George Strait: Unseen for 40 Years – One of His Earliest Interviews, When No One Knew His Name
Before the cowboy hat became iconic, before the arena tours, before the record-breaking #1 hits — there was just George Strait, a shy, soft-spoken Texan with a dream and a demo tape.
In a newly unearthed interview from the early 1980s, captured long before he became the “King of Country,” a young George sits down in a modest radio booth in San Marcos, Texas. At the time, he was still enlisted in the Army and playing with his Ace in the Hole Band, and not even local DJs could pronounce his name right.
“I just love country music. I figured if I could make a living doing it, well… that’d be alright with me,” George says, glancing down as he adjusts his Stetson. There’s no ego, no stardom — just the quiet confidence of a man who knows who he is, even if the world doesn’t yet.
Back then, George’s songs were still being passed around Nashville with handwritten labels. He hadn’t yet recorded “Amarillo by Morning,” and even “Unwound” — his breakout hit — was still weeks from radio play. But that voice — smooth as a desert breeze — already had the weight of a legend in the making.
This interview is a rare glimpse into the humble beginnings of a man who would go on to change country music forever. It’s a reminder that even icons start somewhere — with hope, humility, and a voice the world just hadn’t heard yet.