To celebrate the new album, Cowboys and Dreamers, we look back on the eras of George Strait's artistry and pay special attention to how C&I has covered him through the years.
George Strait's 31st studio album, Cowboys and Dreamers, comes out September 6. It'll no doubt be a hit — they all are, because they're held to a consistent standard of quality and vocal delivery existing with very few musical artists on this spinning rock.
He's the country Sinatra, a lot of folks say. I just say he's George Strait.
I'm loving the new (yet beautifully familiar) tunes of Cowboys and Dreamers — no surprise there. Hear a couple of tracks and get my impressions of the entire tracklist now, before the LP hits stores Friday, September 6. But first, read on for a look back at the high points of an unparalleled career — one that keeps going strong.
First, let's put on the classics ...
When the king had a milestone birthday in 2022, we made a 70-song playlist of George Strait's Greatest Hits on Spotify. The funny thing? It's but a fraction of the music he's made in his career. Hit play and let the timeless tunes wash over you as you dig into the eras of George Strait (and C&I!).
Strait Country: The 1980s
After launching a solid honky-tonk reputation, touring behind his first two LPs in '80 and '81, and his first No. 1 single, "Fool Hearted Memory," his life began to take a turn toward the heights of country music fame. The young Texas troubadour famously filled in for a sick Eddie Rabbitt at the Houston Rodeo in 1983, literally riding in on a song and rising to country superstardom soon after. He followed his first two records with eight more by 1990 (that's one a year), all of which hit No. 1 on the country charts.
1980s albums: Strait Country (1981), Strait From the Heart (1982) , Right or Wrong (1983), Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind (1984), Something Special (1985), #7 (1986), Ocean Front Property (1987), If You Ain't Lovin' You Ain't Livin' (1988), Beyond the Blue Neon (1989)
Pure Superstardom: The 1990s
Strait continued with the same furious and brilliant production pace throughout the '90s, releasing records nearly every year of the decade, all of which sailed to the top slots of the charts. It was the year he doubled up, 1992, that put him in front of new fans who'd never seen such a fine specimen of country-music talent. I'm talking about the release of the major motion picture starring Strait, Pure Country. He certainly shined onscreen, organically, as a fictional country star getting his groove back—but the soundtrack outshined just about everything.
1990s albums: Chill of an Early Fall (1991), Holding My Own (1992), Pure Country soundtrack (1992), Easy Come, Easy Go (1993), Lead On (1994), Blue Clear Sky (1996), Carrying Your Love With Me (1997), One Step At A Time (1998), Always Never The Same (1999)
Pure Country also represents the era of George Strait's skyrocketing career in which C&I came along. The magazine debuted in '93, and we imagine our first readers were still obsessing over the movie, the traditional sounds of Strait, and his sleeve-pinned Texas cowboy roots.
That's why, when he finally appeared on our cover at the start of the next decade, it began a string of unbelievably strong appearances in the mag. Readers couldn't get enough and still can't. Here's more on all the covers and his career as it continued throughout the 2000s and beyond.
Honky Tonk Time Machine
Look back at George Strait’s previous C&I cover stories.
JANUARY 2000
C&I’s first George Strait cover story, penned by Reid Slaughter, caught up with the superstar’s career to that point and focused on his Texas individuality and its relation to the Nashville country machine:
Perhaps the most important part of the Strait history occurred during those first heady days in Nashville. Faced with a chance to launch the career he had dreamed of, he was told to “lose his Western look, especially the hat.” He refused. “I said ‘what you see is what you get’ or words to that effect,” he laughs. “The minute you start changing yourself, you’re on the road to screwing up completely.” In a town where so many starstruck kids arrive and say “mold me into whatever you want me to be,” it was a dangerous move; “ornery” as they say in South Texas.
APRIL 2003
Margaret Brown interviewed George Strait on the eve of his return to perform at Houston’s Livestock Show & Rodeo, 20 years after his historic debut there when he “rode in on a song”:
…. One of the rodeo’s most legendary performances took place 20 years ago when a just-out-of-the-chute singer by the name of George Strait came to town. “At the time I just couldn’t believe I was actually playing at the Houston rodeo in the Astrodome — the eighth wonder of the world,” says Strait. “It was a far cry from the honky-tonks and small venues I’d been working. To put it plainly, I was scared to death.”
DECEMBER 2009
When Strait’s son, Bubba, joined his dad and Dean Dillon to write for the Twang album, writer Joe Leydon asked the proud father about it:
“For a lot of years I put songwriting on the back burner,” Strait says. “I’ve had so much luck and have been so successful finding material from other writers that I really got lazy about it. Writing, for me, is not easy. It requires a lot of time and can be pretty intense.” On the other hand, the creative process also can be quite a bit of fun – provided that you have the right collaborators. “I really enjoyed being able to write with Dean and Bubba,” Strait says. “Dean has been a big part of my recording career, and we’ve been friends for many years. And seeing my son writing on his own, and being able to write with him, was just the greatest thing.”
2000s albums: George Strait (2000), The Road Less Traveled (2001), Honkytonkville (2003), Somewhere Down In Texas (2005), It Just Comes Natural (2006), Troubadour (2008), Twang (2009)
Strait graced our 20th Anniversary issue with an interview by this writer, who’d just witnessed the historic The Cowboy Rides Away Tour in Houston. The singer was in a reflective mood, giving insight into the early experiences that made George Strait who he is:
“My dad believed in hard work. He did it all his life and he made my brother and I do it when we were young. We didn’t really want to at the time, but at the end of a long day, you did have the feeling of accomplishing something, and it’s a great feeling. I think that working hard does build character. The Army did that for me also. ... I just love being out on the ranch — hunting, roping, or just riding around checking things out. I also have gotten to where I like to drive a dozer. It’s instant gratification. Once I start a project on my dozer, it’s hard to quit. “
In advance of the King of Country’s marquee Las Vegas shows at NFR in 2018, we asked rodeo stars and fellow country musicians to speak on their favorite George Strait songs. Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel – one of the collaborators who perhaps knows Strait best – talked about “Troubadour”:
“George and I go way back, doing shows together since the late ’70s in Texas. George had us open his final tour show in Cowboys Stadium in front of 100,000-plus people, which was one of the most amazing nights in my life. Watching him sing ‘Troubadour’ that night was an emotional experience. To see my friend and the King of Country music transition to a new chapter in his musical career and life was bittersweet. There was a video that accompanied his performance that night with old pictures and footage from his career, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!” (Read the full cover story,)
2010s albums: Here for a Good Time (2011), Love Is Everything (2013), Cold Beer Conversation (2015), Honky Tonk Time Machine (2019)
We were lucky enough to land George on our cover after a milestone birthday, an announcement of more live dates, and the birth of another grandchild. He was also high on the success of his branded tequila, Código 1530. The first question we had for Strait when he was gracious enough to allow us a special sit-down, just to catch up, was this: What’s the secret to longevity? We expected a thoughtful response, and that’s what we got. Read the story here.
And now, Cowboys and Dreamers ...
Now that you are all caught up on the four-decade lore that is King of Country George Strait, you can turn your attention to the new album coming out September 6. I have a full tracklist, writing credits, and sneak preview of Cowboys and Dreamers here.
[PHOTOGRAPHY: Main photo by Peggy Sirota/courtesy EBM; all others courtesy and staff archival photos]
