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George Strait has consistently been one of the top-selling country music artists to grace the Nashville scene over the last few decades, and it's only fitting that this contemporary country icon should land a slot as the first headliner at the world's largest music festival. Summerfest, heralded as the largest music festival by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999, is the event of the year for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it has just been announced that Strait will perform at next year's event, which will take place from June 25 to July 5, 2009.
The annual Summerfest event took form in 1968, when then-Mayor Maier started the festival in an attempt to bring pride and attention to Milwaukee's downtown. Summerfest came about after Maier was inspired by a visit to Oktoberfeset in Munich, Germany, and the “Milwaukee World Festival,” which eventually turned into “Summerfest,” took off from there.
The incredible George Strait will take his fun-loving country music act to the big stage (or one of them, anyway) next summer at Milwaukee's 75-acre Henry Maier Festival Park for the 10-day event, performing alongside all the big names in the music industry. Last year's list of performers included LeAnn Rimes, Gnarls Barkley, Little Big Town, Three Dog Night and more, and Summerfest's upcoming lineup is sure to promise just as many stellar acts to perform on one of the event's 12 stages, including the 23,000 seat Marcus Amphitheater for headlining acts such as George Strait.
Before he was headlining the world's biggest music affairs, the outstanding vocalist Strait was toying around with rock ‘n' roll music in a garage band as a teenager in Pearsall, Texas, where he was born and raised in the 1950s and ‘60s. After graduating from high school, Straight enrolled in college but dropped out and married his high school love, also enlisting in the Army. Stationed in Hawaii, Straight started playing gigs with an Army-sponsored country band called Rambling Country, and by the time he left the Army in 1975 the young Texan was left with a mouthful of music he couldn't quite spit out. Straight spent a short span of time at Southwest Texas State University at San Marcos, studying agriculture while developing the makings of his own country band Ace in the Hole. Ace in the Hole furthered George Strait's music dream, but ultimately he was signed onto MCA Records as a solo country artist in 1980, putting his name on the map for the first time with the hit single “Unwound” in 1981. As soon as the country crooner touched his feet down on Nashville soil with “Unwound,” the hits started flooding in. Strait breezed through the rest of the ‘80s with smash singles such as “If You're Thinking You Want a Stranger (There's One Coming Home)” and “Fool Hearted Memory,” diving right into the ‘90s with “I Cross My Heart,” “Easy Come, Easy Go,” “Heartland,” “Blue Clear Sky” and “True.”
These days, George Strait is still burning up the country music charts, also making hearts skip a beat with his crooked smile and gentle nature. Strait has met screaming crowds with George Strait tickets onstage armed with nothing but a microphone and a guitar, singing the peaceful country summer nights away with his sweet down home anthems. The country music icon most recently released his new single “River of Love” at the 2008 CMA Awards Show, where he was honored with the Single of the Year Award for the hit song “I Saw God Today,” also bringing home top honors for Album of the Year with Troubadour, taking his grand total of CMA Awards to 22. This longtime country legend is nowhere near retirement, so check out http://www.stubhub.com/george-strait-tickets to get concert tickets to an upcoming George Strait show!
For more than 25 years, George Strait tickets have been available and in-demand all over the world. Strait's pure country sound may be a tribute to his true-to-roots nature, but that reputation in some ways belies his ability to innovate and to bring his personality and style to every show he plays and every song he releases. A look at Strait's life will shed some light on how his persona came to be.
Early Beginnings
George Harvey Strait was born on May 18, 1952 in Poteet, Texas, but grew up in Pearsall. Strait's father was a school teacher, but they left Pearsall nearly every weekend to work on the family farm. Strait's parents divorced when he was in the fourth grade, and his sister left with his mother, while he and his brother stayed with their father.
When Strait got to high school, he played in his first band, and their style was rock and roll. However, he soon discovered his preference for country music, and he found himself listening to and being influenced by the likes of Merle Haggard, George Jones, Bob Wills and Hank Williams.
Strait finished high school and enrolled in college, but soon dropped out and married his high school sweetheart in Mexico. In 1971, Strait enlisted in the United States Army. While he was stationed in Hawaii, Strait continued to hone his style, playing for an Army-sponsored band called “Rambling Country,” and they also used the stage name “Santee.”
After being honorably discharged from the Army, Strait returned to school and finished his degree in agricultural studies at Southwest Texas State University. Although Strait was proud to earn his degree, he used this time as well to further his musical development.
Career Beginnings
Strait managed his cattle farm during the day after he finished school, but began to play local honky tonk bars at night. He was soon noticed by record executives, and he signed his first recording contract and released his first album in 1981. The debut was a success, and set the stage for the rest of his career.
Strait's sound was clearly influenced by his classical country heroes, but his style also incorporated a more modern-type of energy. His live shows were also a huge draw, and George Strait tickets soon became a hot item in Texas and all over the country.
Accomplishments
Overall, Strait has sold an estimated 62 million copies of his albums, enjoyed dozens of chart-topping singles and albums, and he has filled his trophy room with awards. Strait has won dozens of Country-and-American Music Awards, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. If you want to see a true country icon, secure George Strait tickets for his forthcoming return to the stage.