You know him for his legendary country songs like “Amarillo by Morning,” “I Cross My Heart” and “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” but did you know George Strait is the dad of two kids? The country music icon isn’t overly public when it comes to his family, but that doesn’t take away from how much he loves his children.
George is the dad of his son, George Strait Jr., and his late daughter, Jenifer Strait, with his longtime wife, Norma Strait. The Grammy winner and his wife wed in 1971, and after one year, they welcomed their first child, Jenifer. Nearly a decade later, George Jr. — better known as Bubba — was born in 1981.
Tragically, George experienced one of the biggest heartbreaks of his life when his beloved daughter was killed in a car accident at age 13. Jenifer died in June 1986 after a vehicle she was in lost control, rolled over and crashed in San Marcos, Texas. The teenager was in the car with three others, but she was the only one who died, according to the Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation website.
At the time, the “Check Yes or No” artist reacted to the family tragedy in an emotional statement. “We will all miss Jenifer very much, and we will never forget her, her smile and laugh,” the message read. “She meant the world to us, and we’ll miss her dearly. We’re doing our best to make it through this with your help we will. Her memory will always be with us.”
In the years following Jenifer’s death, George took a step back from the spotlight. However, he once opened up to The New Yorker, telling the outlet the reason he stopped giving interviews.
“I just didn’t feel like talking about it, so I quit … I did want to keep singing, absolutely, but I was at the point where I’m [like], ‘Alright, if this is going to cost me my career, then so be it, but it’s the only way I’m going to be able to cope with it,’” he explained.
Though George hasn’t divulged much about his family life since, he did once talk about the special relationship his son shared with his big sister. “To watch them together and the way she watched over him made us know he was always safe with her, no matter what,” he wrote on the foundation’s website. “He loved her back in the same way, and always will, just as we always will.”
Because of their nine-year age difference, Jenifer “was like a second mother to Bubba in a way,” George added. “They had their arguments like brother, and sister do, but in the end, she always made Bubba feel like he came out on top.”
George Strait Jr.
George Jr. — a.k.a. Bubba — was born on May 14, 1981. Bubba is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he began his career as a competitive rodeo star. According to Country Fancast, he became a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association team roper following his graduation.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world to watch my son win a roping, or even to just watch him compete,” George said about his son in a 2004 interview with The Team Roping Journal. “Bubba and I have been fortunate to win a couple of buckles together, and that my friends, is the ultimate.”
In addition to rodeo, Bubba is a talented singer and songwriter. In 2009, he cowrote three songs, as well as solo wrote one more, on his dad’s 26th studio album, Twang.
As far as his personal life goes, Bubba has been married to his wife, Tamara Strait, since December 2010, according to Instagram. The couple shares two kids, Jilliann Louise Strait and George Harvey Strait III.
George opened up about his son and grandson’s musical talents.
“It’s been great to see Bubba get into songwriting, guitar, and performing,” he told Cowboys & Indians in December 2022. “I love writing with him and we’ll have some new things for the next record. My grandson played drums for a while and will probably go back to it at some point, but right now it’s baseball for him plus hunting and fishing. I’ve heard a little singing from time to time from my granddaughter. She sounded pretty good. It’s way too early to predict something like that, but I’ll encourage them in whatever it is they decide to do.”
Jenifer Strait
George’s firstborn arrived on October 6, 1972. Though her life was cut short on June 25, 1986, her legacy lives on in the memorial fund created by her family. The Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation was established in her honor in 1986.
According to the website, the foundation “promotes charitable causes for children, and focuses its donations on various nonprofit organizations, including The Boys & Girls Club in San Antonio and St. Jude’s Ranch.” It has survived “mainly through private donations, which has come mostly by word-of-mouth from friends, and from Strait fans through the years.”
