George Strait
George Harvey Strait ( born May 18, 1952 in Poteet, Atascosa County, Texas) is an American country singer and a major representative of neo- traditionalism. By 2009, it reached number one on the country charts with 19 albums and 44 singles.
- 3.1 albums
Biography
Childhood and youth
George Strait and his brother were raised by the early divorce of his parents by the Father in Nachbarcounty Frio in the town of Pearsall. They spent the weekends on a regular basis on the family ranch, which was managed by the grandparents. As a teenager he played in various school bands. Before his twentieth year he married his high school sweetheart Norma. In his three years of military service, which he spent in Hawaii, he played in a country band in the army. His musical influences were Merle Haggard, George Jones and Bob Wills.
After his military service Strait studied agriculture and then worked as a foreman on a ranch. During his studies, he had assembled a list on the bulletin board as a singer with the band Ace in the Hole. The group played in clubs and dance halls around San Antonio in Texas and quickly built a fan base on.
Getting Started
In 1976, the first singles were at the small label D Records, which belonged to George Jones producer " Pappy " Daily ( the grandfather of a member of Ace in the Hole was) was added. These were three original compositions by George Strait, were unsuccessful, however. In 1977 Strait along with the songwriter Darrell Staedler some demo tapes and offered it unsuccessfully various record labels.
After completing his studies Strait took a job on a ranch, played some demos for the MCA label, and finally received at the age of 29 years a contract. The first piece that was published there, Dean Dillon composition was Unwound. The single made it into the country Top Ten.
Superstar of country music
After the success of the single was recorded with session musicians, his first album Strait Country. His old band still accompanied him on tours. The next singles also reached top places in the country charts. In 1982 he had his first number 1 hit with Fool Hearted Memory. It was followed by an almost uninterrupted series of top hits.
Strait was the dominant country star of the eighties and nineties, and also in the new millennium he is regularly found at the top ranks. He published until 2009 25 studio albums and 88 singles, one of which occupied 19 albums and 44 singles No. 1 on the country charts.
He sold up to 2009 more than 73 million records and received 13 multi-platinum, 32 platinum and 35 gold albums; 18 of his singles found themselves in the Billboard pop charts. Strait received by 2006 88 of the most important music awards in the United States, including 16 Billboard Awards and the National Medal of Arts in 2003 In 2006 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.; 2009 appointed him the Academy of Country Music artist of the decade.
Private life
George Strait had two children with his wife Norma. 1981, son of George Jr. and 1972 daughter Jenifer to the world who died at the age of 13 in 1986 in a car accident.