Biography of George Strait: King of Country Music

George Strait is a country music legend. For almost thirty years he has consistently produced unabashedly pure country music. He seemingly ignores the fads in the country music genre, instead choosing to play to his strengths. When you buy a George Strait album, you do not expect a lot of bells and whistles, but you do expect straightforward, no-strings-attached country music.

CMT.com provides a complete biography of George Strait's early life. The future country music superstar was born in Poteet, Texas in 1952. Strait's mother left the family when he was a young child, leaving his father, a middle school teacher, to raise Strait and his brothers alone. Strait explored music as a teenager, playing in a rock n' roll band. Strait enrolled in college but soon dropped out and eloped with his high school girlfriend, Norma.

In 1971, Strait enlisted in the Army. During his four-year stint in the army, he started playing country music with an Army sponsored band called Rambling Country. In 1975, he returned to civilian life and formed his own country music band, Ace in the Hole. George Strait's big break occurred in 1980 when club owner introduced him to some executives with MCA records. His audition convinced MCA to sign the aspiring country star. The rest, as they say, is history.

George Strait's official website, GeorgeStrait.com, lists his Top Ten Hits, starting with "Unwound" in 1981. That release started a chain of 28 years in a row with at least one Top Ten hit from the superstar. Strait's hits kept rolling through the 1980s. Some of his biggest hits of that decade include "Amarillo By Morning" (1983), "You Look So Good In Love" (1983) and "All My Ex's Live In Texas" (1986).

The 1990s were kind to Strait as well. He started the decade strong with the hits "Love Without End, Amen" (1990) and "Gone As A Girl Can Get" (1992). In 1992, George Strait hit Hollywood, starring in the movie Pure Country. Although the movie did not require Strait to flex his acting muscles (he played a country music star frustrated by the commercialization of the genre), the movie soundtrack was wildly successful. "I Cross My Heart" hit number one on the country charts. The soundtrack also included the hits "Heartland" and "When Did You Stop Loving Me."

Strait stayed strong in throughout the 1990s and into the new millennium with such hits as "Write This Down" (1999) and "She'll Leave You With A Smile" (2002). His official website proudly advertises that he has sold 62 million albums in his career. No other country star can match his 33 gold albums. In 2006, he was accepted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Strait has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in his career and continues to reliably crank out classic country music. He survived the Garth Brooks domination of the 1990s and the 'popification' of country in the new millennium. In this era of young glamorous country stars like Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, George Strait still reigns as the king of country music.

SOURCES:

Georgestrait.com
CMT.com
Countrymusichalloffame.com