"That crooked smile, low pulled-down cowboy hat and soft, gentle crooning have made George Strait a country music idol among women of all ages, and the traditional country act has made fans of both sexes respect his long-living country legacy. Raised in the industry amongst living legends like Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakam, Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson, Strait has separated himself from the contemporary artists by sticking to his honky tonk roots.Strait is a purebred product of Texas, the son of a junior high teacher and ranch operator. The country knockout started playing music as a teenager, first joining a rock ‘n roll garage band before graduating high school. Dropping out of college to enlist in the Army, Strait played in the Army-sponsored country band Rambling Country while stationed in Hawaii, thereafter continuing his education at Southwest Texas State University at San Marcos, where he studied agriculture and started up another band, Ace in the Hole. After the fruitlessness of Ace in the Hole sunk in, Strait started charming his way into Nashville, eventually attracting the attention of MCA Records in 1980.The persistent musician released his first single ""Unwound"" in 1981, marking his first Top Ten hit ever and marking the beginning of a highly celebrated career. From the early ‘80s into the ‘90s, Strait popped out 31 number one hit songs, continuing to release insanely popular albums like 1996's Blue Clear Sky, 1997's Carrying Your Love With Me and 1998's One Step at a Time, among others. Pouring on the heat in the 2000s, George Strait persisted down the path of superstardom with album after platinum album, selling millions and millions of copies. The ‘00s have not been a time to back off for Strait, and his four most recent releases Honkytonkville (2004), Somewhere Down in Texas (2005), It Just Comes Natural (2006) and Troubadour (2008) were all instant number ones on the country charts."