George Strait

Biography

George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, music producer, and rancher. Strait has sold tens of millions of records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Strait holds the RIAA record for most certified albums by any artist, with 33 albums that are certified platinum or gold. Considering singles and albums, he has a total of 20 multi-platinum, 33 platinum and 24 gold certifications. According to the RIAA, Strait is the 12th best-selling album recording artist in the United States overall selling over 70 million records across the United States.
He is credited for pioneering the neotraditional country style in the 1980s, famed for his authentic cowboy image and roots-oriented sound at a time when the Nashville music industry was dominated by country pop crossover acts. Given his influence on the genre, Strait has been nicknamed the "King of Country Music" by writers and music critics. He currently holds the record for the most (60) number one songs on all charts by an artist, in any genre of music, including a record 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. He has been nominated for 16 Grammy Awards, winning his first and only award for Best Country Album in 2009 with his album Troubadour×Troubadour1 April 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Troubadour2:562It Was Me3:103Brothers of the Highway2:424River of Love3:155House of Cash3:366I Saw God Today3:237Give Me More Time3:308When You're in Love2:499Make Her Fall in Love with Me Song2:2610West Texas Town2:0011House with No Doors3:4412If Heartaches Were Horses2:42.
Strait's career in country music began performing with his band Ace in the Hole in Texas honky-tonks in the 1970s, recording tracks for the Houston-based independent record label D Records. While working on ranches across Texas in his 20s during the day, Strait performed with the Ace in the Hole during nights and the weekend. By the late 1970s, Strait caught the interest of former MCA Records executive Erv Woosley, who became Strait's longtime manager and helped him with signing to MCA Records.
Strait's commercial success began when his first major label single "Unwound" was a minor hit in 1981 and scored his first number one country radio hit with "Fool Hearted Memory×Fool Hearted Memory1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Fool Hearted Memory2:372The Steal Of The Night2:38" in 1982, introducing the neotraditional country style to the mainstream. During the 1980s, seven of his albums reached number one on the country charts. In the 2000s, he was named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music, elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and won his first Grammy award. Strait was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 2013, and ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014. He has been nominated for more CMA and ACM awards and has more wins in both categories than any other artist.
Strait became known for his touring career after he designed a 360-degree configuration and introduced festival style tours. His final concert for The Cowboy Rides Away Tour at AT&T Stadium in 2014 drew 104,793 people, setting a new record for the largest indoor concert in North America. In mid-2024, Strait set the record for the largest ticketed concert for a single act in U.S. history, with over 110,905 people at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. He additionally was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the same year for its class of 2025.

Early life

George Harvey Strait was born on May 18, 1952, in Poteet, Texas, to John Byron Strait Sr. (January 11, 1922 – June 4, 2013), and Doris Jean Couser (June 26, 1930 – January 30, 2010). He is a second cousin of Jackie Bezos, mother of billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos.
He grew up in nearby Pearsall, in Frio County, where his father was a junior high school mathematics teacher and the owner of a 2,000-acre (810 ha) cattle ranch outside of Big Wells, Texas. The family worked at the ranch on the weekends and in the summers. When George was in the fourth grade, his father and mother were divorced, and his mother moved away with his sister, Pency. George and his brother John "Buddy" Jr. (1950–2009) grew up with their father. For most of his early life, George was in ranching alongside his older brother Buddy and his father John.
Strait began his musical career while attending Pearsall High School, where he performed in a rock and roll garage band, known as the Stoics, taking most of their influence and inspiration from the Beatles and other British Invasion-era rock groups. "The Beatles were big," Strait confirmed. "I listened to them a lot and that whole bunch of groups that were popular then." He performed in other rock bands during his high school tenure. His musical preference soon turned to country with singers Hank Thompson, Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Bob Wills, Hank Williams, and Frank Sinatra influencing his style. Strait did not tune in to and listen to country music radio often as a youth, usually selecting the news and the farmer's report instead. His introduction to country music came mostly by way of live performances, which according to Strait could be heard in every town in Texas.

Marriage and military service

He eloped with his high school sweetheart, Norma Voss after their high school graduation. The couple initially married in Mexico on December 4, 1971. In the same year, he enlisted in the United States Army as a finance clerk. While stationed at Schofield Barracks adjacent to Wahiawa, Hawaii, as part of the 25th Infantry Division, George auditioned and began performing with an Army-sponsored country music band, Rambling Country, which also played off-base under the name Santee. On October 6, 1972, while still in Hawaii, George and Norma had their first child, Jenifer. He served in the United States Army from 1971 to 1975 and ultimately attained the rank of corporal.

