As a journalist, it might be easier to get an interview with Bigfoot than George Strait. However, my cousin, who is part of the amateur rodeo world, was invited to ride at some event with Strait. He couldn’t because his wife had to go back to work. Garth Brooks said he was afraid to hug him because he might break him in half. There’s a funny story floating around about a lady who heard Strait was recording at a studio in Key West. She saw a shirtless man sitting outside the studio, no hat. She said she heard Strait was inside recording, unaware that she was talking to Strait. According to the New Yorker, Strait told her that he had just come from inside and hadn’t seen Strait anywhere.
I shared an elevator with him one time in Las Vegas. He was wearing the jeans, the buckle, and the hat for which he’s known. Of course, I recognized him, but I pretended like I didn’t. He was alone, nodded, and spoke like any polite Texas cowboy when he got off on his floor.
Strait is an elusive character in country music, from my perspective anyway. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen him in concert. I’m equally shocked that his soft-spoken, denim-wearing nature reminds me of my dad – and that even though his only movement is often from one mic to the next, it’s impossible to sit down or not stare when he’s on stage.
Videos by American Songwriter
Parker McCollum: “I Would Love to Be the Next George Strait”
Calmly and quietly slinking in and out of the headlines, like Bigfoot, apparently, if you want to see him offstage, you have to locate him in his habitat – also like Bigfoot.
But when you’re George Strait, the undisputed King of Country Music, you don’t have to show your face anywhere you don’t want to. I think the King’s spotlight sparsity is because, as much as he loves singing his songs, he still craves a semi-normal life.
Parker McCollum, who recently released his Texas-songwriter-inspired self-titled new album, just finished a run of stadium shows with Strait and Chris Stapleton. McCollum said Strait is the template for the artist and person he hopes to be.
McCollum told Parade: “With George, I would love to be the next George Strait off the stage: long marriage, great dad, great family man, great businessman, a spotless reputation, never been in trouble, never embarrassed his family on the news. I just think that’s so baller. I think there’s not going to be a lot of people in 50 years who still got it all together like that man does.”
Strait and his wife Norma have been married for more than 53 years.
George Strait Sold 105 Million Albums, Married 53 Years
Strait has sold more than 105 million albums and won more than 60 major music industry awards. He’s the only act in history to have a Top 10 hit every year for over three decades. The Texas singer-songwriter has 33 different platinum or multi-platinum albums; he’s earned the third-most certifications of any artist in any genre, behind only The Beatles and Elvis Presley. With a total of 60 No. 1 songs, Strait has more chart-toppers than any other artist in history.
Released last fall, Cowboys And Dreamers is the Country Music Hall of Famer’s 31st studio album.
McCollum isn’t the only singer who looks up to Strait. When Strait inducted Brooks into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Brooks said: “I still want to be George Strait so damned bad. I just love him.”
In 2009, Brooks told the Academy of Country Music that George Strait, God, and his parents were the “only reason I’m here.” And when he won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year, he thanked the Georges—Jones and Strait.
Strait earned his spot as the King of Country Music. He wasn’t born into a country music family. His parents divorced, and his dad, a junior high school math teacher, raised him and his brother, Buddy. He helped out on his family’s 2,000-acre ranch. In his early years, Strait was more inspired by the rock ‘n roll British Invasion than he was by country music. According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, he joined several garage bands in high school and then eloped with Norma after graduation. He enlisted in the Army, and while stationed in Hawaii, he auditioned to be a singer in a country band in 1973.
George Strait Originally Loved the Beatles More Than Merle Haggard
Strait reveled in Hank Williams, George Jones, and Merle Haggard, and Haggard’s tribute album to the legendary Bob Wills pointed Strait to Western swing.
With that, Strait’s future was, well, straight in front of him.
Club owner and former record promoter Erv Woolsey liked what he heard. In 1981, Woolsey helped Strait sign with MCA, became his full-time manager, and provided constant support until his death last year.
Strait hit Nashville just as the Urban Cowboy trend was kicking up. His (decidedly not Urban Cowboy) first single, “Unwound,” became his first Top 10 hit. His chart successes launched from there with hits including “Marina Del Rey,” “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” and “The Chair.”
As his career was going up, he faced personal tragedy when his 13-year-old daughter, Jenifer, was killed in a car accident in 1986. He accepted his Male Vocalist of the Year win from the Country Music Association that year in her memory.
King George Retired From Touring in 2014
He began winning Entertainer of the Year trophies in the late 1980s, and his hit songs continued to come. “Love Without End, Amen” was a five-week No. 1 hit. He made his silver screen debut in 1992 as Dusty Chandler in Pure Country, and the soundtrack became his top-selling album to date.
In 1995, he celebrated his 15th anniversary in country music with a career retrospective boxed set called Strait Out of the Box, which set sales records at the time. And his hit songs and awards kept coming. His last CMA Entertainer of the Year win came in 2013. Strait announced plans to retire from touring in 2014, but he still performs in Las Vegas and other large-capacity venues, including his summer stadium tour with Stapleton. According to Strait’s website, the last show on their 2025 joint tour is July 19 in Inglewood, California.
(Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.