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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Country superstar and native Texan George Strait has |
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embarked on an extended farewell tour, and it is indeed fitting to |
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honor him for his exceptional contributions to the lives of music |
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lovers across this state and nation; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Poteet in 1952, Mr. Strait grew up on the |
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family farm in nearby Pearsall; he played in a rock band as a |
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teenager and then joined a country group while stationed in Hawaii |
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as a soldier in the United States Army; after returning to Texas, he |
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studied agriculture at Southwest Texas State University, and in |
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1975 he joined with several other San Marcos musicians to form Ace |
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in the Hole, which remains his backing band today; the group built a |
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strong regional following and recorded for a Dallas record label in |
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the 1970s; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Strait signed with MCA Records in 1980, and his |
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career took off the following year with the release of his first |
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single, "Unwound"; drawing on old-school honky-tonk and |
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western-swing styles, he helped bring country radio back to a more |
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traditional sound with such massive hits as "All My Ex's Live in |
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Texas," "Am I Blue," and a cover of the Bob Wills classic "Right or |
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Wrong"; during the 1980s, he consistently occupied the top slot on |
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the album charts, and he was named the 1989 and 1990 Entertainer of |
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the Year by the Country Music Association; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1992, Mr. Strait made his silver screen debut in |
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the movie Pure Country; meanwhile, his popularity as a recording |
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artist remained as strong as ever; his four-disc retrospective |
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Strait Out of the Box became one of the biggest-selling box sets in |
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popular music history, and in 1996 the album Blue Clear Sky debuted |
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in the Top 10 on the pop as well as the country charts; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Strait has continued to rack up hits, awards, |
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and critical acclaim; in 2009, he won the Best Country Album Grammy |
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for Troubadour, and the next year, he was named the top country |
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artist of the past quarter-century by the Billboard Music Awards; |
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he has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and he is a |
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recipient of the National Medal of the Arts; today, the numerous |
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sold-out shows on "The Cowboy Rides Away" tour are a testament to |
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his enduring appeal as a performer; and |
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WHEREAS, Although he will soon be parking the tour bus for |
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good, George Strait intends to keep recording his outstanding brand |
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of country music, and that fact is welcome news to the many people |
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in the Lone Star State and beyond who have become ardent fans of his |
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work over the course of his more than three decades in the music |
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industry; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate George Strait on his remarkable |
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career and honor him for his tremendous contributions to American |
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music and culture; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Strait as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |