George Strait is often called the “King of Country” music. Before becoming music royalty, he was lived on a ranch just outside of Big Wells, Texas. As kid he helped with the cattle and listened to the farm report with his dad. Music was a “thing” for him, until high school and the type of music he listened to in high school was not country, not yet. In the beginning, King George Strait loved rock music especially the Beatles and Frank Sinatra. He even had his own garage rock band. (Who didn’t during that time??) But by the end of his high school years, he was listening to country music. Some of his favorites were Merle Haggard, George Jones and Lefty Frizzell.
After high school, he joined the Army and was stationed in Hawaii. It was in Hawaii, that he got a chance to sing with a country band called Ramblin Country. He eventually moved back to Texas, attended college studying agriculture, and found a new country band. This band would be later called the Ace in Hold Band.
George Strait traveled back and forth from Texas to Nashville hoping to land himself and his band a record deal. With no success, George Stait was ready to call it quits and forget about the music business forever, when his wife convinced him to give it one more year. Finally MCA Records signed, him and that following spring George Strait and the Ace in the Hole band had a hit song on the radio.
Source: George Strait Wikipedia