George Strait

Infobox musical artist
Name = George Strait

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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = George Harvey Strait
Born = birth date|1952|05|18 (age 56) Poteet, Texas, Texas, U.S.
Origin = Poteet, Texas, USA
Instruments = Vocals
Acoustic
Genre = Country
Occupation = Singer, Producer
Years_active = 1981-Present
Label = MCA (MCA Nashville)
Associated_acts = Kenny Chesney
Dean Dillon
Alan Jackson
Jamey Johnson
URL = [http://www.georgestrait.com/ www.georgestrait.com]

George Harvey Strait (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer. Strait is sometimes referred to as the "King of Country," and some critics call Strait a living legend [Bego, 2001] . He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional country western music. fact|date=April 2008

Strait won CMA Entertainer of the year in 1989 and 1990 and ACM Entertainer of the year in 1990.A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Strait has been nominated for more CMA awards than any other artist. As of 2008, he holds the record for the most Number One hits on the "Billboard" Hot Country Songs charts with forty-three number one singles on that chart. Counting all other music charts, Strait has amassed a total of fifty-six number one hits overall, breaking a record previously set by Conway Twitty.fact|date=April 2008

Strait's 38 hit albums (12 multi platinum, 22 platinum and four gold) rank him only behind Elvis Presley and The Beatlesfact|date=August 2008. The RIAA have certified his albums at 68× platinum, denoting shipments of 58.5 million in the United States. His best-selling album there, is "Pure Country" (1992), which sold 6 million (6× Multi-platinum). His highest certified album is "Strait Out of the Box" (1995), which sold 2 million copies (8× Multi-Platinum due to being a box set with four CDs). According to the RIAA, Strait is the tenth best-selling recording artist in the United States overall.

Early years

Early life

Strait was born in Poteet, Texas and grew up in Pearsall, Texas. His father, John Byron Strait, was a junior high school mathematics teacher. The Straits would often leave Pearsall on the weekends and in the summers to work at the family's 2,000 acre (8 km²) cattle ranch outside of Big Wells, Texas. Strait's parents divorced when he was in third grade, after his mother left, taking her daughter with her. Strait and his brother remained behind with their father.

Strait began playing with a rock band in Pearsall High School but his preference turned to country music. He counts country singers Merle Haggard, George Jones, Bob Wills and Hank Williams as his primary country music influences. After graduating from high school, Strait enrolled in college, Southwest Texas State University (now known as Texas State University) but dropped out and eloped with his high school sweetheart, Norma. They initially married in Mexico but repeated their vows in a church in Texas a few weeks later. In 1971, Strait enlisted in the US Army. While stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii as a part of the 25th Infantry division (light), he began performing with an Army-sponsored band, Rambling Country, which played off-base under the name Santee. On October 6, 1972, while still in Hawaii, George and Norma welcomed their first child, Jenifer.

Strait was honorably discharged from the army in 1975. He chose to return to his studies, enrolling at Southwest Texas State University (SWT), now Texas State University, in San Marcos, Texas. He graduated in 1979 with a degree in agriculture.

Career discovery

While attending SWT, Strait joined the Ace in the Hole Band, who had been advertising for a new lead singer. Beginning October 14, 1975, the band started playing at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, a localhonky-tonk. The band then playing other [honky-tonk] s and bars around south and central Texas and as far east as Huntsville and Houston. They gained a regional following and opened for national acts such as The Texas Playboys.

In the late 1970s, while Strait continued to manage a cattle ranch during the day, the band recorded several singles in a Houston studio that were released under the Dallas, Texas based "D" record label, but they never achieved wide recognition. Strait became friends with Erv Woolsey, who operated one of the bars in which the band played, and who had previously worked for MCA Records. Woolsey convinced some of his Music Row connections to come to Texas and listen to Strait and Ace in the Hole play. Impressed with his performance, MCA quickly signed Strait. The Ace in the Hole Band continued to play with Strait, but now as his backup/touring band.cite news|last =Erlewine |first =Stephen Thomas |coauthors = |title = George Strait Bio |work = |pages = |language = |publisher = All Music Guide |year = 2006 |url =http://www.livedaily.com/artists/bio/103.html |accessdate = 2007-03-15]

