Back in 2018, the search for Amazon's new headquarters was a hot topic in Texas as well as around the United States. Texas was all excited about the fact that Dallas and Austin were both on the shortlist of candidate cities to host the gigantic new office. Unfortunately, the Lone Star State lost out on HQ to New York and Virginia, but we still have a connection to the mega shopping retailer. Amazon founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Bezos, is related to none other than the king of country music, George Strait. Yes, you read that correctly.
According to a 1999 article in the Dallas News, Bezos' grandmother and Strait are related, making Strait and Bezos cousins. As the Austin American Statesmen reported, the two are connected through Bezos' maternal grandmother Mattie Louise Gise (née Strait).
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Bezos was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but his family moved to Houston when he was just a baby. The businessman seems to have a love for his Texan roots still as he recently wished his old teacher from River Oaks Elementary School a Happy Birthday. He grew up spending summers on his grandfather's cattle ranch in Cotulla, Texas. There's no word on whether Bezos ever had much contact with his country music-loving cousin, who grew up just 30 minutes away from Cotulla, in Pearsall, Texas.
Surprisingly, neither of the men have ever publicly commented on one another's careers or personal lives. It's pretty crazy that two incredibly talented people came from the same family. A number-one recording artist and legitimate country music superstar and one of the most successful billionaires on the planet. Can you even imagine what it would be like to attend that family reunion? All I know is I would love to be a fly on the wall and see these too publicly address that they are related. Maybe Bezos could make an appearance at the CMA Awards one year?
