George Strait

Background

George Harvey Strait Sr. was born in Poteet, Texas, U.S., to Doris Jean Couser and John Byron Strait Sr. He was brought up in Frio County near Pearsall. When Strait was in the fourth grade, his parents separated. Strait, along with his brother John Jr., was then raised by his father, while his sister, Pency, moved away with their mother.

Strait started his musical career as a high school student who also performed in a rock and roll garage band. The singer took influence from The Beatles. Eventually, his predication swayed towards country music with several singers influencing his style — Lefty Frizzell, George Jones, Hank Thompson, Merle Haggard, Bob Wills, and Frank Sinatra. In the year 1971, Strait tied the knot with Norma Voss.

The artist enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman that same year. Thereafter, he began performing with Rambling Country — an army-sponsored band. Strait served in the U.S. Army from 1971 to 1975, ultimately attaining the rank of Corporal. After being discharged from the army, Strait enrolled in Southwest Texas State University and graduated with a degree in agriculture. During his college years, the singer joined a country band named “Stoney Ridge” as a vocalist. Then, he began performing in Texas, Houston, and Huntsville. The band released many singles but did not achieve wide recognition.

In February 1981, Strait began his solo career with M.C.A. Records, releasing his first single titled ‘Unwound’ — and the rest is history Unfortunately, after the sad demise of his daughter in 1986, Strait limited his interaction with the media. However, grief could not hinder his success and the artist went on to garner 61 number-one songs on all U.S. country charts in over 30 years of recording. Moreover, he holds the record for most number-one singles and albums, platinum albums, gold albums, and multi-platinum albums in country music’s history (as of 2022).