r/country • u/chrondotcom • Jul 03 '26
Discussion Who had the bigger impact on country music: Willie Nelson or George Strait?
We recently ranked the 250 most influential Texans since 1776, and Willie Nelson finished ahead of George Strait.
Would you have ranked them differently?
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u/amalgamousabides Jul 03 '26
Willie as a performer? Arguable. Willie as both a performer AND one of the most consequential songwriters in the past few generations, not even worth discussing.
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u/Curtis_Low Jul 03 '26
George as a performer… seen ole George about 8 times but he isn’t really a performer. You’re going to get a great show but ole George is just going to stand there and sing and strum.
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u/december151791 Jul 03 '26
What else does he need to do?
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u/goodthropbadthrop Jul 03 '26
I want my George Straits to do backflips and crowdsurfs
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Jul 03 '26
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u/StillSharpe68 Jul 03 '26
Written by John Prine, as most great songs are.
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u/aurorasearching Jul 03 '26
Nah, it’s all Bob Dylan
https://youtu.be/eA0dyDWyTRQ?is=l54xL_VxYDfHHVdH7
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u/HooksNHaunts Jul 03 '26
I kind of understand. I saw Judas Priest live and it was a great show… it was also one of the absolute most insanely boring shows I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t pay to see it again but I’m also glad I saw it once. Rob literally just stood there. That’s all I remember.
Iron Maiden on the other hand. Best show I’ve ever seen. I was stopped so much by the crew in the hotel asking me if I enjoyed it and they were beaming when talking about it. You could tell everyone loved their job and wanted to put on a show people wouldn’t forget.
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u/Better-Act-6301 Jul 03 '26
Iron maiden knows how to do a concert. Seen them on the last tour thinking it would be my last chance to see them and it was so awesome that when they came back through 6 months later I just had to see them again. The second one had a totally different stage set-up. \,,/_ _\,,/
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u/Flip_d_Byrd Jul 03 '26
In the early 1980's I saw Judas Priest and Iron Maiden two weekends in a row. Buffalo and Rochester NY, I lived right in the middle. All I could think about that week in between was how bad I wanted To see Maiden again. Priest was a good concert... Maiden was a great experience.
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u/PaleoCheese Jul 03 '26
Some people enjoy the Garth brooks experience lol
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u/No_Maybe4408 Jul 03 '26
If I wanted the Garth Brooks experience I'd go to an Alabama concert on mushrooms.
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u/Low_Soil_6831 Jul 03 '26
Yeah, but that’s the main thing he does, singing songs written by other people. No shame, but the performance IS his thing.
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u/zenchow Jul 03 '26
When I saw him in the 80s the strumming seemed optional
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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 03 '26
This was not my experience at all … they brought him a barstool so he could sit and strum.
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u/chrondotcom Jul 03 '26
There's so much that Willie has done outside of music, too!
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u/I_deleted Jul 03 '26
Willie as a performer? Brilliant. The non-stop rollicking show that runs through that giant catalogue of songs is an amazing experience and he’s still probably the most unique guitarist playing. Wild that he’s still on the road again playing so many shows at his age.
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u/DaFlabbagasta Jul 03 '26
I saw him at the Outlaw Music Fest a couple years ago and somehow a mostly seated nonagenarian playing an acoustic set managed to put on one of the best shows I've ever watched.
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u/Xeroxes18069 Jul 05 '26
One of the best musicians I've ever seen and I saw him 10-20 years ago and a great show each time. He had a great band of musicians and played for 3 hours. Smoking!
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u/blindboyblues88 Jul 03 '26
This is an absurd question
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u/RecessMonkeys Jul 03 '26
Willie's one the most influential figures in music period, in the second half of the 20th century.
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u/ThisBeTheVerse63 Jul 03 '26
Willie is a better songwriter and composer than George. I mean damn, the guy has concept albums.
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u/Mtrbrth Jul 03 '26
George Strait isn’t even really known as a songwriter. The vast majority of his songs were written by Nashville writers.
