There’s is no debating that George Strait is the undisputed King of Country music, proudly holding the title for the most #1 singles of all time, and he was recently recognized as a recipient at the annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony took place in Washington, D.C. In addition to all of his hit songs and albums, Strait is largely recognized for being instrumental in bringing about the neotraditional country style in the 1980s.
He joined the Army in the early 70’s, and around that time, he auditioned to be in a band called the Country Kings, and I find the name in and of itself kind of ironic now. Strait says he got through one gig and they let him go, saying he that he wasn’t “country enough” (hilarious), but it didn’t get him down too bad, and he got another opportunity not long after. That new opportunity was a spot in a band called Rambling Country, which he performed in alongside other Army soldiers. He left the service in 1975, and resumed his studies at Southwest Texas State University, where he graduated with a degree in agriculture in 1979.
A couple years later, in 1981, Strait released “Unwound” as his major label debut single, which was written by Dean Dillon and Frank Dycus. It peaked at #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, becoming his first Top 10 hit and the start of an incredibly legendary career.
Strait came from humble beginnings, growing up the son of a teacher and was raised by his father, who also operated a 2,000 acre farm, and during an interview as part of the Kennedy Center Honors special that aired last night, the ever-humble Strait said he was “blown away” by the performances in honor of his music by Miranda Lambert and Brooks & Dunn, taking time to thank them for coming out there and being part of such a special evening.
He also took time to reflect on all he’s accomplished, saying his career has been “unbelievable,” saying he doesn’t know if he’s done enough to receive such an honor and that he never had a plan to get to this point in his life and career:
“It was amazing having those great artists come up, all the way here, for me. I just appreciate it so much, and I was blown away, I thought they did an amazing job.
My whole story, I think, is kind of unbelievable because even when I signed with the record company in 1981, I just wouldn’t have ever believed that I would be standing here right now at the Kennedy Center. Would have never dreamed it. My career has been unbelievable. Those dreams have come true.
When I get invited to something like this, I think about, well, have I really done that much? I don’t know. I mean, it’s just, things happened. It’s not that I have plan, I never had areal plan. I just tried to sing the best songs, make the best records I could, and do the best shows that I could.”
His humility is just part of what makes him so endearing, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has accomplished as much as he has that is this down-to-earth and gracious. And for as amazing of an artist as he’s always been, he’s also been known to “make a cowgirl’s jeans twitch at 100 yards…” It’s funny, but it is undoubtedly true, and even President Trump commented on how good looking Strait still is, and he has always been incredibly handsome.
During an interview with Elaine Ganick around the time of the 1985 Country Music Association Awards, where he took home both Album of the Year for Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, as well as Male Vocalist of the Year, Strait said he was “in shock” to have taken home such big awards:
“I’m still in shock, I really am. It’s a wonderful thing.”
But Elaine asked the real questions, getting straight to the point with this one:
“What is it about you, George, that is so sexy?”
Of course, Strait was incredibly humble, saying he doesn’t know and he has never looked in the mirror and thought that:
“You’re gonna have to tell me, Elaine. Because I certainly don’t know, you know, I don’t look in the mirror and say, ‘What is it about you, George?’”
Well every woman in America still wants to know, so there’s that.
But Elaine took it one step further, telling him the ladies wanted to know whether or not he slept in pajamas, and Strait didn’t hesitate in answering that one:
“No, I don’t. No pajamas for this guy.”
There you have it, ladies… George Strait in his prime. Absolutely no one can compete with it, and they’d still have a hard time today in my humble opinion:
Here’s his 1985 acceptance speech for Male Vocalist of the Year:
