George Strait is often hailed as one of country music’s honky-tonk traditionalists, and with some justification. When he first emerged in 1981, the hard-edged fiddles and Texas dancehall influence that were a big part of his music were fairly old school compared to the the pop-tinged sounds that dominated the Urban Cowboy era.

But George is quick to point out that he’s not on some sort of mission, and that he’s not as traditional as he’s billed.

"I’ve always just done the music that I felt comfortable doing," he told Y’all magazine. "I don’t really think that everything I’ve done has been really hard-core traditional — there’s definitely songs that you couldn’t classify that way."

George sang "I Saw God Today" on Sunday’s Academy of Country Music Awards, and host Reba McEntire pointed out a nice coincidence: The song was his 56th No. 1 single, and he was performing it on his 56th birthday. Despite the success he’s racked up through the years, concerts — and, probably, live TV performances — still create some anxieties.

"I still get nervous before I leave the bus," he said. "And I’m nervous right up to the point where I break into the first song, and then that kinda leaves me, and I just feed off the crowd after that. A lot of people say I look pretty laid-back onstage, and that may be true, but I’m pretty pumped up there."

George’s successes continue. His latest album, Troubadour, was certified gold exactly one month after it was released.