George grew up in Pearsall, Texas with his father John Strait, mother Doris Couser and his two siblings Pency and John, Jr. When he was in the fourth grade his father and mother got divorced. His mother moved away with his sister Pency, while George and his brother John Strait, Jr., stayed with his father. In high school George started his musical career with a rock and roll garage band. His introduction to country music wasn’t by radio but by live performances. He later married Norma, his high school sweetheart, on December 4, 1971 in Mexico. In that same year he enlisted in the United States Army where he was stationed in Hawaii. George started performing with the Army sponsored band “Rambling Country.”