George Strait has spent more than 40 years as one of country music’s most successful artists. The King of Country Music has released dozens of hit singles, including these four early hits, which are pivotal to his entire career.
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“Unwound”
“Unwound” is Strait’s first single. Out in 1981 on his debut Strait Country album, the song is written by Dean Dillon, who would go on to write many of Strait’s hits, and Frank Dycus. Ironically, the song was written for Johnny Paycheck, who was having a lot of success at the time. Dillon admits they were unsure about letting Strait have the song.
“Back in those days, you didn’t give your top drawer stuff to an unknown artist,” Dillon tells Songwriter Universe. “You just didn’t do that. You pitched them to Jones or Haggard or Cash, Dolly or Loretta. I pitched him everything I had but the kitchen sink. … I pitched him everything I had, and ended up with six songs on his first album. I think a lot of that had to do with nobody else would give him anything. He never forgot that.”
“Amarillo By Morning”
“Amarillo By Morning” is from Strait’s sophomore Strait From The Heart record. Written by Paul Fraser and Terry Stafford, the song is the King of Country Music’s first multi-platinum single.
Stafford first released “Amarillo By Morning” in 1973, although it did not have much success on the radio. But when Strait released it in 1983, the song became a big hit. It’s a song Strait still performs during his live shows today.
“The Chair”
Dillon teamed up with Hank Cochran to write “The Chair“. Out in 1985 on Strait’s Something Special record, “The Chair” remains one of his more popular songs.
“The Chair” is a sweet, feel-good song about a man and woman who fall in love while at a bar listening to a band together. The song says in part, “Well, excuse me / But I think you’ve got my chair / No, that one is not taken / I don’t mind if you sit here, I’ll be glad to share / Yeah, it’s usually packed here on Friday nights. Oh, if you don’t mind, could I talk you out of a light?“
“Fool Hearted Memory”
“Fool Hearted Memory” is written by Byron Hill and Blake Mevis. The song is the first single from Strait From The Heart. It is also the first of his many No. 1 hits and his first Gold single. In addition to being on a George Strait record, it was also on the soundtrack for the 1982 film, The Soldier.
Hill knew right away it was a great song. But even he admits he had no idea the power of “Fool Hearted Memory”.
“A lot of people do say still that it’s one of their favorite George Strait songs,” Hill tells The Tennessean. “And also, that intro, everyone knows what it is when it happens. I think that little fiddle kickoff has filled a lot of dance floors through the years.
Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
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