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Out of all the new country singers to emerge in the early '80s, George Strait stayed the closest to traditional
country. Drawing from both the honky tonk and Western swing traditions, Strait didn't refashion the genres; instead, he revitalized
them for a new decade. In the process, he became one of the most popular and influential singers of the decade, sparking a
wave of traditionalist singers from Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam to Clint Black, Garth Brooks, and Alan Jackson. Strait
was signed with RCA in 1980 after a club owner in Texas with executive connections flew them down to hear him. Straits first
single "Unwound" was released in 1981 and instantly rose to #6 on the charts. Amazingly Straits second album with the title
song "If Your Thinking Your Wanting a Stranger" hit #3 and sparked a remarkable string of Top Ten hits that ran well
into the '90s. During that time he had an astonishing 31 number one singles, beginning with 1982's "Fool Hearted Memory."
All through the 80s Strait absolutely dominated the charts and his albums consistently went gold and platinum. Strait to this
day has not abandoned his hardcore western swing style. With songs such as "Amarillo By Morning", "You Look so Good in Love",
"Fool Hearted Memory", "Ocean Front Property", "Baby Blue", "Gotten Good at Goodbye", "Easy Come Easy Go" and "Blame it on
Mexico" Strait gathered and has maintained a strong following and has contributed a ton to the country music industry. George
Strait signature song? I have no idea; he had so many songs that could be considered such. My favorite song and one that comes
to mind instantly when I think about George Strait is "Ocean Front Property".
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