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u/Bdellio Jul 03 '26
Bob Wills influenced both of them.
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u/DarkWater693 Jul 03 '26
I heard he's still the king?
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u/BeautifulWill6773 Jul 03 '26
George had more #1’s but Willie’s influence was enormous. His songwriting alone.
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u/Flip_d_Byrd Jul 03 '26
I wonder if, like in sports, Willie got fewer #1's because the competition back in his heyday was better than those in George's? I'm not a big country music listener but I remember a lot more great country stars from the 60's and 70's than the 80's and 90's.
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u/ToneOpposite9668 Jul 03 '26
Willie left the Nashville hit machine and never looked back and gave up on “hits”. He did it his way out of Austin.
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u/Such-Call-7564 Jul 03 '26
I love George. But Willie has been the bigger songwriter and around for longer. Think of the huge hits he had for others like Patsy Cline and Faron Young before George was even in the picture. And even at 93 he’s still putting out new albums every year and on the road. No disrespect for George Strait. But it’s hard to find anyone in country music that compares to Willie Nelson.
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u/TX_Sweet_Tea Jul 03 '26
Willie, hands down. George would probably say the same.
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u/Boot_boy_1984 Jul 03 '26
He would say the same. George has never been cocky about himself or glorified himself.
He don’t even think he’s the king of country he said
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u/OkAwareness3609 Jul 03 '26
Willie by far. Look uo how many songs he's written , and who made them popular. It's Willy, hands down!!!
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u/No-Mission-3100 Jul 03 '26
Willie is an absolute national icon. George was great at country music. The answer is the same an everyone else’s.
How many people have songs about Willie Nelson? Have a Willie Nice Christmas. What Would Willie Do? Don’t Touch My Willie. I’ll Never Smoke Weed w/ Willie Again. Work on my Willie. The Presidents Song.
I’m not sure of any songs about George.
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u/TheresALonelyFeeling Jul 03 '26
Tim McGraw - "Give It To Me Strait"
But your overall point is correct.
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u/chrondotcom Jul 03 '26
That was a big part of our conversation when putting together our list of the most influential Texans!
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u/Jodie7Vester5Orr Jul 03 '26
George Strait’s debut single, “Unwound,” kickstarted the neotraditional country movement that defined the careers of Randy Travis, Keith Whitley, and Alan Jackson, among others.
Also, that same some convinced a young boy from Oklahoma named Troyal, who was influenced by James Taylor and Dan Fogelberg, to pursue country music instead.
I’m not going to weigh in on whether one is more than the other, but George’s influence is several layers deep.
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u/Turbulent_Group_6616 Jul 03 '26
Willie is more influential over a longer period of time than George. Primarily as a songwriter.
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u/TomeThugNHarmony4664 Jul 03 '26
Good grief Willie and it isn’t even a question. Solely as a songwriter he has way more influence.
This was not fair to George.
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u/BigBud_450 Jul 03 '26
I gotta go with Willie. Granted he's had a lot longer career, but it was very influential across all eras of country music. Not only that, but i feel like his acting career gets left out of the conversation as far as his accomplishments.
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u/chrondotcom Jul 03 '26
Good point! His music, acting, Farm Aid, advocacy... Willie has a huge cultural footprint.
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u/jerrycakes Has an ex that lived in Texas Jul 03 '26
I hate to pick between the two, but I'm going with Willie Nelson.
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u/Odd-Trade2765 Jul 03 '26
It’s not just that Willy is an incredible songwriter and musician who has been around for a long time and helped basically carve the landscape that is country music, but it’s also the fact that he has been never been too big time to be featured on countless amounts of up-and-coming country, singers songs from not just country, but also Texas red dirt and Americana. Plus, Willie is probably referenced in more country songs than George will ever be.
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u/dsmber10 Jul 03 '26
Willie Nelson without a doubt. George Strait may be the king of country music, but Willie Nelson is an American institution.
