You may know George Strait, the famous country singer, or Jeff Bezos, the tech billionaire, but could these two people in completely unrelated fields actually be related by blood?
Jeff Bezos and George Strait are related. You would never guess that the “Check Yes or No” singer and Amazon CEO are part of the same family, but it is true. Not only are the two cousins, they are actually blood relatives through Jeff Bezos’ maternal grandmother.
Read below to find out more about how Bezos and Strait are related and if they’ve ever met.
Who is George Strait?
If you didn’t know already George Harvey Strait Sr. is one of the most well known country singers in the world. Strait’s career as a country artist has spanned almost fifty years and earned him the nickname King George amongst country music fans.
Strait was born in 1952 in Texas to the owners of a 2,000 acre ranch. It was while in college that he joined a band called Stoney Ridge. The band became fairly popular locally, but Strait ended up striking out on his own in 1981 when offered a record deal as a solo artist. This was the beginning of what is known as the most prolific career in country music to date.
According to this article on The Boot, Strait has “the most platinum or multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) in country music. He also ranks third in all genres, right behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley.” That is a pretty amazing career.
George Strait has made his mark on the world of country music similar to the way his cousin Jeff Bezos has made his mark on the world of eCommerce with his company Amazon.
Have Bezos and Strait Ever Met?
As far as we can tell, no, the two have never met in person. Jeff Bezos has never had much interest in music. This article states that when he was a teenager he “memorized the call letters of local radio stations so he could fake his knowledgeability to the music scene.”
As an adult, Bezos has said that he has a small level of interest in country music and is a fan of Zac Brown Band. Being twelve years younger than his cousin George, it is possible that Bezos heard some of his songs on the radio. If Bezos is even a small fan of country music then he has probably heard King George’s music on the radio. But it doesn’t appear either has made any effort to meet the other in person.
That isn’t to say that a meeting between the two has never happened. It is quite possible that they met long ago at a family reunion before either reached the fame that they have today. After all, both were living on ranches in Texas in the 1970s and they do have family members in common. Jeff Bezos’ maternal grandmother, Mattie, was born Mattie Strait.
You can watch the music video for George Strait’s song Troubadour by following the YouTube link below.
Bezos’ Other Ties to Texas
Other than his grandparents ranch in Cotulla, Texas, Bezos has created a lot of ties to the Lone Star State. One’s other than his relative George Strait. After a long hiatus from the state while setting up his company Amazon, Bezos did eventually return to make some investments.
Back in 2004, Bezos purchased a ranch in West Texas. That ranch purchase turned out to be for his aerospace company Blue Origin. Other than his aerospace company, Bezos owns Whole Foods, whose headquarters are located in Austin, Texas. Finally, Bezos is also constructing a giant ten thousand year clock in a Texas mountain.
Although Bezo and Strait have never met, one thing is for certain: both men are the Kings of their respective domains. It seems like success runs in their blood.