Short Biography

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[1]. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional country western music.






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.

Strait`s 38 hit albums (12 multi platinum, 22 platinum and four gold) rank him only behind Elvis Presley and The Beatles . 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 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 at 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 Southwest 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 local honky-tonk. The band then playing other honky-tonks and bars around south and central Texas and as far east as Huntsville and Houston.[2] They gained a regional following and opened for national acts such as The Texas Playboys.

In the late