George Strait was born on May 18, 1952, in Poteet, Texas, the son of a junior high school teacher who also owned and operated a ranch that had been in the Strait family for nearly 100 years. When Strait was a child, his mother left the family, taking her daughter but leaving behind her sons with the father. During his childhood, he would spend his weekdays in town and his weekends on the ranch. Strait began playing music as a teenager, joining a rock ‘n’ roll garage band.

After his graduation from high school in the late ’60s, Strait enrolled in college but soon dropped out and eloped with his high school sweetheart, Norma. In 1971, he enlisted in the Army. Two years later, he was stationed in Hawaii where he played country music with the Army-sponsored band, Rambling Country. They played several dates off the base under the name Santee. Strait left the Army in 1975, returning to Texas with the intent of completing his education. He enrolled in Southwest Texas State University at San Marcos to study agriculture and formed his own country band, Ace in the Hole.