Got Tonight” by Strait was released in October 2012 and was featured on his album Love Is Everything, which was released on May 14, 2013.

To make the song Strait’s 60th number-one single on all country charts while he was still 60 years old, the song started a “60 for 60” campaign by Strait’s label. In May 2013, the song peaked at number one on the Mediabase charts. “I Believe,” the album’s second single, became Strait’s first to not make it into the Top 40 when it peaked at number 50 on the US Country Airplay chart. The 2013 CMA Entertainer of the Year went to Strait. At the tenth annual Billboard Touring Awards ceremony in November 2013, Billboard honored Strait as a Legend of Live. Based on box office performance and Billboard’s Boxscore chart, the award recognizes the best-performing artist in the concert industry. The first-ever country music artist to win the top touring award from Billboard is Strait.

During his surprise appearance at the 2015 ACM Awards on April 19, 2015, Strait sang “Let It Go” and “All My Ex’s Lives in Texas”. To commemorate 50 years of the CMA Awards, a mash-up of “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “On the Road Again,” and “I Will Always Love You” was chosen for Strait to perform on as one of 30 artists on “Forever Country” in 2016. With an investment in a company that produced a particular brand of tequila, Strait named one of his songs “Codigo” and released it in 2018.

George Strait Age

Strait was born on May 18, 1952, in Poteet, Texas, United States. He is 71 years old as of 2023 and he celebrates his birthday on the 18th of May every year.

George Strait Height and Weight

Strait stands at a height of 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and weighs 75 kg (165 lbs).

George Strait Family

He was born George Harvey Strait Sr.. His father, John Byron Strait Sr. was born on January 11, 1922, and passed away on June 4, 2013). His mother, Doris Jean Couser was born on June 26, 1930, and passed away on January 30, 2010). John was a junior high school math teacher. He also owned a 2,000-acre (810 ha) cattle ranch outside of Big Wells, Texas. He was raised in the nearby town of Pearsall, in Frio County. During the summer, the family spent their weekends working at the ranch. George’s mother moved away with his sister Pency when his parents divorced when he was in the fourth grade. Their father reared George and his brother John Byron “Buddy” Jr. (1950–2009). Strait spent the majority of his early years ranching with his father John and older brother Buddy. Buddy” Strait, passed away on April 10th, 2009 at the age of 58.

George Strait Wife and Children

In December 1971, Strait and his high school sweetheart Norma went on an elopement in Mexico. On October 6, 1972, Jenifer, their first child, was born. In 1981, George Harvey Strait Jr., also referred to as “Bubba,” was born into the family. On June 25, 1986, a car accident in San Marcos claimed Jenifer’s life at the age of 13. The Jenifer Lynn Strait Foundation was established by the family, and it provides funding to San Antonio-area children’s charities. Texas A&M graduate George Strait Jr. participated in team roping competitions for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Just before going on stage for his own performance in 2006, Strait had the opportunity to watch his son compete at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. George Harvey Strait III, the first child of George Strait Jr. and his wife Tamara, was born in February 2012, making Strait a grandfather.

George Strait Salary

Strait earns an annual salary of about $$40 Million.

George Strait Net Worth

Strait has an estimated net worth of about $330 Million which he has earned through his career as a singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer.

George Strait The Cowboy Rides Away Tour

On September 26, 2012, Strait made the announcement that his Cowboy Rides Away Tour would be his final tour before retiring from touring. Within hours, all of the arena and stadium tickets for the Cowboy Rides Away Tour were sold out. The tour was split into two legs, with 21 shows in 2013 and 26 in 2014. It began on January 18, 2013, in Lubbock, Texas. On June 7, 2014, the tour came to an end in Arlington, Texas. The Ace in the Hole Band, Strait’s longtime touring ensemble of eleven musicians, provided support for the tour. Martina McBride was the opening act for the 2013 leg.

With Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack, Merle Haggard, Chris Young, Ronnie Dunn, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, and Asleep at the Wheel as openers, Strait launched the second leg of the tour on January 9, 2014. Many of these artists came together for the tour’s farewell performance in front of 104,793 fans on June 7 in Arlington, Texas, which records the second-highest ticket sales for a single concert in US history.

In addition, the event broke the 33-year-old record for “largest indoor concert ever,” easily surpassing the 87,500 fans who attended the December 5, 1981, Rolling Stones concert at the New Orleans Superdome (opening acts: The Neville Brothers, followed by George Thorogood and the Destroyers). It also set a record for the largest gross at a single-show country concert, $18,194,374. The Cowboy Rides Away: Live from AT&T Stadium, a live album from the last Arlington concert, was released on September 16, 2014.

The concert’s DVD and CD were released on November 10, 2014, and a deluxe edition with two CDs was only available at Walmart. The full three-hour concert is available on this deluxe DVD, and 28 of the 40 songs performed that evening are available on the two CDs that go with it. George Strait: The Cowboy Rides Away was the title of the two-hour concert special that the Country Music Television channel aired on August 29, 2014. One and a half hours of concert music and interviews were featured in this CMT concert special.

George Strait Heart Attack | Did George Strait Die?

Strait is still alive and has not disclosed information about experiencing any Heart Attack. However, an update of this information will be made when available.

George Strait Songs

1. Strait Country (1981)
2. Strait from the Heart (1982)
3. Right or Wrong (1983)
4. Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind (1984)
5. Something Special (1985)
6. #7 (1986)
7. Ocean Front Property (1987)
8. If You Ain’t Lovin’ You Ain’t Livin’ (1988)
9. Beyond the Blue Neon (1989)
10. Livin’ It Up (1990)
11. Chill of an Early Fall (1991)
12. Holding My Own (1992)
13. Pure Country (1992)
14. Easy Come Easy Go (1993)
15. Lead On (1994)
16. Blue Clear Sky (1996)
17. Carrying Your Love with Me (1997)
18. One Step at a Time (1998)
19. Always Never the Same (1999)
20. George Strait (2000)
21. The Road Less Traveled (2001)
22. Honkytonkville (2003)
23. Somewhere Down in Texas (2005)
24. It Just Comes Natural (2006)
25. Troubadour (2008)
26. Twang (2009)
27. Here for a Good Time (2011)
28. Love Is Everything (2013)
29. Cold Beer Conversation (2015)
30. Honky Tonk Time Machine (2019)

George Strait Movies and TV Shows

1. The Soldier (1982)
2. Pure Country (1992)
3. Grand Champion (2002)
4. King of the Hill (2003)
5. Pure Country 2: The Gift (2010)

George Strait Social Media Platform

Strait is very active on his Twitter, and Facebook pages. He has 727.5k followers on Twitter and 8M followers on Facebook.

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