83R7307 BPG-D
By: Leach H.R. No. 780
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Country superstar and native Texan George Strait has
embarked on an extended farewell tour, and it is indeed fitting to
honor him for his exceptional contributions to the lives of music
lovers across this state and nation; and
WHEREAS, Born in Poteet in 1952, Mr. Strait grew up on the
family farm in nearby Pearsall; he played in a rock band as a
teenager and then joined a country group while stationed in Hawaii
as a soldier in the United States Army; after returning to Texas, he
studied agriculture at Southwest Texas State University, and in
1975 he joined with several other San Marcos musicians to form Ace
in the Hole, which remains his backing band today; the group built a
strong regional following and recorded for a Dallas record label in
the 1970s; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Strait signed with MCA Records in 1980, and his
career took off the following year with the release of his first
single, "Unwound"; drawing on old-school honky-tonk and
western-swing styles, he helped bring country radio back to a more
traditional sound with such massive hits as "All My Ex's Live in
Texas," "Am I Blue," and a cover of the Bob Wills classic "Right or
Wrong"; during the 1980s, he consistently occupied the top slot on
the album charts, and he was named the 1989 and 1990 Entertainer of
the Year by the Country Music Association; and
WHEREAS, In 1992, Mr. Strait made his silver screen debut in
the movie Pure Country; meanwhile, his popularity as a recording
artist remained as strong as ever; his four-disc retrospective
Strait Out of the Box became one of the biggest-selling box sets in
popular music history, and in 1996 the album Blue Clear Sky debuted
in the Top 10 on the pop as well as the country charts; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Strait has continued to rack up hits, awards,
and critical acclaim; in 2009, he won the Best Country Album Grammy
for Troubadour, and the next year, he was named the top country
artist of the past quarter-century by the Billboard Music Awards;
he has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and he is a
recipient of the National Medal of the Arts; today, the numerous
sold-out shows on "The Cowboy Rides Away" tour are a testament to
his enduring appeal as a performer; and
WHEREAS, Although he will soon be parking the tour bus for
good, George Strait intends to keep recording his outstanding brand
of country music, and that fact is welcome news to the many people
in the Lone Star State and beyond who have become ardent fans of his
work over the course of his more than three decades in the music
industry; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate George Strait on his remarkable
career and honor him for his tremendous contributions to American
music and culture; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Strait as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.