George Birge Was Not Expecting This From George Strait

George Birge has quickly risen to the top of up-and-coming talent in Music City. But the "Mind on You" singer has a hefty first name — and big George boots to fill — when it comes to country music.

See: Legends George Jones and George Strait before him.

I recently had Birge on the Taste of Country Nights, On Demand podcast, and he told me how much Strait and Texas two-stepping have always been in his blood (Birge is also a Texan).

But then, he revealed something about himself that really ties him to Strait.

"I grew up listening to George Strait down in Texas in my dad and my mom's truck, and, uh, ya know, it was just kinda in my blood, man," the younger star says. "Down there it's barbecue, two-stepping and country music."

After hearing that, I wanted to know if Birge — now that he has a No. 1 country song under his belt and is signed to a major record label — has gotten to meet Strait yet? Here's where the heartwarming story begins.

Birge explains:

"I got to meet George Strait a couple years ago, and um, I introduced myself and just was like, 'Hey man, I'm from Texas, you know, I was able to get a record deal, moved out here to Nashville and we're getting a little momentum, and I just wanted to say how big of an influence you are to me,' and, ya know, gushing like I didn't wanna do, but I couldn't help from doing."

"And he looks at me and he goes, 'I know who you are, and you're doing great man, congratulations,'" Birge recalls Strait saying. "And I was like, 'Alright, that's all I needed, see ya buddy.' I excused myself pretty quickly after that."

As you can imagine, as a country music fan from Texas with the name George — who grew up listening to George Strait — this was quite a life-altering moment for Birge.

Check out the entire interview with Birge now on Taste of Country Nights, On Demand. It's streaming now wherever you get your favorite podcasts from.