Higher education

After George Strait was honorably discharged from the Army in 1975, he enrolled at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) in San Marcos. He graduated with a degree in agriculture. He was also presented an honorary doctoral degree by his alma mater, Texas State University in San Marcos, in a private ceremony on May 26, 2006. Strait is a loyal alumnus of the college; in 1985 he established an endowment fund for the development and operation of the Freeman Ranch for agricultural purposes, land and wildlife management, and gifts of scholarships.

1970s

During his college years, Strait joined the country band Stoney Ridge, answering a flyer the band posted around campus looking for a new lead vocalist. Strait renamed the group the Ace in the Hole Band, and quickly became the lead; they began to perform at honky-tonks and bars around south and central Texas, traveling as far east as Huntsville and Houston. They gained a regional following and opened for national acts such as the Texas Playboys and Asleep at the Wheel. Soon his band was given the opportunity to record several Strait-penned singles, including "That Don't Change The Way I Feel About You" and "I Can't Go On Dying Like This" for the Houston-based D Records independent label. However, the songs never achieved wide recognition, and Strait continued to manage his family cattle ranch during the day to make some extra cash.

While he continued to play with his band, without any real connections to the recording industry, Strait became friends with Erv Woolsey, who operated one of the bars in which the Ace in the Hole band played and who had previously worked for the major label MCA Records. Woolsey convinced some of his Music Row (Nashville) connections to come to Texas and to listen to Strait and his band play. Impressed with the performance but concerned that they could not market the Western swing sound that the band featured, they left without offering a deal.
After several unsuccessful trips to Nashville with Kent Finlay, owner of the Cheatham Street Warehouse, in search of a major label record deal in which Strait was turned down by every label in town, he considered giving up music altogether. He was offered a job designing cattle pens and decided to take it. He gave the band notice that he was leaving, but after a discussion with his wife, she convinced him to give pursuing music one more year. Not long afterward, a major label, MCA, signed Strait to a recording contract in February 1981. The initial deal was for one song. If the single did well, the label would consider doing an album. The Ace in the Hole band remained with Strait, performing as the backup and touring band for the now solo career of Strait.

1980s

In the spring of 1981, Strait released his first single for MCA Records, titled "Unwound", which climbed to number six on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart that year and was included on his debut album Strait Country×Strait Country1981 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Unwound2:262Honky Tonk Down Stairs2:333Blame It on Mexico2:494If You’re Thinking You Want a Stranger (There’s One Coming Home)2:585I Get Along With You2:436Down and Out2:257Friday Night Fever2:298Every Time You Throw Dirt on Her (You Lose a Little Ground)3:069She’s Playing Hell Trying to Get Me to Heaven2:4210Her Goodbye Hit Me in the Heart3:03. The record featured two other singles including "Down and Out", a number 16 hit for Strait, and "If You're Thinking You Want a Stranger (There's One Coming Home)".

