George Strait performs at the Frank Erwin Center for “Fire Relief: The Concert for Central Texas” on Oct. 17, 2011 in Austin.
Deborah Cannon/American-Statesman
Who would’ve thought that a kid from Poteet — who nearly quit right before his big break — would go on to be known as the “King of Country Music”?
Ahead of George Strait’s two nights at Austin’s Moody Center this weekend, here are five things you might not know about the 73-year-old “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” singer.
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American-Statesman photographer Jay Janner was still in college at Texas A&M when he took this photo of George Strait in College Station in 1987. Behind Strait are Ace in the Hole band members Mike Daily, left, Gene Elders, Benny McArthur and Rick McRae.
Jay Janner/American-Statesman
1. He showed up in a B-movie about terrorism
Just one year into his music career, Strait made a cameo in the little-known 1982 action film “The Soldier.” The movie follows a special unit dismantling a terrorist plot to detonate a plutonium bomb over a Saudi Arabian oil field.
Strait and his bandmates appear in a shoehorned honky-tonk scene where they perform his first No. 1 hit, “Fool-Hearted Memory.” In the clip, a confrontation leads to a barroom brawl before someone gets dunked into a mud-wrestling pit. Suffice it to say, the B-movie was quickly forgotten.
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In 1992, Strait made his starring debut in the musical drama “Pure Country.” The film follows a country musician disillusioned with fame who returns to his hometown to work on a ranch — something Strait actually did before his music career took off.
Critic Roger Ebert gave the movie a lukewarm review but wrote that Strait was “genuine and has a winning smile and holds his own in a screenplay that makes few demands.” Nevertheless, the soundtrack became one of the best-selling albums of Strait’s career, producing two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart: “I Cross My Heart” and “Heartland.”
George Strait performs at the Frank Erwin Center’s 40th Anniversary Celebration on June 3, 2018 in Austin.
Suzanne Cordeiro/American-Statesman
2. He lost his ‘Baby Blue’ in 1986
Strait and his high school sweetheart, Norma Voss, welcomed their first child, Jenifer Lyn Strait, during his Army service in Hawaii in 1972. According to “The Strait Story,” he also sang in a band that entertained troops.
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After his deployment ended in 1975, the family moved to San Marcos so Strait could attend Southwest Texas State University, now Texas State. He studied agriculture using the G.I. Bill, aiming for a ranching or rodeo career, and also joined the Ace in the Hole Band.
After graduating in 1979, Strait worked as a ranch manager at Hart Ranch in Martindale. He was still a ranch foreman when his first hit, “Unwound,” hit the radio in 1981, leading to a record deal with MCA and his debut album, “Strait Country.” That same year, the couple had their second child, George “Bubba” Strait Jr.
By the mid-80s, Strait was a rising star with five albums when tragedy struck in San Marcos.
A George Strait LP is covered with lipstick kisses at the Broken Spoke on Oct. 22, 2014 in Austin.
Austin 360
On June 25, 1986, 13-year-old Jenifer was riding in a Ford Mustang with three friends when the driver took a turn too fast, causing the car to roll near the family’s home just before midnight. Jenifer, who was not wearing a seatbelt and had her window open, was the only fatality. According to The Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation, Strait was home at the time and arrived on the scene shortly after being notified.
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Strait buried himself in work and was back on the road just three weeks later. The private musician stopped giving interviews for many years and still rarely speaks about the loss. It is unclear when the family left San Marcos, but they were settled in San Antonio by the mid-90s.
“I just kind of shut down,” Strait told The New Yorker in 2017. “I just didn’t feel like talking about it, so I quit doing interviews.”
Fans have long speculated that his 1988 song “Baby Blue” honors Jenifer, but Strait has never confirmed it and the song’s original writer, Aaron Barker, has not commented. Strait said in 2005 that the song “You’ll Be There” from “Somewhere Down in Texas” reminds him of Jenifer.
“That song hit home for me for obvious reasons,” Strait said in a 2007 USA Weekend “Our American Icon Series” cover story. “I’m a religious person. I honestly believe we will see each other in heaven someday.”
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George Strait plays his farewell tour at the Frank Erwin Center on Jan. 9, 2014 in Austin.
Austin 360
3. He first performed with Willie Nelson in 2019
Despite being friends for years, Strait didn’t perform onstage with Willie Nelson until 2019. The Texas icons joined forces for the “Willie: Life & Songs of an American Outlaw” concert in Nashville. They performed a duet of “Sing One with Willie” — which they co-wrote for Strait’s 2019 album “Honky Tonk Time Machine” — as well as “Good Hearted Woman.”
They reunited again for the opening of Austin’s Moody Center in 2022.
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“You know what, Willie’s sung with everyone except me,” Strait joked on the first night of the two-day opening celebration. “I’ve heard him with Merle, Waylon and Cash, but I’m thinking, ‘Damn, why not me?’”
That night, they played “Sing One With Willie” before running through Townes Van Zandt’s classic “Pancho & Lefty.” With Strait returning to Moody Center this weekend and in May, some fans are hoping for a surprise appearance from the “Red Headed Stranger,” whose next tour kicks off on April 22.
George Strait with Gruene Hall co-owners Pat Molak and Mary Jane Nalley in the late 1970s.
Austin 360
4. He holds the record for No. 1 country hits
Over nearly five decades, Strait has amassed 60 No. 1 hits — more than any other country artist. That total includes 44 songs atop Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and 16 on the Mediabase chart. Conway Twitty, a.k.a. “The High Priest of Country Music,” ranks second with 55 hits.
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Despite holding the record for most CMA Award nominations (more than 80), Strait is not a member of the Grand Ole Opry. While he has reportedly been invited, the required 10 annual performances in Nashville may conflict with his Texas-based lifestyle.
Strait was inducted into the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside Miranda Lambert in February and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2025 for his contributions to American culture.
George Strait performs during the 2021 iHeartCountry Festival at the Frank Erwin Center on Oct. 30, 2021 in Austin.
Suzanne Cordiero/American-Statesman
5. Plot twist — he’s related to Jeff Bezos
Strait is related to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos through Bezos’ mother, Jacklyn Gise. Strait and Gise are second cousins once removed, making Strait’s son, “Bubba,” Bezos’ third cousin.
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The connection traces back to Strait’s great-grandfather, John Joseph Strait. The lineage split between two sons: John Samuel — Strait’s grandfather — and Yancy Clarence. John Samuel was the father of John Byron, Strait’s dad.
Yancy Clarence had a daughter, Mattie Strait, who married Lawrence Preston Gise. They had Jacklyn Gise, who later gave birth to Bezos with Jeffrey Preston Jorgenson. Gise later married Miguel Bezos, who adopted Jeff at age 4.
In a 2017 interview with his brother, Mark, Bezos said he spent summers with his maternal grandparents on their cattle ranch in Cotulla, Texas, from ages 4 to 16.
Neither Strait nor Bezos has publicly commented on their shared bloodline.
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George Strait plays Moody Center’s openeing celebration on April 29, 2022 in Austin.
Briana Sanchez/American-Statesman
Are tickets still available for Strait at Moody Center?
Due to overwhelming demand, Moody Center added two additional Strait concert dates on May 15-16 alongside this weekend’s concerts.
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All dates quickly sold out, but some tickets may still be available on resale sites like StubHub, TickPick, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek and Ticketmaster’s in-house verified resale marketplace. Prices vary drastically and some prime seats have skyrocketed to over $10,000. Prices may fluctuate closer to the show dates.
For more information, visit moodycenteratx.com.