George Strait

A neotraditional country pioneer whose streak of hit albums has carried him into the 2020s, George Strait first appeared in the Billboard Country Top Ten in 1981, during the heyday of the slick, modern Urban Cowboy. Strait's "Unwound" didn't sound smooth. It was a jolt of honky tonk and western swing, two strands of Texan country music he tied together with ease. The sound and light touch have remained Strait's signature for over four decades, as he stays true to these old-fashioned traditions without ever seeming behind the times. His commercial longevity is as astounding as ...