Strait Country was hailed by critics as being a "new-traditionalist" breakthrough that broke the trend of pop-influenced country prevalent at the time. The critically acclaimed Strait from the Heart, his second album, was released in 1982 and featured the first number-one single of his career, "Fool Hearted Memory×Fool Hearted Memory1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Fool Hearted Memory2:372The Steal Of The Night2:38" and the top-five Western ballad "Amarillo by Morning×Amarillo by Morning13 January 1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAAmarillo by Morning2:52BLover in Disguise2:28" which was originally sung and written by Terry Stafford in 1973. It later became one of Strait's signature songs. In 1983, Strait made his first appearance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, when the headlining star, Eddie Rabbitt became sick with the flu. Performing at that rodeo has since become a mainstay throughout his career. He has made more than 20 appearances at the rodeo and played for more than one million fans.
Strait recorded 17 number ones during the decade, including a string of five that lasted from 1983 to 1984 from his next two albums Right or Wrong×Right or Wrong1983 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1You Look So Good in Love3:142Right or Wrong2:063A Little Heaven's Rubbing Off on Me2:42480 Proof Bottle of Tear Stopper2:135Every Time It Rains3:016You're the Cloud I'm On2:437Let's Fall to Pieces Together2:558I'm Satisfied With You2:519Our Paths May Never Cross2:3410Fifteen Years Going Up (and One Night Coming Down)2:50, his first number-one album and the CMA award-winning Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind×Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind1984 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind3:152Any Old Time2:033I Need Someone Like Me2:474You're Dancin' This Dance All Wrong3:585Honky Tonk Saturday Night2:296I Should Have Watched That First Step2:587Love Comes From the Other Side of Town2:178The Cowboy Rides Away3:219What Did You Expect Me to Do2:3910The Fireman2:35. The next year, he won the CMA award for top male vocalist, and released his first greatest hits compilation, which featured songs from his first three albums. Also in 1985, Strait released Something Special, the third-straight number-one album of his career, featuring the number-one single "The Chair". In 1986, Strait repeated as the CMA vocalist of the year and released his fourth number-one album #7.
Strait and his family were struck with tragedy when his 13-year-old daughter, Jenifer, was killed in a one-car, alcohol-unrelated accident in 1986. She was riding in a Ford Mustang driven by Gregory Wilson Allen, 18, of Staples, Texas. Allen was charged with a class A misdemeanor for vehicular homicide. Mike Cox, spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin, said, "The responding trooper determined the cause of accident to be excessive speed and that the car did not negotiate the turn properly. Jenifer was riding in the front passenger seat, and none of the four occupants was wearing seat belts at the time. When the vehicle flipped over onto its passenger's side, Jenifer was partially ejected, killing her on impact. The incident caused George to greatly limit his contact with the media. He stopped doing interviews for many years after the accident; he and his family did not wish to discuss Jenifer's death.
George Strait's grief did not hinder his performance, however, or his output; as he released 11 straight number-one hits, starting with "Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her" in 1986 and ending with "Ace in the Hole" in 1989. The singles spanned four albums including #7, Ocean Front Property×Ocean Front Property1987 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1All My Ex’s Live in Texas3:212Someone’s Walkin’ Around Upstairs2:513Am I Blue3:074Ocean Front Property3:085Hot Burning Flames2:206Without You Here4:297My Heart Won’t Wander Very Far From You2:248Second Chances4:159You Can’t Buy Your Way Out of the Blues2:5210I’m All Behind You Now3:14 in 1987, If You Ain't Lovin' You Ain't Livin' in 1988, and 1989's Beyond the Blue Neon, all of which reached the number one spot on country album charts. Ocean Front Property was the first country album to ever debut at number one on the charts by any artist. The streak included such songs as "Ocean Front Property", "All My Ex's Live in Texas×All My Ex's Live in Texas1987 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAAll My Ex's Live in Texas3:17BAm I Blue3:04", "Famous Last Words of a Fool", and "Baby Blue". Strait finished the decade by winning the CMA Entertainer of the Year award in 1989. One year later, he won the award again.

