Before he was the “King of Country Music,” George Strait learned how to be country from a different ruler of the ranch—his father, John Byron Strait. The country star has long been open about his close relationship with his father and how John influenced his approach to life, work, and family.
Indeed, George Strait’s music has always felt authentic because it comes straight from a 2,000-acre ranch outside of Big Wells, Texas, where he, his older brother, and his father lived.
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How George Strait Learned How to Be Country
The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum awarded George “King of Country Music” Strait the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. When the time came to accept his award, the musician was sure to give credit where credit was due. “My dad, he’s, you know, the one that taught me the ways of the cowboy life,” Strait explained to the audience. “He was a cowboy.”
Strait described his father as growing up in a little South Texas town called Big Wells, which had a population of around 150 people. Strait’s grandmother was a teacher, his grandfather was a rancher, and his father grew up following both his parents’ occupations. John Byron Strait taught mathematics at a nearby junior high school and ran a cattle ranch on the weekends and over the summers. John raised George and his older brother, Buddy, as a single father after he and his boys’ mother divorced and moved away with her sister.
“That was a tough job for him as a single dad, but he did alright,” the musician said behind the podium. “All of the things that I learned from him—the ranch and what cowboys do and how they work, you know, there’s certain things you do. You do what needs to be done, you do stuff to improve your land, and you take care of it to take care of you—[these] were the things that he tried to teach me back then. I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I tried to take that Western heritage with me in my life and my career and pass it on to my family.”
The Country Star Had a Close Relationship With His Father
John Byron Strait’s influence on his son, George Strait, has stayed with the country singer throughout his entire life and career. When he was still a green signee to MCA Records, the future “King of Country Music” revealed that label executives tried to get him to get rid of his signature cowboy hat and change his name to Cain Cooper. As history would show, George refused to do either, something he and his father were both happy about as George’s career continued to grow.
When the time came to choose between being with his family and pursuing major career obligations, George easily chose the former. Just one day before George was to perform at the 2013 CMT Music Awards, John passed away on June 4. Although the Strait family didn’t release his official cause of death, a statement revealed that the former rancher and school teacher had been in the hospital for a month prior to his passing.
“We are grateful for the time over the last few weeks we were able to spend with Daddy before he passed away,” the singer said (via Taste of Country). “I want to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this difficult time as we mourn our family’s loss.”
Photo by Ray Garbo/Shutterstock
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