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that name ring a bell? maybe it does, maybe you all know him. maybe I just entered a parallel universe.

but I was just reading the RIAA list of the biggest selling musical artists of all time, and this mystery guy 'George Strait' pops up at #11. he's sold more records than The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, U2, Simon & Garfunkel....

the thing is, it's not just that I've never heard any of his songs, I've literally never heard OF him... please someone else tell me they never have either, or else I think I might be going mad, or dreaming. thanks

 here's that list if anyone wants to read
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/10/17/riaa-best-selling-artists-of-all-time/ (https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/10/17/riaa-best-selling-artists-of-all-time/)

He is one of the most popular country singers in the last 40 years.  I don't listen to country, but many of my friends do, and the man is a legend to them.

I have heard the name,  don't know him at all.

Not too big into country but I kinda like Joe Bethancourt. R.I.P.

https://youtu.be/xjvNQJ8Rd9g

Never heard of him either. Kristi might have as she is quite into country music though.

well I'm not massively into country, but I do like some of it, and I'm aware of guys like Gram Parsons, Hank Williams, Jim Reeves...but apparently none of those guys come near the megastar that is George Strait!

also I'm pretty geeky about music. I used to buy NME and Melody Maker every week. also mags like Select, Uncut, Mojo, Q, Metal Hammer, Kerrang, Raw etc. every now and then. I know quite a lot about artists whose music I have no interest in...yet still never heard of him.  :question:

You know me well And yes I've heard of him and used to listen to his music. At one point he was known to fans as King George. His wife is an actress Lisa Hartman.
I believe he is retired now but at one point he also did some acting. He was the star of the movie Pure Country

I don't listen to country, but I know who the guy is and have listened to a few of his songs.  It's not bad if that's the kind of thing you're into.. 

he's headed back on tour soon, he'll be here  next year. tickets are mad crazy expensive!

Selling more records does not make one more important than HANK WILLIAMS.  Reference to GRAM PARSONS is more towards Pop than Country music; many adherents to Country music do not embrace GRAM PARSONS (and he can't touch any sales record).  GEORGE STRAIT is probably the best selling living Country artist.  He's only 67. 

I'm not suggesting he's more "important", I'm just amazed I've never even heard his name... he's sold more than the Rolling Stones?!

anyway. on the subject, my favourite ever country tune: (and not even by a country artist...)
http://youtu.be/9xf-_CXMqMk (http://youtu.be/9xf-_CXMqMk)

Oh, don't mind me.  You're cool.  I am blessed with lots of opinions.   :thumbup: :teddyr:  

I'm listening to your record now.  Z'alright.  Not a fan.  

http://youtu.be/wgBWGR0E83Y (http://youtu.be/wgBWGR0E83Y)  

And to be clear, I love GRAM PARSONS. 

Actually the best selling country artist is Garth Brooks, he's the top selling solo artist in the US, even ahead of Elvis. Overall he's second to the Beatles in record sales.

^ that's another mindblower... bigger than Elvis  :buggedout:

but at least I've actually heard of Garth Brooks

Top selling. 

Nobody will ever be bigger than Elvis. 

I live in Michigan...I know of George Strait.
Lots mamby pamby s**t gets more attention and sells better than other stuff because it's accepted by a larger audiance. You may hear more George Strait in a grocery store and on certain stations with elevator music- but IMHO, does not make him 'better' than Elvis or the Stones.
Kinda like why a movie with slam bang action sells more seats than an  thoughtful movie.
Or why McDonald's sells more burgers than a small wonderful diner.
Or mebbe it's just because people are stupid! I dunno!

we all know that. but the point is you could concievably argue that he is. which is ridiculous I know, but the stats would back it up

likewise RC, of course there is little correlation between sales and 'quality'. that's another given...

Well, if you never heard of George Strait- you ain't missing nothing!

http://youtu.be/3gCWOb7V-b0 (http://youtu.be/3gCWOb7V-b0)

I mean George Strait doesn't exactly sell many records in the UK so it's understandable that you don't know him.

Country is not my genre at all, but I have heard of George Strait.
I doubt I could name a song by him, though.

He tried his hand at acting once in this 1992 box office bomb that got "two thumbs down" from Siskel & Ebert:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a8/Pure_country_poster.jpg/230px-Pure_country_poster.jpg)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105191/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105191/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)

my music collection is full of american artists who didn't even sell many records in america, never mind the uk... so nope, I'm still mystified why I've never heard of him

Because he sucks. Slim Whitman sold lotsa records too.  I reckon it's a matter of the dumbest buy the mostest. Or just music for people who just listen to music as background noise when they drive their car or sit in their cubicles. Or something.

Tiana is talking about all sortsa popular music that she listens to-I'm like a old man thinking-"What is this? And why?"

well I still haven't listened to him yet...

...but I'll take your word for it  :teddyr:

garth is actually a really nice man too. when he came here in 2015, the tour busses parked behind my restaurant and we catered for them, he came in and took pics with all of us and drank a beer with us. it was funny for me to see my coworker, a HUGE burlyman named greg, completely tongue tied and starstruck, lol! when garth came in the kitchen to ask for some of my ghost pepper oil wing sauce to take with him, i thought greg was gonna faint! i was honored to give him a pint, and the recipe for his wife trisha to make, and i gave them the ebay seller's name that i get my oils from, dan was SO excited that he got to make a sale to his hero!

Seeing geroge strait's name here forces me to think of a ww2 hero who was the sole survivor of his unit at midway. No disrespect intended and I know his last name had a different meaning back then.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Gay_Jr.

You're probably less likely to ever hear him compared to other America artist who have sold way less because traditional country is not very very prevalent in Europe. It's directed more towards a way of life/regional thing where as other genres have a more worldwide sensibility.. The only country artist that I could imagine getting much airtime in Europe would be a Garth Brooks or Georgia Florida Line because they have a more Contemporary country sound and have worldwide reach. I don't even believe George Strait releases in the UK at all, you probably couldn't even go to any record store and find one of his albums. You would have to proactively be searching for him to ever hear him anywhere.

ok sure...but if that's how it is, then to me what you've described there technically qualifies him as something of a niche artist. therefore I'm even more amazed that he's managed to sell more records than the ubiquitous, world famous Rolling Stones.

He is a pretty niche artist but the south is populated with around 100 million people who eat that cowboy hat wearing country bumpkin stuff up. In his prime he would usually sell around 1-4 million albums in USA/Canada. After thirty studio albums and a 35+ year career I guess it added up.

Oh, yeah, he did All My Exes Live in Texas one of the greatest songs ever, even if it was country. Heck, even I (sort of) have an ex in Texas.


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