The late great Merle Haggard and George Strait are both country music icons in their own right. Today, many consider Strait to be the King of County. And it sure makes sense why. He’s still producing chart-topping albums today, including 2024’s Cowboys And Dreamers. Strait is also still touring extensively and selling out stadiums across the country.
However, few might know that Merle Haggard had a major hand in making George Strait the country icon he is today.
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How Merle Haggard Turned George Strait Into A Country Star
George Strait isn’t one for interviews and rarely sits down to talk about his life and music. However, Ray Waddell over at Billboard once got to chat with Strait back in 2013 for a Q&A. During that interview, George Strait revealed something pretty interesting about his contemporary, Merle Haggard.
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During the interview, Waddell mentioned that Strait started out in rock and roll as a high-schooler, but very quickly turned his career towards country music. Strait said that it was Haggard that influenced his choice to go country. That influence put him on a trajectory that would change his life and career significantly.
“Growing up in a rural farm and ranch community like I did had a lot to do with my eventually coming into country music,” said Strait in the interview. “My dad didn’t really listen to music much. If he had a radio on, it was the news or farm and ranch reports. There were a few country songs on the jukeboxes around town, so I was definitely exposed to it. But I didn’t fall in love with it until I got out of high school and heard a man by the name of Merle Haggard singing songs like ‘Okie From Muskogee’ on the radio.”
Strait went on to say that listening to Haggard changed his mind about being in a rock and roll garage band.
“That pretty much did it for me,” Strait continued. “Then I listened to his tribute album to Bob Wills called A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World, and that’s what hooked me on western swing music.”
George Strait went on to honor Merle Haggard a few times during his live sets by performing covers of his songs. He even played a guitar very similar to the one Haggard famously played himself. And naturally, the two met and performed together before Haggard passed away in 2016.
It’s incredible how one person can inspire another and lead to a life-changing career.
Photo by Rich Fury
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