NASHVILLE, Tenn. ?? In the words of one of George Strait 's 85 Top 10 country singles, "This is where the cowboy rides away."
Probably.
Sort of.
Wednesday afternoon at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum ?? the building that houses Strait's own Hall of Fame plaque ?? the singer announced that he will spend 2013 and 2014 on a farewell tour, playing 40 dates in major arenas. But he will continue to make albums, to write songs, and, perhaps, to play select shows.
"As far as the touring goes, I've decided that I'm not going to tour anymore, after these next two years," said Strait, 60, who broke into the country music big-time in 1981, during Ronald Reagan's first term as president.
"Don't think I'm retiring, because I'm not," he continued. "I'm still going to make records, as long as (Universal Music Group Nashville President and CEO) Mike (Dungan) will let me. I'm going to write. If after two years, when I've quit touring, if a special event comes up that I want to do, I'm going to do it."
The tour, to be called "The Cowboy Rides Away, 2013-2014," begins Jan. 18, 2013, in Lubbock, Texas. The 2013 dates will feature Martina McBride as opening act, and there will be special guests at many of the tour stops. No Nashville date is booked for 2013, though Strait will play Knoxville on March 1 and Lexington, Ky., on March 2.
Strait, who begins work on a new album within a few weeks, has charted at least one Top 10 single for 31 consecutive years, and he has notched more No. 1 chart hits ?? 59, on various charts, 44 on the now-standard Billboard country chart ?? than any other artist in any genre. Only Eddy Arnold has more Top 10 country hits, with 92.
Strait has sold nearly 70 million albums in the United States alone, including 33 million-selling albums. He's the 12th-best selling recording artist of any genre, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, and he has scored with a record 24 No. 1 country albums.
"I had it in the back of my mind that when I turned 60 it might be the time to start thinking about (getting off the road)," he said. "I also didn't want to book a tour and nobody came. It was important to me to pick that time, rather than go that long when something like that started happening. I believe I made the right decision. I hope I did. Only time will tell. In 2016, I might say, 'What a dummy.' And if that's the case, maybe I'll reconsider. But at this particular time, I'm pretty sure I won't."
Born in Poteet, Texas, and reared in rural Pearsall, near San Antonio, Strait played in a rock band in high school. While in the Army, he began performing country music, a style perfectly suited to his earnest, gentle voice. His move to the country music mainstream was hastened by Music Row veteran Erv Woolsey, who became his manager and guided him to a recording contract in 1981.
Strait and Ricky Skaggs ushered in the neo-traditionalist style of country music when their first major label recordings were issued in 1981, setting the stage for numerous other young performers who took their cues from classic country artists such as Lefty Frizzell and Hank Williams.
Strait's sound never strayed far from his 1981 debut album Strait Country. Over the following three decades, his songs featured plenty of fiddle and steel guitar and little in the way of rock-inspired guitar solos. As modern country music tended towards bluster, Strait traded on restraint.
And, as his new-century country music peers tweeted and webcast their every inclination, Strait remained removed from the Internet fray and rarely granted interviews. He has retained an air of distance and of mystery, in an age where those qualities are rarities. That mystery extends to his plans for winding down an unprecedented country music career.
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