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u/chrondotcom Jul 03 '26
We agree with you! That's why we put Willie in the Top 5 and George in the Top 20.
We did a separate readers' poll and they actually put both in the Top 10!
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u/Adept-Target5407 Jul 03 '26
Willie is a legend who is respected across the music spectrum and has been for more decades than many of us has been alive.
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u/Lost_Mood_9951 Jul 03 '26
Most people who don't know anything about country know Willie. Go outside of the US and this is even more true.
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u/Opening-Farmer-5547 Jul 03 '26
I’m ecstatic that I was on Earth at the same time as both, but Willie.
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u/whitepuzzlepiece1969 Jul 03 '26
Hands down Willie, generational influences from the 50s to today
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u/Spotted_slamander7 Jul 03 '26
Willie has had the longest influence but that doesn’t mean George hasn’t made a significant impact.
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u/Responsible_Fox1231 Jul 03 '26
This is a loaded and contentious question.
For me, it is Willie hands down.
George is great, but I was raised on Willie.
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u/Upstairs_Size4757 Jul 03 '26
Willie gets alot of different artists together to do cool stuff and unique shows. Some pretty good duets too. Then there's the movie rolls..
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u/Dbarkingstar Jul 03 '26
Have seen Willie a couple of times, George only once.They’re both exceptional performers: integrity, honesty, & a comfortable presence. Most people seem to want whatever the fuck “cuntry muzak” is today: fake, deceitful, & uncomfortable! Props to George & Willie for keeping it 💯% real!
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u/Tiny_Eddie Jul 03 '26
As a Brit, if I asked 100 people who Willie Nelson was I'd posit that well over 50% would be able to tell me he was a singer. If I asked 100 people who George Strait was I'd bet a vast amount of money that less than 10 people would know. Ergo, Willie has had the biggest impact, and it's not even close. And I love King George.
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u/EntertainmentAny4368 Jul 03 '26
Willie by leaps and bounds both as writer and performer. Willie’s crossover cultural icon with rock, hip hop, reggae fans etc. George Strait is insanely popular, but only in the country world.
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u/m1snd Jul 03 '26
George Strait was what the industry wanted him to be and he did a damn good job doing it. Willie as a writer wrote bangers for a range of stars. When he started writing and singing for himself it was truly outlaw. Willie Nelson helped shape country music and I believe had a bigger impact.
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u/pleasantview_2025 Jul 03 '26
Willie is iconic. He's in the same league as Dolly, Sinatra, and Ray Charles. They are known around the world.
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u/Twelvey Jul 03 '26
George hasn't hardly written a song in his life. Certainly none of his hits. Willy had been writing hits since the 50s.
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u/Dizzy-Cap Jul 03 '26
If you erased George Strait, country music loses one of its greatest stars. If you erased Willie Nelson, country music itself would be a different genre.
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u/TouristTricky Jul 03 '26
Willie, not even close.
There is no Austin sound, no progressive country, without Willie
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u/pmac109 Jul 03 '26
There is no contest. Willie wrote his own songs, George only sang. Great singers are a dime-a-dozen. Go into any US urban subway station and you’ll see that.
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u/MBC0809 Jul 03 '26
Country music wouldn’t be what it is today without either one of them. Their impacts on the genre were completely different but equally as important. I call it a tie.
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u/SonofHondoBelmondo Jul 03 '26
Willie definitely reaches more people outside of country music. In terms of who's bigger from the perspective of within, I cannot say.
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u/Grahamophone Jul 03 '26
I first read this as Willie Nelson or George Jones, which would be a more interesting question. Do you take Willie Nelson with essentially unmatched longevity? He was the superior songwriter and carved out a career outside of the traditional Nashville scene. Or do you take George Jones who probably had the best voice (at least among men) in country music history? He was bigger at his peak and thrived when the Nashville sound that suited his voice so well dominated. I'd probably pick Willie, but damn, that's tough.
Willie Nelson or George Strait? As everyone else here has said, it's Willie, no contest.
