King George Strait's Impact On Country Music

George Strait once said, “I’ve been blessed with the ability to sing and that has taken me so many places I never would have gone otherwise.” He has had a long changing journey in life so far. He never thought of a singing career until he went into the army and sang in a small country band while stationed in Hawaii. Later, when he came back from the army, he started performing in a country band. That lead to getting signed to a record label, and his career took off. George Strait is a very successful country musician who gave country music a newer sound and made an impact on country music today. Many people call him “King George” because of how popular he is in the music industry , and because of the ways he has affected country music today.

Musicians went into an uprise in the 1980’s because of the new rage in country music (Freeland 2004). It was very unusual that a new Nashville star had two big hits so early in his career and that surprised a lot of people. Strait’s new track was a major hit. Both of his albums from 1995 were at number one on country music charts. His second album eventually made it to number seven on the pop charts. Straight out of the Box and Clear Blue Sky were major sellers. Strait has had an amazing track record. Only three out of his sixty-one singles never made it to country top ten lists. He continued to make huge hits and leave a large impact. Straight did a duet with Alan Jackson, “Murder on Music Row” (General Editor 2006). Straight had a sadness in some of his songs which made them so deep and heartfelt. Nobody knows where the heartfelt sadness of his songs comes from. Perhaps it could be grieving his daughter’s death, which made him so lurid, or from a relationship that broke up. Of course, though nobody would know for sure, so maybe these things have a nominal relation to the reason.The songs “Been Twenty Years and Counting,” and “I’m Drowning in Your Love a Little More Each Day,” show a storytelling side to him. The deep meaning in his music shows what’s so great about his music (Freeland

Not very many musicians have been popular or successful for more than 30 years in a row, but Strait has. Gregg Swedberg from Twin Cities radio has always heard his music on the radio and says, "there's nothing like George Strait," and "the length of time he has been successful is completely unpredictable"(Breem 2013). With tours consistent for any genre, over 60 entertainment industry awards, and not to forget about the many, many nominations for awards, Strait has done well in his career. He holds records in many awards. One is the most CMA wins, and he also has a record for the most CMA nominations, coming in with 81. He holds the record for the most CMA wins with 22. So far, Strait has been nominated 17 times for entertainer of the year and CMA male vocalist of the year with 25 nominations for that. Strait has won CMA album of the year for over three decades. He has won male vocalist of the year 25 times. Strait is one of the few to be honored in two different decades and hold so many records for awards and is still making history today