50 Fun Facts About George Strait

In which Texas town was George Strait born in 1952?

Poteet, the self-styled Strawberry Capital of Texas south of San Antonio, was his birthplace on 18 May 1952, but he was raised elsewhere, on South Texas ranch country.

By what nickname is George Strait widely known?

The King of Country: writers gave him the title for bringing fiddle-and-steel honky-tonk back to radio in the 1980s, when pop crossover acts dominated Nashville.

Strait's high school garage band, the Stoics, took most of its inspiration from which group?

The Beatles 'were big', Strait recalled of his garage-band days; he paid little attention to country music until he was a young soldier.

Where was Strait stationed when he began singing with an Army-sponsored country band in 1973?

Hawaii: at Schofield Barracks he auditioned for an Army-sponsored band, Rambling Country, and became its lead singer, working through hours of Merle Haggard and George Jones songs.

Where did Strait and his high school sweetheart Norma marry when they eloped in 1971?

Mexico: the couple eloped there on 4 December 1971, then also had a church wedding back home in Texas.

Strait graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a degree in what?

Strait earned a degree in agriculture from Southwest Texas State University in 1979; the school, renamed Texas State University in 2003, gave him an honorary doctorate in 2006.

Strait answered a campus flyer in 1975 to front ex-members of Stoney Ridge under which new name?

The Ace in the Hole Band: steel guitarist Mike Daily recalled that Strait 'sang two lines, and it was over' at the audition; their first show together was in San Marcos on 13 October 1975.

Before MCA signed him, Strait had accepted a job doing what and nearly quit music?

Strait had accepted a job designing cattle pens and was ready to quit music; Norma persuaded him to give it one more year, and MCA signed him early in 1981.

What did Strait's first contract with MCA Records in 1981 cover?

MCA's 1981 deal covered just one song; an album would follow only if the single sold, and it did, reaching the country top ten that summer.

What was Strait's first single for MCA, which reached number six in 1981?

'Unwound', written by Dean Dillon and Frank Dycus, was hard honky-tonk released at the height of the pop-leaning Urban Cowboy craze; its parent album helped put traditional country back on radio.

Which 1982 song gave Strait his first number one hit?

'Fool Hearted Memory' reached the top in 1982, only a few years after several trips to Nashville had failed to win Strait a major-label deal.

Who originally wrote and recorded Strait's signature song 'Amarillo by Morning' in 1973?

Terry Stafford, of 'Suspicion' fame, co-wrote 'Amarillo by Morning' with Paul Fraser and recorded it in 1973; Strait's 1983 version peaked at number four.

Strait's first Houston Rodeo appearance in 1983 came filling in for which flu-stricken headliner?

Eddie Rabbitt's flu handed Strait his first Houston rodeo slot in 1983; he went on to play it more than 20 times, to over a million fans in all.

Which 1987 Strait album was the first by any artist to debut at number one on Billboard's country chart?

Ocean Front Property takes its name from the title track's joke: if she believes he won't miss her, he has ocean front property in Arizona to sell her.

Which single ended Strait's run of eleven straight number ones in 1989?

'Overnight Success' was anything but: it stalled at number eight, ending a streak that had begun in 1986 with 'Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her'.

After his daughter Jenifer died in 1986, what did Strait stop doing for years?

Giving interviews: he later said he 'just kind of shut down' with the press, though he kept recording and touring; the family set up a foundation in her name for children's charities.

'Love Without End, Amen' in 1990 was Strait's first single to do what?

'Love Without End, Amen' was his first single to top the chart for multiple weeks: it stayed five weeks in 1990, after each of his 18 earlier number ones had lasted just one.

Which 1992 cover stalled at number 24, ending Strait's run of 31 straight top-ten hits?

'Lovesick Blues', the Hank Williams standard, stalled at number 24 in 1992, his first single to miss the top ten since 1981; he answered with another 18 top-ten hits in a row.

In which 1992 film did Strait make his acting debut as a burnt-out singing star?

Pure Country (1992) did only modest business in cinemas, but its soundtrack, with 'I Cross My Heart' and 'Heartland', became the best-selling studio album of Strait's career.

What is the name of the character Strait plays in his 1992 movie?

Strait plays Dusty Chandler, a jaded star who walks off his own tour after fans fail to notice him skipping bars of a song, which sets the plot in motion.

Which 1995 Strait retrospective added the new number one 'Check Yes or No' to his earlier hits?

Strait Out of the Box spread his career over four discs and still became one of the best-selling box sets in pop history, helped by the new number one 'Check Yes or No'.

Which group played Strait's stadium festival in 1999, a year before headlining its own tour?

Dixie Chicks: Emily Robison called the 1999 dates part of the trio's strategy, winning over stadiums of country fans before the group, now the Chicks, went out on its own.

Which 1985 Strait number one did Hank Cochran and Dean Dillon write about a bar pickup?

'The Chair' (1985), written by Hank Cochran and Dean Dillon, plays out a bar pickup that opens 'Well, excuse me, but I think you've got my chair'; it topped the country chart late that year.

Which new track did Strait add to his 2004 collection 50 Number Ones?

'I Hate Everything' was the one new track on 50 Number Ones, and it soon topped the chart itself, putting the collection's title out of date.

Which honour did Strait receive in 2006?

Country Music Hall of Fame: he was inducted in 2006, the same year 'Give It Away' went to number one, and he kept topping the chart for years afterwards.

Strait recorded his 2006 album at a studio owned by which musician?

Jimmy Buffett owned Shrimpboat Sound in Key West; Strait and his crew went back there for the next album, whose single 'River of Love' came out with an island lilt.