1990s

Strait began the decade with the release of his tenth studio album, Livin' It Up, which featured two number-one hits, including "Love Without End, Amen×Love Without End, Amen1990 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Love Without End, Amen3:052Drinking Champagne3:383Deep Water2:31", his first multiweek hit, and "I've Come to Expect It From You×I've Come to Expect It from You1990 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1I've Come to Expect It from You3:442Stranger In My Arms2:55". Both songs remained first for five weeks in 1990. Chill of an Early Fall shortly followed in 1991, and received positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly noted that the album marked a shift for Strait from "repeating himself" in his previous works to producing different material. It produced the number-one songs "If I Know Me" and "You Know Me Better Than That", but ended his streak of 31 straight top-ten hits with the cover of "Lovesick Blues", which peaked at number 24. The record blocked his run of eight top-charting albums with its peak of number four. In the spring of 1992, Holding My Own was released. It did not produce any number ones, but did include two top-five songs, including "So Much Like My Dad".
Later in 1992, Strait played the main character in the film Pure Country, and released the film's soundtrack. It was his most successful studio album, producing such hits as "Heartland", "I Cross My Heart×I Cross My Heart1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1I Cross My Heart3:202You're Right I'm Wrong2:32", and "When Did You Stop Loving Me×When Did You Stop Loving Me1992 · Single · SoundtrackSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1When Did You Stop Loving Me2:482Where the Sidewalk Ends3:08", and peaked at number one and number six respectively on the Country and Billboard 200 album charts. The success continued with his next album, Easy Come, Easy Go in 1993, which reached the top five on the Billboard 200 and featured the hits "I'd Like to Have That One Back", "The Man in Love with You", and the number-one title track.
His next four albums, including Lead On×Lead On8 November 1994 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1You Can’t Make a Heart Love Somebody3:202Adalida3:353I Met a Friend of Yours Today3:154Nobody Has to Get Hurt2:305Down Louisiana Way4:176Lead On3:267What Am I Waiting For2:378The Big One2:079I’ll Always Be Loving You2:3110No One but You3:00 in 1994, Blue Clear Sky×Blue Clear Sky23 April 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Blue Clear Sky2:552Carried Away3:223Rockin’ in the Arms of Your Memory4:174She Knows When You’re on My Mind3:165I Ain’t Never Seen No One Like You3:156I Can Still Make Cheyenne4:167King of the Mountain3:308Do the Right Thing3:099I’d Just as Soon Go3:1610Need I Say More4:52 in 1996, Carrying Your Love with Me×Carrying Your Love With Me22 April 1997 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Round About Way3:062Carrying Your Love With Me3:523One Night at a Time3:514She’ll Leave You With a Smile3:085Won’t You Come Home (and Talk to a Stranger)2:516Today My World Slipped Away3:157I’ve Got a Funny Feeling3:038The Nerve4:089That’s Me (Every Chance I Get)2:1910A Real Good Place to Start3:53 in 1997, and 1998's One Step at a Time, all charted at number one, with Blue Clear Sky claiming the spot on its debut week, and Carrying Your Love with Me peaking at number one on the Billboard 200 for the first time in Strait's career. This series of albums produced eight number-one singles for Strait, including "You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody", "Carried Away×Carried Away1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Carried Away3:192Do The Right Thing3:07", "One Night at a Time", and "I Just Want to Dance with You×I Just Want to Dance With You7 April 1998 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1I Just Want to Dance With You3:312Neon Row4:42".
During this period, Strait also released a four-disc, box-set career retrospective, Strait Out of the Box, in 1995, which also included two new songs, the top five hit "I Know She Still Loves Me×I Know She Still Loves Me11 December 1995 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAI Know She Still Loves Me3:07BUnwound2:25" and the No.1 hit "Check Yes or No×Check Yes Or No18 September 1995 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Check Yes Or No3:202Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)2:07". It became the second-best selling box set ever with shipments of eight million in the United States. He was named as the CMA's Top Male Vocalist in 1997 and 1998. Starting in 1997, and continuing until 2001, Strait headlined the George Strait Country Music Festival, which included artists such as Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, and others.
In an effort to introduce these acts to as many fans as possible, the festival promised not to visit any market more than twice. It played only a small number of dates, usually no more than 20 a year, but still managed to be the ninth-biggest grossing tour of 1998.
Strait completed the decade with the album Always Never the Same×Always Never the Same2 March 1999 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Meanwhile3:322Write This Down3:403That's the Truth3:194What Do You Say to That3:005Peace of Mind3:146That's Where I Wanna Take Our Love3:157Always Never the Same2:598One of You2:309I Look at You3:29104 Minus 3 Equals Zero3:08 in 1999, which peaked at number two on country charts and matched the cross-over success of Pure Country by reaching number six on the Billboard 200. The record produced the hits "What Do You Say to That", "Meanwhile×Meanwhile5 January 1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Meanwhile3:332You Haven't Left Me Yet3:46", and the number-one "Write This Down×Write This Down18 March 1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAWrite This Down3:41B4 Minus 3 Equals Zero3:11". Reviews of the album's material were generally mixed, but Entertainment Weekly observed that at this point in his career, Strait could record the "most lightweight" material and "make it soar" on the radio with his "grace". All in all, Strait scored 17 number-one hits on the Billboard country airplay charts in the decade, and carried his successes into the next century.

