On This Day in 2008, George Strait Was at No. 1 With a Grammy-Winning Album Featuring a Duet With the Man Who Wrote Many of His Biggest Hits

On this day (April 28) in 2008, George Strait was at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with Troubadour. It was his 18^th album to reach the peak position, where it stayed for three non-consecutive weeks. It also brought him his first and only Grammy Award.

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Fans hail Strait as the King of Country Music. Upon casual inspection, the moniker holds up. He’s been releasing hit albums and singles since 1981. More importantly, he’s been releasing good music that resonates deeply with country fans for more than four decades. However, upon closer inspection, Strait is one of the most impressive artists in the music industry today.

[RELATED: Watching a Young George Strait Perform This Late 80s Hit Makes Me Want To Break Out My Stetson Hat and Brushpopper Shirt]

Strait holds the record for most No. 1 albums and singles in country music. He also has more Gold and Platinum albums than any artist in the genre. In fact, Strait has the third-largest collection of Gold and Platinum albums, behind Elvis and the Beatles. The Texas native has sold upwards of 70 million records and has enough CMA and ACM Awards to fill the shelves of a small library. In short, his career and legacy are impressive. He only has one Grammy Award, though. Troubadour won Best Country Album in 2008.

George Strait Cuts a Duet with Dean Dillon

George Strait fans who read the liner notes of his albums or the booklets in his CDs know the name Dean Dillon. Strait has cut more than 60 of Dillon’s compositions over the course of his career. Many of those have been hits.

For example, Dillon wrote “Famous Last Words of a Fool,” “I’ve Come to Expect It from You,” “If I Know Me,” “Nobody in His Right Mind Would Have Left Her,” and “Ocean Front Property,” all of which topped the country chart.

For those who have been paying attention over the years, it was great to hear Dillon’s voice on one of Strait’s albums. The pair sang a duet version of “West Texas Town” for Troubadour. Dillon co-wrote the song with another Texas country legend, Robert Earl Keen.

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