George Strait will kick off the final leg of his farewell The Cowboy Rides Away tour early next year, but he isn't finished making music. Universal Music Nashville CEO Mike Dungan has announced the singer has signed a new, five-album deal with his longtime label.

"In 1981, when I signed with MCA Records, it seems like yesterday," Strait said at a recent industry event at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center, honoring his legendary career (quote via USA Today). "I think I've been at MCA longer than most people in this room have."

Strait's first album for the label was 'Unwound' in 1981. The Texan has gone on to sell more than 68 million albums, and score a record-setting 60 No. 1 singles. His latest album, 'Love is Everything,' debuted at the top of the charts. The record includes his current single, 'I Believe,' which he co-wrote with his son, Bubba Strait, and veteran tunesmith Dean Dillon as a way to honor the victims of the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting.

“Like everybody, I was watching the coverage on TV,” Strait, who lost his own 13-year-old daughter in 1986, explains. “I know what these parents are going through. It’s the worst thing that can happen to you in your life. To lose a child ... there’s nothing worse than that. So I started thinking about saying something about it. It’s a statement of faith, is really what it is. It turned out beautiful.”

Strait is expected to announce the final 2014 dates for his Cowboy Rides Away tour on Sept. 9.

More From TheBoot