2000s

Strait released a self-titled album in 2000, which despite a number-one and number-seven showing on the country and Billboard 200 album charts, respectively, produced no number-one singles, and was the first studio album of his career to not be certified platinum. The singles "Go On×Go OnMay 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAGo On3:49BMurder on Music Row4:23" and "If You Can Do Anything Else" were released from the record, with both peaking in the top five. In May 2001, The Road Less Traveled was released. Reviews for the album were mostly positive; Rolling Stone described it as sticking to the formula, "but adds a few twists that make it superior to his last few releases." It featured "vocal processing", and was considered by some critics as an experimental album. Three singles were released from it, two of which reached number one, including "She'll Leave You with a Smile×She'll Leave You with a Smile2001 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1She'll Leave You with a Smile2:572Good Time Charley's2:30", his 50th on combined charts and "Living and Living Well×Living and Living Well4 February 2002 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALiving and Living Well3:37BThe Real Thing3:33", both of which reached the top 30 of Billboard Hot 100, with the former peaking at number 23, Strait's highest rank on the chart. The single "Run" peaked at number two and reached number 34 on the Billboard 100. Strait released two records in 2003. For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome was a recording of the last Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to take place in the Astrodome. The performance itself set the record for paid attendance at the venue, with 68,266 people, breaking Latin superstar Selena's previous record of about 67,000 in 1995.
His next album, Honkytonkville×Honkytonkville10 June 2003 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1She Used to Say That to Me2:582Honkytonkville2:483Look Who's Back From Town4:044Cowboys Like Us3:395Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa3:176As Far as It Goes3:397I Found Jesus on the Jailhouse Floor3:378Desperately4:089Honk If You Honky Tonk2:1510Heaven Is Missing an Angel4:2511Four Down and Twelve Across2:5212My Infinite Love3:46 was described as "a fiery set of hard country", and was praised "for its mixture of the old Strait with his modern, superstar self." It did not produce any number ones for Strait, but included the hits "Cowboys Like Us" and a cover of Bruce Robison's "Desperately×Desperately2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Desperately4:022Honk If You Honky Tonk2:10". His 2004 performance at Reliant Stadium set a new rodeo attendance record, with 68,679 spectators. That year, he issued a greatest hits package billed as 50 Number Ones, chronicling the number-one hits of his career from all charts, starting with "Fool Hearted Memory×Fool Hearted Memory1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Fool Hearted Memory2:372The Steal Of The Night2:38" and ending with "She'll Leave You With a Smile." A new track, "I Hate Everything×I Hate Everything4 July 2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I Hate Everything3:53", was also included, and became his 51st overall number one in 2004.
The next year, Somewhere Down in Texas arrived, which produced the hit "You'll Be There", marking Strait's first appearance on the adult contemporary chart. The next year, he embarked on a tour that included only 18 performances, but grossed over $15 million. He attributed this success to the fact that his band and he are "musically very tight", have a large pool of songs to draw from, and perform those songs very similarly to how they sound on their albums.

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 Just Comes Natural3 October 2006 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Give It Away3:312She Told Me So3:043That’s My Kind of Woman3:264Wrapped4:105It Just Comes Natural2:596He Must Have Really Hurt You Bad2:437A Heart Like Hers3:288Why Can’t I Leave Her Alone4:179One Foot in Front of the Other4:1610I Ain’t Her Cowboy Anymore4:5611Texas Cookin’4:2512A Better Rain3:3913How ’Bout Them Cowgirls3:5814What Say3:5515Come on Joe3:50. The album was recorded in Key West, Florida, in Jimmy Buffett's Shrimp Boat Sound Studio (said to be a better recording location due to lack of allergy flare-ups during recording process), which was also the recording location of Troubadour. It featured 15 new songs. Strait's long-time friend and songwriter, Dean Dillon, co-wrote two of the songs on the album. It received generally positive reviews from critics. People, in their four-star review, remarked, "If ever there was a natural in country music, it's Strait," while USA Today raved that "he continues to make such consistent quality look easy". The first single from the album, "Give It Away×Give It Away20 June 2006 · ReleaseSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Give It Away" reached number one, making one of its co-writers, country legend "Whispering Bill" Anderson, the first songwriter to have a number-one hit in five different decades. The title track, "It Just Comes Natural" became his 42nd Billboard number one.
In 2007, "Wrapped×Wrapped2007 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Wrapped3:592Wrapped3:593Wrapped3:59" reached number one on the Mediabase 24/7 country music charts, giving Strait his 55th overall number-one single. From January through April of that year, Strait headlined a 23-date arena tour with country-music legend Ronnie Milsap and then-newcomer Taylor Swift. He released a new album titled Troubadour×Troubadour1 April 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Troubadour2:562It Was Me3:103Brothers of the Highway2:424River of Love3:155House of Cash3:366I Saw God Today3:237Give Me More Time3:308When You're in Love2:499Make Her Fall in Love with Me Song2:2610West Texas Town2:0011House with No Doors3:4412If Heartaches Were Horses2:42 on April 1, 2008. The CD contained 12 tracks, including a duet with Patty Loveless and another with long-time songwriter Dean Dillon. The lead single from the album, "I Saw God Today×I Saw God Today15 March 2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I Saw God Today3:25", debuted at number 19 on the Radio and Records and Billboard charts. It is the highest debut ever for a single from Strait and the fourth-highest debut for a song in country-music history. Troubadour debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 album charts, selling over 160,000 copies in its first week of release. "River of Love×River Of Love2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1River Of Love3:152River Of Love3:153River Of Love3:15", the third single from the album, became his 57th number-one song in 2009.

