Once upon a time, the man who would be king declared: “I want to reach the point where people hear my name and immediately think of real country music.” Since then, that goal has been checked off his bucket list because George Strait, who is widely acknowledged as the “king of country,” and is the genre’s foremost neo-traditionalist, has far exceeded that point.
Should you require statistical backup, well, just tell us when to stop: recorded the most No. 1 songs—60 of them—and top-five songs in the history of music of any kind; only artist in any genre to have a top-10 hit every year for 30 years; named top country music artist of the past 25 years in 2010 by Billboard magazine; and as a touring performer, Strait earned Billboard’s Legend of Live accolade in 2013, honoring the concert industry’s most bankable star based on chart and box-office numbers.
Consider those a fraction of Strait’s career distinctions. “If ever there was a natural in country music, it’s Strait,” People magazine wrote, while USA Today observed that he “continues to make such consistent quality look easy.”
As for the man himself: “Traditional country music,” Strait once said, “is something that’s going to be around forever.”
You couldn’t get that from a more reliable—and yes, straightforward—source.
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