By Michelle Dumas
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is credited for pioneering the neotraditional country style in the 1980s, famed for his authentic cowboy image and roots-oriented sound at a time when the Nashville music industry was dominated by country pop crossover acts. Given his influence on the genre, Strait has been named the “King of Country Music” by writers and music critics. Strait currently holds the record for most number one songs on all charts by an artist, in any genre of music.”
Strait’s success began when his first single “Unwound” was a hit in 1981, helping introduce the neotraditional movement to the mainstream. During the 1980s, seven of his albums reached number one on the country charts. In the 2000s, Strait was named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music, elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and won his first Grammy award for the album Troubadour. Strait was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 2013, and ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014. He has been nominated for more CMA and ACM awards and has more wins in both categories than any other artist.
By 2009, he broke Conway Twitty‘s previous record for the most number-one hits on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart when his 44 number one singles surpassed Twitty’s 40. Strait has amassed 60 number-one hits. “Give It All We Got Tonight” was number one in 2013, breaking a record also previously set by Twitty. Strait holds the record for most number one songs on all charts by an artist in any genre of music.”
Strait was also known for his touring career when he designed a 360-degree configuration and introduced festival style tours. For example, the Strait Tours earned $99 million in three years. His final concert for The Cowboy Rides Away Tour at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in June 2014, drew 104,793 people, marking a new record for largest indoor concert in North America.
Strait has sold more than 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds the RIAA record for most certified platinum albums by any artist, with 33 certified platinum albums. Strait also has 13 multi-platinum and 38 gold albums. His best-selling album is Pure Country (1992), which sold 6 million (6× platinum). His highest certified album is Strait Out of the Box (1995), which sold 2 million copies (8× Platinum due to being a box set with four CDs). According to the RIAA, Strait is the 12th best-selling album recording artist in the United States overall selling over 69 million records across the United States.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country. On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense and is observed on the third Saturday in May.
Question of the Day
Did W. C. Fields really hate children, or was that just part of his comedy routine?
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Hail
Puzzle of the Day
How do you mend a broken jack-o’-lantern?
Born
- Bertrand Russell (philosopher & mathematician) –
- Frank Capra (director) –
- Perry Como (singer) –
- Pope John Paul II –
- Brooks Robinson (baseball player) –
- Reggie Jackson (baseball player) –
- George Strait (country singer) –
- Tina Fey (writer & actress) –
- Jack Johnson (musician) –
Died
- Elizabeth Montgomery (American actress ) –
- Elvin Ray Jones (renowned jazz drummer and member of John Coltrane’s quartet who also played alongside Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis) –
- Wayne Allwine (voice of Mickey Mouse for over 30 years) –
Events
- Montreal, Quebec, founded–
- Masses feared the end of the world during passage of Halley’s Comet–
- U.S. Selective Draft Act passed–
- Tennessee Valley Authority created–
- TWA was first airline to fly the Douglas DC-2 aircraft–
- Aviator Jackie Cochran became the first woman to exceed Mach 1–
- Apollo 10 spacecraft launched from Cape Kennedy–
- India became world’s sixth nuclear power–
- A magnitude 5.1 earthquake causes the cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens, killing 57 people.–
- Law passed to remove Confederate flag from South Carolina statehouse–
- Randy Johnson made history by becoming the oldest major league player (at age 40) to throw a perfect game. Cy Young was previously the oldest to pitch perfection at 37–
Weather
- Major Arkansas River flood, Wichita, Kansas–
- Violent Lake Michigan storm wrecked several ships–
- Oklahoma experienced major floods–
- 116 degrees F at Death Valley, California–
COURTESY www.almanac.com
