Mention the name “George Strait” and the title “King of Country” immediately comes to mind. Strait’s take on country music is down home traditional but with a contemporary “good ol’ boy” approach that combines swing and honky-tonk with consistent #1 hits like “It Just Comes Natural” which best describes the country legend.
Strait’s break came in the early ’80s with his first top 10 single, “Unwound,” His staying power only increased during the rest of that decade. While country merged with pop to reach the mainstream masses with a more slick, commercialized sound, Strait maintained his focusand his straight-ahead country music. And the numbers bear him out.
The awards he’s won are endless. He holds many records (no pun intended), but just for comparison, he stands near another “King” (Elvis) and The Beatles when it comes to certified record sales, and Strait recently received the Artist of the Decade award for the 2000s this past spring from the Academy of Country Music.