In April 2009, Strait was honored by the Academy of Country Music with the Artist of the Decade Award, which was presented to Strait by the previous ACM Artist of the Decade, Garth Brooks. In June of that year, he headlined the first event at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Strait's single "Living for the Night×Living For The Night2009 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Living For The Night" was released on May 28, 2009, and was written by Strait, his son Bubba, and Dean Dillon. The song was the lead single from his album Twang×Twang11 August 2009 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Twang2:552Where Have I Been All My Life3:063I Gotta Get to You3:104Easy as You Go3:215Living for the Night3:426Same Kind of Crazy3:337Out of Sight Out of Mind3:078Arkansas Dave3:199The Breath You Take3:3610He’s Got That Something Special3:2311Hot Grease and Zydeco3:1712Beautiful Day for Goodbye3:0913El Rey2:27, released on August 11, 2009. Twang was certified gold for selling over 500,000 copies. By 2009, he broke Conway Twitty's previous record for the most number-one hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart when his 44 number one singles surpassed Twitty's 40.

2010s

In 2010, Billboard ranked Strait number one in the top-25 country artists of the past 25 years. On September 6, 2011, Strait released the album, Here for a Good Time×Here for a Good Time6 September 2011 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Love's Gonna Make It Alright3:482Drinkin' Man4:263Shame on Me2:374Poison3:375Here for a Good Time3:006House Across the Bay3:367Lone Star Blues4:168A Showman's Life4:419Three Nails and a Cross3:4310Blue Marlin Blues3:2411I'll Always Remember You3:54, which yielded two number-one singles—"Here for a Good Time" and "Love's Gonna Make It Alright"—bringing Strait's number-one singles total to 59. The album's third single, "Drinkin' Man", was less successful, peaking at number 37.
In October 2012, Strait released the single "Give It All We Got Tonight×Give It All We Got Tonight19 November 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Give It All We Got Tonight4:12", which was included on his album Love Is Everything×Love Is Everything14 May 2013 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1I Got a Car4:322Give It All We Got Tonight4:113Blue Melodies4:264I Just Can’t Go on Dying Like This3:585I Thought I Heard My Heart Sing3:006That’s What Breaking Hearts Do3:317When Love Comes Around Again3:338The Night Is Young3:339Sittin’ on the Fence3:2710I Believe3:4611Love Is Everything3:0812You Don’t Know What Your Missing3:4413When the Credits Roll3:21, released on May 14, 2013. The song initiated a "60 for 60" movement by Strait's label, to make the song his 60th number-one single on all country charts while he was still 60 years old. The song reached the top of the Mediabase charts in May 2013. The album's next single, "I Believe", reached number 50 on the U.S. Country Airplay chart, making it Strait's first single to miss the top 40. Strait won the 2013 CMA Entertainer of the Year award.
In November 2013, Billboard presented Strait with its Legend of Live honor during the 10th annual Billboard Touring Awards ceremony. The award honors the concert industry's top artist based on Billboard's Boxscore chart and box-office performance. Strait is the first country artist to receive Billboard's highest touring accolade. On April 19, 2015, Strait made a guest appearance at the 2015 ACM Awards, he performed "All My Ex's Lives in Texas" and his new single "Let it Go".
In 2016, Strait was selected as one of 30 artists to perform on "Forever Country", for a mash-up track of "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "On the Road Again", and "I Will Always Love You", which celebrates 50 years of the CMA Awards.
In 2018, Strait released a single called "Codigo×Codigo7 December 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Codigo3:13", after a brand of tequila produced by a company in which he had invested.

