On This Day in 1996, George Strait Released His 30th No. 1 Single “Carried Away”

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On this day (June 3) in 1996, George Strait released “Carried Away.” The song went on to be Strait’s 30th No. 1 single. The song also brought him a nomination for Single of the Year at the next year’s ACM Awards and added another Platinum record to his collection.

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Strait remains one of the best-selling artists in country music. He has sold more than 120 million records worldwide and has launched more than 60 singles to the top of the Billboard country charts. The first of which came in with “Fool Hearted Memory” in 1982. More than a commercially successful artist, Strait is an inspiration for countless artists who cling to the traditional sounds of country music. He was one of a handful of artists in the ‘80s and ‘90s that helped to bring about the neotraditional country music movement as an answer to the pop-leaning production prevalent in the genre at the time.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1982 George Strait Released “Fool Hearted Memory”, His First of Many No. 1 Singles]

Written by Steve Bogard and Jeff Stevens, Strait released “Carried Away” as the second single from his 1996 album Blue Clear Sky. The song debuted at No. 73 on the Billboard Hot Country chart. By August, it had climbed to the top of the survey, bringing King George his 30th No. 1 single.

George Strait Gets Rare Double Nomination at the 1997 CMA Awards

George Strait received several nominations at the 1997 CMA Awards. He won Top Male Vocalist and Album of the Year for his 1997 LP Carrying Your Love with Me. He had two songs in the running for Single of the Year at the awards show. “Carried Away” and “One Night at a Time,” the lead single from Carrying Your Love with Me were both up for the award. However, neither brought him a trophy. Instead, Deana Carter’s nostalgic hit “Strawberry Wine” took the win.

Strait was also up for Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards in 1997, an award he won in 1989. 1990, and 2013. That night, though, Garth Brooks took home the win.

Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images

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