George Harvey Strait is one of the highest-grossing country artists of all time. Originally from Poteet, Texas, Strait played in a rock and roll band in high school. He’d later take those skills and turn it into an incredibly successful career in country music. A career that led to 13 multi-platinum studio albums and 33 platinum country albums certified by the RIAA. He stands behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley with the most gold and platinum albums in music history.
Strait’s debut album, released on MCA Records, was a huge success. His first single, “Unwound,” hit No. 6 on the Billboard country chart. Part of what was so appealing about the country singer was that he was interested in keeping things country and not following the “pop country” trend.
His second album, Strait From the Heart, earned Strait his first No. 1 hit, “Fool Hearted Memory.” Throughout the ’80s, he recorded 17 number-one hit singles on the country charts. He also won Male Vocalist of the Year at the CMA Awards twice
Strait was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 2013 and ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014. He was even named Academy of Country Music Awards Artist of the Decade in the 2000s. The award was presented by the previous winner, Garth Brooks. So, just how successful is George Strait?
