2008 George Strait

Few, if any in the country music industry can claim to have accomplished anywhere near as much as George Strait over the years. He has come a very long way since his struggling "Ace in the Hole" band of the 1970's.

The door to success first opened for Strait in 1981, when he was finally signed to a major label. Since his solo debut, Strait has loyally put out thirty albums for MCA Nashville. Ever managed by Erv Woolsey, Strait has also maintained the same touring band since the early days in San Marcos; with Benny McArthur, Rick McRae, Mike Daily, Terry Hale, Rondal Huckaby, and Gene Elders.

Throughout his career, Strait has dwarfed the accomplishments of virtually every other country music star, with exception to Elvis Presley. George Strait has had 50 number one country singles, as well as 25 platinum albums, with 1995's Strait out of the Box going seven-times platinum, and 1992's Pure Country soundtrack going sextuple platinum. Only Merle Haggard and Conway Twitty have produced more than his 37 number one Billboard hits. Of his record 70 nominations, Strait has received a total 38 awards from the likes of The Academy of Country Music; CMA; TNN Music Awards; TNN/Music City News; American Music Awards; and Music City News Country.

Strait has starred twice on the silver screen, with appearances in The Soldier, as well as Pure Country. On television, he has hosted the American Country Music Awards five times, and made appearances on CNN Show Biz Today, Entertainment Tonight, Austin City Limits, Hee Haw, The Tonight Show, as well as countless others. He has also endorsed Chevy Trucks, Resistol Hats, Wrangler, Justin Boots, and Tractor Supply Company.

The King of Country

George Strait's staggering volume of album sales has been accompanied over the years by an equivalent legacy in ticket sales. He was named the number one touring country act of the 1990's by Amusement Business Magazine, and now runs his own highly successful country music tour. Strait's trend of selling out venues culminated in 2002, when a record 68,266 tickets were sold to his performance at the Houston livestock show and Rodeo; the final event ever to be held at the Houston Astrodome. Despite the massive amounts of fame and publicity, Strait has never been criticized for selling out country music, or his fans. With a keen ear for melody, he can be consistently counted on to pay tribute to forgotten works of country legends like Hank Cochran John Schweers, and Mel Street. Although this has led him to be dubbed "Mr. Traditional Country," Strait has also shown a lot of versatility, with edgy contemporary hits such as "Marina Del Rey," and "The Chair."

All of the money and fame have not changed the spirit of this Texan. In case you're wondering, his favorite hobby after all of these years is still roping cattle. Former President Bush even said of Strait, "Everybody at the Rodeo loves him, everyone in Texas loves him, and everyone across the country loves his music."