George Strait 026 (second edition 048)

Look closer to find fifteen song titles: Easy Come, Easy Go; Amarillo By Morning; Check Yes or No; The Best Day; Write This Down; Just Give It Away; Ocean Front Property; Carrying Your Love With Me; Living And Living Well; Run; I Cross My Heart; I Just Want To Dance With You; You Look So Good In Love; I Saw God Today; She’ll Leave You With A Smile

George Strait

George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. He was born in Poteet, Texas, to John Byron Strait Sr. and Doris Jean Couser. He grew up in nearby Pearsall, in Frio County, where his father was a junior high school mathematics teacher and the owner of a 2,000-acre cattle ranch outside of Big Wells, Texas. The family worked at the ranch on the weekends and in the summers. When George was in the fourth grade, his father and mother were divorced, and his mother moved away with his sister, Pency. George and his brother John Jr. (1950-2009), were raised by their father. Strait began his musical interest while attending Pearsall High School, where he played in a rock and roll garage band. The Beatles were popular when Strait was in high school. “The Beatles were big”, Strait confirmed. “I listened to them a lot and that whole bunch of groups that were popular then”. His musical preference soon turned to country with singers Hank Thompson, Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Bob Wills, Hank Williams, and Frank Sinatra influencing his style. Strait did not tune to the country music radio often as a youth, usually listening to the news and the farmer’s report. His introduction to country music came mostly by way of live performances, which, according to Strait, could be heard in every town in Texas.

George Strait, known as the “King of Country,” considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time, is known for his neotraditional country style, cowboy look. He’s one of the first and main country artists to bring country music back to its roots and away from the pop country era in the 1980s.

Strait’s success began when his first single “Unwound” was a hit in 1981. During the 1980s, seven of his albums reached number one on the country charts. In the 2000s, Strait was named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music, was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and won his first Grammy award for the album Troubadour. Strait was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 2013, and ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014. He has been nominated for more CMA and ACM awards and has more wins in both categories than any other artist.

By 2009, he broke Conway Twitty’s previous record for the most number-one hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart when his 44 number one singles surpassed Twitty’s 40. Counting all music charts, Strait has amassed a total of 60 number-one hits, breaking a record also previously set by Twitty, giving him more number one songs than any other artist in any genre of music.

Strait, known for his touring career when he designed a 360-degree configuration and introduced festival style tours, actually earned $99 million in three years. His concert at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in June 2014 drew 104,793 people, marking a new record for largest indoor concert in North America.

Strait has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His certifications from the RIAA include 13 multi-platinum, 33 platinum, and 38 gold albums. His best-selling album is Pure Country (1992), which sold 6 million. His highest certified album is Strait Out of the Box (1995), which sold 2 million copies (8 million due to being a box set with four CDs). According to the RIAA, Strait is the 12th best-selling album recording artist in the United States overall.

-credit wikipedia.com

The artwork: 

The first print of this illustration was sold to raise funds to support music and the arts for a 1-A Texas High School. The Round Top-Carmine Education Foundation holds “Small School, Big Hearts Fundraiser” annually so they can offer music and art classes for their students. Without the funds raised there would be no music or art.

Digital Print on Archival Matte – Original illustration done graphite and Southwestern prisma colors: Indigo Blue, Burnt Ochre and Pale Vermillion
Artist: Tobin Bortner of Bastrop, Texas – drawing done in September of 2019 – ©Tobin Signs/Look Closer Illustrations 

DERIVATIVE Work – photo credit: georgestrait_1-1168x1500_American_Profile_com

What you get:
$40 (36.95 + 3.05 tax) this is 048 the second edition
11 x 14 Print Package with Authenticity Sheet
signed and numbered (run of 150)
Domestic Priority Mail $8 (Free shipping)