If you walk into any honky-tonk from Amarillo to Nashville and ask who the "King of Country" is, you’re getting one answer: George Strait. The man is a living monument. With 60 number-one hits and a career spanning over four decades, he’s basically the gold standard for what a country star should look like, sound like, and act like. But there’s a question that’s dogged him since the early 80s, usually whispered by the "songwriter purists" in the back of the room: Does George Strait write his own songs?
Honestly, the answer isn’t a simple yes or no. It’s more of a "not really, but also yes, and lately, a lot more."
For the bulk of his legendary run, George Strait was the ultimate song picker, not the song writer. He’s the guy who can hear a demo and know exactly how to turn it into a classic. Think of him like a world-class chef who doesn't grow the vegetables but knows exactly how to sear the steak.
The Myth of the "Pure" Songwriter
There’s this weird snobbery in modern music—especially in the Americana and "Red Dirt" scenes—that if you didn't pen every lyric yourself, you’re somehow less of an artist. That’s just nonsense. Frank Sinatra didn't write "My Way." Elvis didn't write "Hound Dog."
In the early days, Strait was focused on the performance. He had a band to lead, the Ace in the Hole Band, and a very specific traditional sound to protect. He spent his time touring, roping at the rodeo, and recording. He left the heavy lifting of the pen and paper to the pros.
The Dean Dillon Connection
If you want to know why George Strait sounds the way he does, you have to talk about Dean Dillon.
Dillon is the secret sauce. He’s written or co-written over 60 songs for Strait. We're talking about the foundational stuff:
- "Unwound" (The very first hit in 1981)
- "The Chair"
- "Ocean Front Property"
- "Marina del Rey"
- "Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her"
George has often said that the best way to hear a Dean Dillon song is to hear Dean sing it to you in person with a guitar. He’s admitted it’s hard to say no to those songs because they just fit his voice like a well-worn pair of Justin boots.
Did He Ever Write Early On?
People think he never touched a pen until recently, but that’s not quite true. Back in the late 70s, before the MCA record deal made him a superstar, George actually wrote a few things for the Ace in the Hole Band.
Check out these early credits:
- "That Don’t Change The Way I Feel About You"
- "I Can’t Go On Dying Like This"
These were released on the tiny D Records label out of Houston. Once the "Strait Machine" got rolling in Nashville, though, his own writing mostly fell by the wayside. He became the vessel for the greatest songwriters in the world, like Hank Cochran, Jim Lauderdale, and Aaron Barker.
The Turning Point: Why He Started Writing Again
Something changed around 2009. Maybe it was the "retirement" from the road or just a desire to say something personal, but Strait started showing up in the liner notes again.
The big catalyst? His son, George "Bubba" Strait Jr.
Bubba started writing, and it seemingly gave George a reason to get back into the room. On the 2009 album Twang, George co-wrote three tracks. It wasn't a fluke. By the time 2011's Here for a Good Time rolled around, he had co-written seven out of the eleven tracks.
The Modern Songwriter Era
If you look at his later work, George is actually a prolific writer now.
On the 2019 album Honky Tonk Time Machine, he co-wrote eight of the thirteen songs. That’s a career-high for him. He even sat down with Willie Nelson to write "Sing One With Willie"—a meta-commentary on the fact that the two Texas legends had never recorded together.
It’s a cool evolution. You have a guy who dominated the world by being a master interpreter of other people's stories, and now, in the sunset of his career, he’s finally telling more of his own.
Why It Doesn't Matter (And Why It Does)
Does it take away from "Amarillo by Morning" that George didn't write it? (That was Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser, by the way).
Not a chance.
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The "George Strait sound" is a collaboration. It’s the marriage of a perfect Texas baritone and the best Nashville songwriting. Without George, those songs might have stayed as dusty demos in a drawer. Without the writers, George is just a guy with a great voice and a nice hat.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Aspiring Musicians
If you're looking to dive deeper into George's "penned" work or want to understand the craft better, here’s how to do it:
- Listen to the "Bubba" Tracks: Check out the album Cold Beer Conversation or Honky Tonk Time Machine. Pay attention to songs like "The Weight of the Badge" or "Everything I See." You can hear a more personal, grounded tone that differs slightly from his 80s "hit-maker" era.
- Study the Songwriter Credits: If you love a George Strait song, look up who wrote it. You’ll find names like Whitey Shafer, Clay Blaker, and Byron Hill. Understanding their styles helps you understand the DNA of country music.
- Appreciate the Craft of Picking: Song selection is a skill. Aspiring artists should realize that "George Strait quality" comes from being brutally honest about whether a song is actually good, regardless of who wrote it.
George Strait's legacy isn't built on being a "singer-songwriter" in the James Taylor sense. It’s built on being a stylist. He’s the curator of the Texas tradition. Whether he wrote the words or just gave them a home, the result is the same: the soundtrack to a million Saturday nights.
Next Steps for Your Playlist: Go listen to "I Can’t Go On Dying Like This" from the 70s and then jump straight to "Sing One With Willie" from 2019. It’s the perfect way to hear the bookends of a man who started as a writer, became a King, and returned to the pen on his own terms.