George Strait Is Starting His Two-Year Farewell Tour in Lubbock This January

Good news, country music fans! George Strait announced in a press conference that he's launching a farewell tour next year called "Cowboy Rides Away 2013-2014". The first show of the tour will be right here in Lubbock!

But he also made it clear that he is NOT retiring. George said, quote, "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. Don't think I'm retiring, because I'm not. I'm still going to make records, as long as [they] will let me."

There are 40 dates on the "Cowboy Rides Away" tour and it will kick off January 18th in Lubbock. Martina McBride is the opener on the 2013 leg. The first round of dates can be found on George's tour page, here.

Here's video of the press conference where he announced the tour. He starts talking about the cities on the tour at 17:30 and he mentions Lubbock and the Red Raiders at the 18-minute mark...

I sometimes forget the impact George Strait has had in country music. For example, he's had 59 Number One singles, which is more than any artist in any genre.

He's charted at least one Top 10 single for 31 consecutive years. Only Eddy Arnold has more, with 92.

George has sold nearly 70 million albums in the U.S. and he's the 12th-best selling recording artist of any genre. He's also had 24 Number One country albums.