The Cowboy Rides Away Tour

On September 26, 2012, Strait announced that he was retiring from touring, and that his Cowboy Rides Away Tour would be his last. Tickets for both arenas and stadiums on the Cowboy Rides Away Tour sold out in a matter of hours. The tour started on January 18, 2013, in Lubbock, Texas, and was divided into two legs: 21 concerts in 2013 and 26 concerts in 2014. The tour ended in Arlington, Texas, on June 7, 2014. Strait was supported on the tour by his longtime 11-member touring group, the Ace in the Hole Band. For the 2013 leg, Martina McBride was the opening performer.
On January 9, 2014, Strait initiated the second leg of the tour, which featured the opening performers Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack, Merle Haggard, Chris Young, Ronnie Dunn, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, and Asleep at the Wheel. Many of these performers gathered together for the tour's final concert in Arlington, Texas on June 7, before 104,793 fans – at the time both the largest attendance at a single-headliner concert in the United States, and the largest ticketed attendance ever at a concert in a stadium in the United States. Strait would then break both his own records ten years later, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. The concert also set a record for the largest gross at a single-show country concert, $18,194,374, and broke the 33-year-old record as well for "largest indoor concert ever," easily surpassing the 87,500 fans who attended the December 5, 1981, Rolling Stones concert at the New Orleans Superdome (opening acts, The Neville Brothers, followed by George Thorogood and the Destroyers).
A live album recorded from the final concert in Arlington titled The Cowboy Rides Away: Live from AT&T Stadium×The Cowboy Rides Away: Live from AT&T Stadium16 September 2014 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Check Yes or No3:282The Love Bug3:033Fool Hearted Memory2:584Arkansas Dave3:515Cowboys Like Us3:186That’s What Breaking Do3:347Marina Del Rey4:188Here for a Good Time2:559I Can Still Make Cheyenne4:2810Jackson3:1111A Showman’s Life4:2912Murder on Music Row4:4613The Chair4:1314Give It Allwe Got Tonight3:4415Run3:4816I’ll Always Remember You4:1717Ocean Front Property3:1818Troubadour2:5819All My Ex’s Live in Texas3:2820The Cowboy Rides Away7:07 was released on September 16, 2014, with DVD/CDs of the concert being released on November 10, 2014, with Walmart exclusively releasing a deluxe edition including two CDs, as well. This deluxe DVD is the entire over three-hour concert and the accompanying two CDs have 28 of the 40 songs sung that night. On August 29, 2014, the Country Music Television channel broadcast a two-hour concert special of the event titled George Strait: The Cowboy Rides Away. This CMT concert special had 1+1⁄4 hours of music from the concert and interviews.

2020s

Strait broke the record for most fans at a U.S. concert by a single headlining act on Saturday, June 15, 2024, with a concert at Kyle Field at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, with 110,905 fans in attendance. The record was previously held by The Grateful Dead, who had 107,019 fans in attendance at their 1977 show at Raceway Park in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey. The record was broken the following year by Zach Bryan, who recorded 112,408 tickets sold at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The show also set a new record for Texas A&M's Kyle Field for most fans at a single event. The previous record was on October 11, 2014, with 110,633 fans, for a Texas A&M football game against Ole Miss. On July 27, 2025 Strait organized an intimate relief concert in Boerne to aid in the relief efforts in central Texas communities affected by the July 2025 Central Texas floods. In total, the concert raised $6.25M.

Musical style and influences

Strait's style of country music has been largely labeled as neotraditional country, which relies on traditional instrumentation in country music, i.e. fiddle and pedal steel guitar. His style has also been labeled as Texas country, Western swing, and honky-tonk.

Legacy

George Strait has been cited as an influence by country artists such as Clint Black, Rick Trevino, Lee Ann Womack, Alan Jackson, Mark Chesnutt, Evan Felker of the Turnpike Troubadours, Parker McCollum, Charley Crockett, Zach Top, and Kacey Musgraves.