In 2007 Strait headlined a 23-date arena tour with Ronnie Milsap and which then-newcomer?

Taylor Swift, then 17 and promoting her debut album, opened Strait's 2007 arena tour alongside Ronnie Milsap; the same year 'Wrapped' became his 55th number one across all charts.

Which 2008 album won Strait his first Grammy, for Best Country Album?

Troubadour won Best Country Album at the 2009 ceremony, his first Grammy after nearly three decades of chart-topping records.

Which previous holder presented Strait with the ACM's Artist of the Decade award in 2009?

Garth Brooks, the Artist of the Decade for the 1990s, presented the award in April 2009; the ACM marked it with an all-star tribute concert, aired on CBS, in which other stars covered Strait's songs.

Whose long-standing record for the most number ones on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart did Strait break?

Conway Twitty had held the record for twenty years when Strait drew level with 'She Let Herself Go', then passed him eight months later with 'Give It Away'.

'Living for the Night' in 2009 was co-written by Strait, Dean Dillon and which family member?

His son Bubba, George Strait Jr., wrote it with his father and Dean Dillon; after 28 years of MCA singles by other writers, it was the first the singer himself had a hand in writing.

The '60 for 60' campaign pushed which single to be Strait's 60th chart-topper while he was still 60?

'Give It All We Got Tonight' reached number one on the Mediabase country chart in May 2013, days before Strait turned 61, completing the '60 for 60' push for a 60th chart-topper at age 60.

Which CMA award did Strait win in 1989, 1990 and, after a 23-year gap, 2013?

Entertainer of the Year: the CMA's top prize came back to him in 2013, 23 years after his second, while he was on what was billed as his farewell tour.

In which city did the Cowboy Rides Away Tour open in January 2013?

Lubbock hosted the first night on 18 January 2013; the farewell was to touring only, and Strait went on recording and playing occasional stadium shows.

Whose 1981 indoor crowd record did Strait's 2014 farewell show break?

The Rolling Stones' 1981 Superdome mark fell on a night when nine guest stars, Sheryl Crow and Jason Aldean among them, sang with Strait and then came back together for the encores.

In June 2024 Strait set the US record for a single-act ticketed concert at which venue?

Strait drew 110,905 to Kyle Field in College Station on 15 June 2024, beating the 107,019 the Grateful Dead drew at Englishtown, New Jersey, in 1977.

Strait's 2018 single 'Código' salutes a brand of which spirit?

Tequila: Código 1530 is Strait's own favourite, a brand he liked enough to buy into as an investor before he co-wrote the song that carries its name.

From 1983 to 2017 Strait hosted an annual event in which rodeo discipline?

Team roping: the George Strait Team Roping Classic began as a small family affair in Kingsville and grew into the largest open roping in the United States before he ended it after its 35th year.

Which billionaire's maternal grandmother was born a Strait, making him a distant cousin of George?

Jeff Bezos: his grandmother Mattie was born a Strait, and the Amazon founder spent boyhood summers on his grandfather's ranch near Cotulla, in South Texas.

In 'All My Ex's Live in Texas', in which state does Strait's narrator say he hangs his hat?

Tennessee: the 1987 number one, written by Sanger D. and Lyndia Shafer, lists former lovers in Texarkana, Abilene, Galveston and Temple, each one a reason he had to leave the state.

What was the title of Strait's 1981 debut album for MCA?

Strait Country (1981) leaned on fiddle and steel guitar when pop-flavoured country ruled, and helped bring harder country back onto radio playlists.

Who broke Strait's 2024 US single-act attendance record the following year at Michigan Stadium?

Zach Bryan drew 112,408 to Michigan Stadium on 27 September 2025, about 1,500 more than Strait's Texas crowd, after the football ground was refitted with field seating for only its second concert.

Strait grew up in which Frio County town, where his father taught junior high mathematics?

Strait grew up in Pearsall, the Frio County seat, where his father John taught junior high maths; the family also worked a 2,000-acre cattle ranch outside Big Wells on weekends and summers.

Strait's 2003 live album captured the final Houston rodeo concert held at which venue?

For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome (2003) captured the final Houston rodeo concert at the Astrodome, on 3 March 2002; the paid crowd of 68,266 broke the venue record Selena had set in 1995.

Who was the opening performer for the 2013 leg of the Cowboy Rides Away Tour?

Martina McBride opened the 2013 shows and was still on the bill in 2014, when the slot rotated among guests such as Eric Church, Merle Haggard and Vince Gill.

What rank had Strait reached when he left the US Army in 1975?

Corporal: he enlisted in 1971, became lead singer of an Army country band along the way, and left in 1975 to go to college back in Texas.

Which bar owner and former MCA executive became Strait's longtime manager?

Erv Woolsey ran the Prairie Rose, a San Marcos club the band played, then went back to MCA in Nashville and persuaded the label to sign Strait; he later quit to manage him.

Which co-writer of 'Give It Away' had written his first big country hit back in 1958?

Bill Anderson wrote 'City Lights', a hit for Ray Price in 1958; 'Whispering Bill' shared the 2006 number one with Jamey Johnson and Buddy Cannon, drawing on Johnson's divorce.

Which 1983 album was Strait's first to top Billboard's country albums chart?

Right or Wrong took its title from a 1920s standard made famous by Bob Wills, and Strait's Western swing remake was one of three number one singles on the album.

Strait's 1970s band cut a few of his own songs for which Houston-based independent label?

D Records, the Houston label founded by Pappy Daily, issued the band's first singles in the late 1970s; its steel guitarist, Mike Daily, was the founder's grandson.