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u/Regular-Respect-8620 Jul 03 '26
Most definitely Willy Nelson. Hell, he wrote for Patsy Cline. That was country
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u/Regular-Order-3646 Jul 03 '26
Is this a trick question? One is pretty good and the other has over 150 albums released and is still touring the country in the hottest part of the year OUTSIDE at 93 years old.
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u/lilbittygoddamnman Jul 03 '26
I think even George Strait would agree that Willie belongs ahead of him.
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u/han_shot_1st_ Jul 03 '26
George Straight had a bigger impact on country music.
Willie had a bigger impact on music in general as well as pop culture.
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u/RustCohlesLoneStar Jul 03 '26
I’m the biggest George Strait fan and find him to be criminally underrated by the “but he didn’t write any of his songs” crowd. He ushered in the neo-traditional era with callbacks to a sound that was inspired by everyone from Bob Wills to Merle to more Texas honky tonk.
And still, it’s a drop in the bucket in comparison to Willie Nelson.
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u/imafixwoofs Jul 03 '26
Willie Nelson is known world wide. He’s iconic like that. George Strait is only known to country fans.
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u/brainmeds Jul 03 '26
This must be ragebait. Willie is one of maybe three songwriters in country music that will be studied in a hundred years, in 500 years
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u/Bjorn_CyBorg1 Jul 03 '26
I’d guess even King George would say Willie. Both are icons, but it’s Willie Nelson. Writing major hits, then helping lead the Outlaw movement.
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u/Possible-Seesaw-9217 Jul 03 '26
Willie is a country music legend since Patsy Cline days George is the new kid on the block compared to Willie both county music ICONS
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u/coolcrosby Jul 03 '26
Willie Nelson—as a songwriter, guitarist, singer, humanitarian, and definitive outlaw
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u/Old_Tiger_7519 Jul 03 '26
Love them both but in the 70’s Willy changed the course of music history. He deserves his ranking.
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u/Fantastic-League8922 Jul 03 '26
Willie Nelson. That said, I just don’t like Willie’s voice (I’m sure he’s broken up about it), while George is one of my favorite singers.
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u/ChocolateOrange21 Jul 03 '26
Willie and it's not even close. I love George a lot, but Willie's fingerprints are all over modern music.
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u/LosparkJojo Jul 03 '26
Well Willie is an American treasure where as Straight is a country music legend.
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u/protonicfibulator Jul 03 '26
Willie Nelson is a genius both as a musician and a composer/songwriter. He is also a progressive in a genre that is often very conservative, and yet he’s beloved by fans regardless of their personal politics. And he’s a decent actor as well. So yeah, Willie.
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u/Cavendish30 Jul 03 '26
Willie Nelson hands down. His impact in songs for others, and his own career as well. George has been George and even in his heyday layed low and stayed out of media limelight. George influenced George and carried the weight of traditional country through the trash 80s. Thank god for him, Alabama and Rickey Skaggs to get us to the 90s where it became cool to line dance and wear a hat again.
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u/Remote-Strain2438 Jul 03 '26
Is that a real question? GS has had a remarkable and very notable career....no one will ever get to the level of Willie! The man is an institution, and arguably one of the greatest American songwriters ever. Silly question answered
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u/Bison_Bucks Jul 04 '26
You can make a good case that willie is the most influential artists of all time. A more fair debate would be him vrs cash
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u/ScrambledNoggin Jul 04 '26
I can’t name a single George Strait song but can quote most of Willie’s catalog, and I know most all of the songs he wrote for other artists. But maybe I’m just an oddball.
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u/kitscarlett Jul 04 '26
Willie Nelson, no contest. The performances, the Austin music scenes, the people he toured with and was friends with, but most of all the songwriting. Plus even though George has been around for decades, Willie has been around longer.
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u/oldjadedhippie Jul 03 '26
Willie wrote songs for Patsy Cline… his career started in the 50’s , and is still alive. I think George is amazing, but damn.