Watch George Strait Perform His Debut Single in Front of a Record-Breaking Crowd in 2014

George Strait is hailed as the King of Country Music today. However, that wasn’t always the case. In 1981, he was a traditional country singer from Texas who was just trying to break into the industry. He did so with a series of hit singles from his debut album Strait Country. While it took him a few tries to reach the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, he had a hit with his debut single “Unwound” and it put him on the path to being one of the genre’s brightest stars.

More than 30 years after introducing himself to the country music world with “Unwound” he set a concert attendance record. In 2014, he wrapped his The Cowboy Rides Away Tour at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. That night, 104,793 people packed into the stadium to see King George wrap would many thought would be his final tour. Watch him perform the song that started it all in front of the record-breaking crowd below.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1981, George Strait Released His Debut Album ‘Strait Country’ and Changed the Face of Country Music Forever]

George Strait Lands a Hit with His Debut Single

Written by Dean Dillon and Frank Dycus, George Strait released “Unwound” as the lead single from his debut album Strait Country. The song, his debut single, peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, giving Strait his first top 10 hit.

“Unwound” wasn’t just Strait’s debut single. It was also the beginning of his relationship with Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter Dillon. Over the years, Dillon penned or co-penned many of Strait’s hit songs. They worked together so often because Strait felt that Dillon did him a favor early in his career.

“Back in those days, you didn’t give your top-drawer stuff to an unknown artist,” Dillon said. At the time, Strait was largely unknown outside of his local bar scene. “You just didn’t do that. You pitched them to Jones or Haggard or Cash or Dolly or Loretta. I pitched [Strait] everything I had but the kitchen sink,” Dillon recalled.

“I was always of a mind to not necessarily go with the normal way of thinking and for somebody to tell me not to do something, well, hell, I’d be damned. I’d do just the opposite. So, 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,” Dillon explained.

Dillon wrote or co-wrote six of the four songs on Strait Country. His writing credits include “Unwound,” “I Get Along with You,” “Down and Out,” “Friday Night Fever,” “She’s Playing Hell Trying to Get Me to Heaven,” and “Her Goodbye Hit Me in the Heart.”

Featured Image by Erika Goldring/WireImage