Music career

1980 – 2000: Breakthrough

"Unwound," Strait's first single, was released in the spring of 1981 and climbed into the Top Ten. The follow-up, "Down and Out," stalled at 16, but "If You're Thinking You Want a Stranger (There's One Coming Home)" reached number three in early 1982. The song sparked a string of Top Ten hits that ran well into the '90s. During that time he had an astonishing 31 number one singles, beginning with 1982's "Fool Hearted Memory". [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wifwxql5ldfe~T1 George Strait biography] at All Music Guide (retrieved March 22, 2008) ] Strait was one of the best-selling country singers of the 1980s, and one of the few from that decade who survived the influx of rock-country singers such as Garth Brooks in the early 1990s.

In 1985, he won CMA awards for album of the year ("Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind") and male vocalist. In 1986, he repeated his win as male vocalist, but his year was marked by tragedy when his 13-year-old daughter, Jenifer, was killed in an automobile accident. (His other child, George Jr., was born in 1981.) Strait capped the decade by winning the CMA entertainer of the year award in 1989. A year later, he won the award again. [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wifwxql5ldfe~T1 George Strait biography] at All Music Guide (retrieved March 22, 2008) ]

Throughout the '80s, he dominated the country singles charts, and his albums consistently went platinum or gold. Strait rarely abandoned hardcore honky-tonk and Western swing — towards the beginning of the '90s, his sound became a little slicker, but it was only a relative change. Strait was also one of the few '80s superstars to survive the generational shift of the early '90s, which began with the phenomenal success of Garth Brooks. [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wifwxql5ldfe~T1 George Strait biography] at All Music Guide (retrieved March 22, 2008) ]

His long-time producer Tony Brown, who has collaborated with Strait on more than 15 albums, attributes Strait's success to his understanding of what types of music work best for his voice and his fans, and his insistence on remaining true to his own style of music without trying to constantly reinvent himself. His signature style consists primarily of hardcore honky-tonk and Western swing.

Strait released a four-disc box set career retrospective, "Strait Out of the Box", in 1995. By the spring of 1996, it had become one of the five biggest-selling box sets in popular music history. Blue Clear Sky, his 1996 album, debuted on the country charts at number one and the pop charts at number seven. In 1997, he released "Carrying Your Love with Me", following it with "One Step at a Time" in 1998. "Always Never the Same" appeared a year later, as did the seasonal effort "Merry Christmas Wherever You Are". [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wifwxql5ldfe~T1 George Strait biography] at All Music Guide (retrieved March 22, 2008) ] In 1997, he released "Carrying Your Love With Me", which also won a CMA award. Strait repeated as male vocalist in 1997 and 1998. All in all, Strait scored 17 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country airplay charts in the 1990s, including "One Night at a Time," "I Just Want to Dance with You" and "Write This Down." [ [http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/strait_george/bio.jhtml George Strait biography] at CMT .com ]

"Strait out of the Box" became the 2nd best selling box set ever with shipments of 8 million in the United States.

2000 – present: Career today

May 2001 saw the release of "The Road Less Traveled", which qualified as an experimental album of sorts for the veteran performer. While it didn't stray very far from his new traditionalist country sound, Road did include a foray into vocal processing that was about as country as a pair of stiletto-heeled cowboy boots. But the experimentation was welcome, for it revealed that Strait was still hungry, even after millions upon millions of records sold. Strait issued two projects in 2003. "" chronicled his headlining set at the last Houston Livestock and Rodeo ever held in the big Texas dome, while "Honkytonkville" was a fiery set of hard country, lauded by critics for its mixture of the old Strait with his modern, superstar self. "Somewhere Down in Texas" arrived in 2005, followed by It Just Comes Natural in 2006.

