George Strait claimed the title of the King of Country Music decades ago. As a result, he’s able to pack stadiums and arenas with little effort. In fact, Strait currently holds the record for the most people at a ticketed event in the United States after packing Kyle Field in College Station, Texas earlier this year. So, when he took the stage at the legendary Gruene Hall dancehall in New Braunfels, Texas in 2016 for a surprise show, fans were shocked.
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Before he was the King of Country Music, Strait was a country singer making his way through the bars, honky tonks, and dance halls across the Lone Star State. Like many Texas country artists, Gruene Hall was a regular stop in the early days. So, to celebrate the release of Strait Out of the Box, Part 2 in November 2016, he went back to the stage that helped him get his start. Watch him perform his signature song “Amarillo by Morning” during the surprise show below.
[RELATED: The Meaning Behind George Strait’s Country Classic “Amarillo by Morning”]
“My most favorite song that I’ve ever recorded and it was big in the dancehalls. People always requested this,” Strait said, introducing the song. “It’s called ‘Amarillo by Morning’ and I love singin’ it!”
George Strait Gets an Early Hit with “Amarillo by Morning”
“Amarillo by Morning” is one of George Strait’s most popular songs. However, he wasn’t the first to record it nor was it one of his many No. 1 singles.
Written by Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser, Stafford was the first to record the song. He released his country-pop version of the song in 1973 to minor chart success. Almost a decade later, Strait transformed the song into a fiddle-driven Western hit.
He released the song as the third single from his sophomore album Strait from the Heart in 1982. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. At this time in his career, though, a No. 4 single was nothing to sneeze at. His only chart-topper at the time was “Fool Hearted Memory,” the lead single from Strait from the Heart.
“Amarillo by Morning” marked a shift in his career, though. His next five singles would go to the top of the chart and he wouldn’t miss the top five again until “Overnight Success” in 1989 which peaked at No. 8 on the chart.
Featured Image by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
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