Strait enlisted in the United States Army in 1971. While stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii as a part of the 25th Infantry Division, he performed his first paying gig. Strait recalled to Billboard magazine: "I had auditioned with a group of guys and a girl. They called themselves the Country Kings. I played one gig with them, and I don't even remember how much they paid me. They thought I wasn't country enough, and let me go. That's really funny now, but it wasn't at the time. I didn't let it faze me much, though. I got another opportunity not long after that [in a band called Rambling Country], which became my Army gig until I got out."
Strait was honorably discharged from the Army in 1975, after which he enrolled at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos where he graduated with a degree in agriculture.
He signed a recording contract with MCA in February 1981. Strait released his first single for MCA Records in the spring of that year. Titled "Unwound", it climbed to #6 on the country chart.
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.