On October 3, 2006, Strait marked his 30th year in the music industry with the release of a new album titled "It Just Comes Natural". It contains 15 songs from Strait's long-time friend and songwriter, Dean Dillon. The album received positive reviews from critics. "People Magazine", in their four-star review, remarked that "If ever there was a natural in country music, it's Strait," while "USAToday" raved that "He continues to make such consistent quality look easy." The first single off the album, "Give It Away" reached #1 and the title track, "It Just Comes Natural" became his 42nd Billboard #1. In 2007, "Wrapped" reached No. 1 on the Mediabase 24/7 country music charts, giving Strait his 55th overall number-one single.

Strait released a new album titled "Troubadour" on April 1, 2008. The CD contains 12 tracks, including a duet with Patty Loveless and another with long-time songwriter Dean Dillon, who wrote many of the songs on "It Just Comes Natural". The lead single off the album, "I Saw God Today", debuted at #19 on the Radio and Records and Billboard charts. It is the highest debut ever for a single from Strait. "Troubadour" debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts, selling over 160,000 copies in its first week of release.

"I Saw God Today" has become Strait's 43rd Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one single and his 56th number-one single overall.

Touring

One of the top touring country acts of the 1990s, Strait's concerts have set attendance records at more than twenty venues around the United States.cite news|last|first = |coauthors = |title = George Strait's New Tour |work = |pages = |language = |publisher = Nashville Hype! |date = November 2, 2006 |url =http://www.nashvillehype.com/archives/george_straits_new_tour_000500.htm |accessdate = 2007-03-15] His 2006 tour, which included only 18 performances, grossed over $15 million. Strait attributes his success as a performer to the fact that he and his band, who are "musically very tight," have a large pool of songs to draw from, and perform those songs very similar to how they sound on the albums.

From 1997 through 2001 Strait headlined the George Strait Country Music Festival which included artists such has Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson and many more. In an effort to introduce these acts to as many fans as possible, the festival promised not to visit any market more than twice. The festival played only a small number of dates, usually no more than 20, but still managed to be the ninth biggest-grossing tour of 1998.cite news|last =Tafoya |first =Richard |coauthors = |title = George Strait Festival To Phase Out Return Engagements |work = |pages = |language = |publisher = LiveDaily |date = May 12, 1999 |url =http://www.livedaily.com/news/George_Strait_Festival_To_Phase_Out_Return_Engagements-138.html |accessdate = 2007-03-15]

Since 1983, Strait has often appeared at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, recording his album "For the Last Time: Live From the Astrodome" during the final show at the Astrodome in 2002. The event set the record for paid attendance at the Astrodome with 68,266 people, breaking Latin superstar Selena's previous record of approximately 67,000 in 1993. The following year the Rodeo moved to Reliant Stadium. Strait's 2004 performance at Reliant Stadium set a new Rodeo attendance record, with 68,679 people attending his performance. In his more than twenty appearances at the Houston Rodeo, Strait has played to a total of more than 1 million fans.

From January through April 2007 Strait headlined a twenty-three date arena tour with Ronnie Milsap and newcomer Taylor Swift. The tour, originally scheduled to end in early March with back-to-back shows at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, was postponed until the end of April after Strait came down with laryngitis.

Acting career

Strait has acted in multiple feature films. He had a bit part in "The Soldier" (1982) and "Mystery, Alaska" (1999) and starred in "Pure Country" (1992). He also appeared as himself in "The Horse Whisperer" (1998) and "Grand Champion" (2002).

The film "Pure Country" featured George Strait in the lead role as "Dusty", a famous country singer who strays too far from his country roots and traditional sound. It provided the opportunity for Strait to branch out from his own traditional country sound for a more rock-and-roll approach. The soundtrack to the album, also called "Pure Country", produced several hit singles for Strait.

Records held

In Strait's more than twenty-five years of recording, all of which have been spent with MCA Records, he has garnered 56 No. 1 songs on all country charts (including Mediabase 24/7, the old Radio & Records charts, and the now-defunct Gavin Report charts), and has more #1 hits than anyone in any genre. His 43 "Billboard" magazine country No. 1's have set a record, three more than previous record-holder Conway Twitty.cite news|last =Stark |first =Phyllis |coauthors = |title = Being George Strait |work = |pages = |language = |publisher = American Chronicle |date = February 26, 2006 |url =http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=21330 |accessdate = 2007-03-15]