Personal life

Strait eloped in Mexico with his high school sweetheart Norma in December 1971. Their first child, Jenifer, was born on October 6, 1972. Their son, George Harvey Strait Jr., known as "Bubba", was born in 1981.
Jenifer was killed in an automobile accident in San Marcos on June 25, 1986, at age 13. The family set up the Jenifer Lyn Strait Foundation, which donates money to children's charities in the San Antonio area. George Strait Jr., who is a graduate of Texas A&M, competed as a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association team-roping competitor. Strait was able to watch his son compete at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 2006 shortly before taking the stage for his own performance.
On April 10, 2009, John Byron "Buddy" Strait, who was George's older brother, died at the age of 58.
Since 2010, Strait has served as spokesman for the Wrangler National Patriot program, a campaign designed to raise awareness and funds for America's wounded and fallen military veterans and their families. Strait says, "I've been a part of the Wrangler family for a long time... when they came to me with the idea for supporting fallen and wounded American veterans and their families, I knew I wanted to get involved." He also appeared in commercials for Tractor Supply Company.
In February 2012, Strait became a grandfather when George Strait Jr. and his wife Tamara had their first child, a son, George Harvey Strait III.
From 1983 through 2017, Strait hosted a prestigious, annual team-roping event; The George Strait Team Roping Classic. It was originally held in Kingsville, Texas, but then took place for several years at the San Antonio Rose Palace.

Strait owns a Gulfstream G450 business jet; its tail number is N518GS. His personal aircraft is housed at the Landmark Aviation facility in San Antonio. He teamed up with Texas Governor Greg Abbott to help with disaster relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Harvey which devastated coastal areas of Texas.
Strait along with long-time friend and business partner Tom Cusick created the Vaqueros Del Mar (Cowboys of the Sea) Invitational Golf Tournament and Concert held annually at Strait and Cusick's Texas Hill Country resort Tapatio Springs Resort near Boerne, Texas. The Invitational raises money for David Feherty's Troops First Foundation, benefiting wounded servicemen, servicewomen and their families. Since its beginning in 2012, more than US$5 million have been raised by the events. In January 2018, George Strait was named the 2018 Texan of the Year by the Texas Legislative Conference, a statewide group of business and political leaders. Strait was honored for his fundraising efforts in the wake of the widespread flooding following Hurricane Harvey.

Honors and awards

Given his influence on the genre, Strait has been dubbed the "King of Country Music" by writers and music critics.
Strait holds the record for most number-one albums and singles, gold albums, platinum albums, and multiplatinum albums in the history of country music, and is 11th in the most number-one albums in all other genres. Strait is third only to Elvis Presley and The Beatles with the most gold and platinum albums in the history of music. Strait has been certified as the 12th-best selling artist in American history, with career record sales of 70 million in the United States.
Strait has held the world record for most number one hit singles across all charts and genres with 60 number-one hits since 2013, and is the only artist in the history of music of any kind to have a top-10 hit every year for 30 years. He is also second all-time in top-10 hits in the history of music, currently five away from breaking the all-time record held by Eddy Arnold, who had 92 in his historic career. Strait has won 22 CMA Awards, including consecutive Entertainer of the Year honors in 1989 and 1990, and also just recently won that same honor in 2013 (and is the only artist to win the top honor in three different decades) and holds the career record for CMA nominations (as a whole) and the most consecutively of all time.
As of 2009, he holds the record for the most CMA awards. Strait also holds those same records for wins and nominations for the Academy of Country Music Awards. Strait was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006, performing his then-latest number-one hit "Give it Away×Give It Away20 June 2006 · ReleaseSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Give 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 and albums.
As of June 8, 2010, Strait was named the top country-music artist of the past 25 years according to Billboard. In October 2008, the Academy of Country Music Awards named Strait their Artist of the Decade for the 2000s. He was presented the award by the previous winner Garth Brooks. Past winners of the award are Marty Robbins (1960s), Loretta Lynn (1970s), Alabama (1980s), and Garth Brooks (1990s). With the win of the entertainer-of-the-year award in 2013, he is the only artist to ever win that award in three different decades and also was the oldest winner. The win is currently the longest span between wins for that award, as well. Strait is also tied with Merle Haggard for the most male vocalist-of-the-year awards.
On June 1, 2013, Strait appeared at the Alamodome, in San Antonio, Texas, before 70,000 fans in the last concert of the first half of his two-year farewell tour. Governor Rick Perry, who was in attendance with First Lady Anita Thigpen Perry, announced that May 18, Strait's birthday, would be George Strait Day in Texas each year.
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Strait at number 156 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Honoree for Lifetime Artistic Achievement presented in December 2025 at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.