Strait has sold more than 73 million recordings and his certifications from the RIAA include 13 multi-platinum, 32 platinum and 35 gold albums. His overall certification numbers are third of all musicians, behind Elvis Presley and The Beatles.Citation |last =Kingsley |first =Paul |title = George Strait |place=Liner Notes for "Strait Out of the Box" |publisher = MCA Records |year = 1995 |location =|url =]

Strait has won 16 CMA Awards, including consecutive entertainer of the year honours in 1989 and 1990, and holds the career record for CMA nominations with seventy-three. Strait was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Strait performed his No. 1 hit "Give it Away" right before accepting his replica Hall of Fame plaque at the 40th CMA Awards. He was only the second artist (after Eddy Arnold in 1966) to be inducted into the Hall of Fame while still actively recording and producing chart-topping hits.

Personal life

On May 14, 1981, Strait and Norma welcomed their second child, son George Strait, Jr., known as "Bubba." Their daughter Jenifer was killed in an automobile accident in San Marcos, Tx, in 1986, at the age of thirteen. The family set up a foundation, The Jenifer Lynn Strait Foundation, which donates money to children's charities in the San Antonio, Texas area.cite web|last = |first = |coauthors = |title = Jenifer Strait |work = |pages = |language = |publisher = RachelJoyScott.net |date = |url =http://www.racheljoyscott.net/jenifer_strait/index.htm |accessdate = 2007-03-15] Bubba, who is a graduate of Texas A&M University, is pursuing a career as a PRCA team roping competitor.cite web |title = Strait Heir |url =http://sportybabe1.homestead.com/straitheir.html |accessdate = 2007-01-24] Strait was able to watch his son compete at the Houston Rodeo in 2006 shortly before taking the stage for his own performance.

As pastimes, Strait enjoys fishing, playing golf, and riding motorcycles. Along with his son Bubba, he is a member of the PRCA and partners in team roping competitions. George and his elder brother Buddy host the annual "George Strait Team Roping Classic", in which they compete against some of the best team ropers in the world. Strait has also said that he very seldom picks up a guitar when not in the studio or touring. He and his wife live in far north-west San Antonio in the wealthy gated community The Dominion as well on a ranch near Cotulla, Texas some 50 miles (80 kilometres) south-west of San Antonio. He is also a big fan of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and can be seen court-side at many of the Spurs' home basketball games.

Strait also is known for driving Chevrolets, as he is the spokesman for a local Texas Chevrolet dealership,and often refers to Chevys in his songs.

Discography

Filmography

Awards

In December 2007, Strait received his eighth and ninth career Grammy nominations. He lost both and has yet to win a Grammy Award.

XM Radio dedicated a channel to George Strait called "Strait Country" for the months of April and May 2008. [ [http://xmradio.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=1581 XM News Release] , March 12 2008]

ee also

*George Strait Country Music Festival
*Best selling music artists
*List of best selling music artists in US
*Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame (2006 Inductee)
*Honorific titles in popular music

References

*Bego, Mark (2001). "George Strait: the Story of Country's Living Legend". Citadel Press. ISBN 9780806522586
*Dickinson, Chris. (1998). "George Strait". In "The Encyclopedia of Country Music". Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 513-4.
* "Discography". [http://www.georgestrait.com/discography.asp George Strait's Official Web Site] . Retrieved August 27, 2004.
* "Awards". [http://www.georgestrait.com/awards.asp George Strait's Official Web Site] . Retrieved August 27, 2004.
*cite web
last =Billboard Magazine
first =
title =George Strait
url =http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=2521&aid=91293
accessdate = 2007-01-24
*cite web
last =Universal Music Group Nashville
first =
title =George Strait - MCA
url =http://www.umgnashville.com/artist.aspx?ob=ros&src=lb&aid=8
accessdate = 2007-01-24

Notes

External links

* [http://www.georgestrait.com/ George Strait Online]
*myspace|georgestrait|George Strait
* [http://www.umgnashville.com/georgestrait/ Official UMG Nashville Artist Page]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0833180/ George Strait] at the Internet Movie Database
* [http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/inductees.aspx?cid=1749 Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]