CMT Blog: George Strait

I took some friends to a bull riding rodeo this weekend. I know. A rodeo? In Chicago? It hardly ever happens, so I wanted to get my group in the mood with good country music about boots, chaps, cowboy hats, spurs and latigo. And just the wild rides in general. Some are about going to a rodeo, some are actually being in the rodeo, some are about dying during one, some about holding on for dear life and some are just about that cowboy way of life.

"Good Ride Cowboy," Garth Brooks
"Lonesome Rodeo Cowboy," George Strait
"Bull Rider," Johnny Cash
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Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shania Twain were the first two women to win a Grammy for country album when the category was resurrected in 1994 after nearly three decades' absence. (Formerly titled "best country and western album," the category had been dormant since Roger Miller won it twice in the mid-1960s.) Carpenter's exquisite Stones in the Road earned the top honor in early 1995, while Twain won the first of her five Grammys in early 1996 for The Woman in Me. At first glance, you might think the two women couldn't be more opposite, even though they're both accomplished singer-songwriters who never made their home in Nashville. Of course, Twain set herself apart with super-stylish outfits and an upbeat personality. Has any other musician won for a song with double exclamation points? ("Man! I Feel Like a Woman!") But although Carpenter has been endlessly described as literate and a folkie, she was quite flirtatious, too. Note her Grammy-winning songs: "Down at the Twist and Shout," "I Feel Lucky," "Passionate Kisses" and "Shut Up and Kiss Me."

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I am completely aware that I am completely biased. When I sit down to watch the season premiere of American Idol, as I did last night (Jan. 12), I tend to love the country contestants the best. A cowboy hat, some footage of them slinging hay and a Southern accent are all I need to make up my mind that I love him/her already. And as usual, someone always sings a Rascal Flatts song. Last night it was Joshua Blaylock doing "Bless the Broken Road." But then, in a very unlikely move, the tall drink of water that is Nigerian-born Bosa Mora came out in front of the judges and sang George Strait's "You Look So Good in Love." I did not see that coming.

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Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? That's kind of how I feel about my local country radio station. I hadn't been listening to it much lately because my heart belonged to something else: my phone. I am ashamed to say I was a major multi-tasker behind the wheel. Mostly, I used that driving time to return calls. But if a text message came in, I'd reply. If an e-mail needed answering, I'd answer. I never initiated correspondence, just reacted to it. So you can see how a radio station might play second fiddle to all that productivity. But the rules changed with the new year, and now it is officially illegal to text-message, check e-mail, update a Facebook status and surf the Web while driving. The new laws also prohibit even talking on cell phones when you're in construction or school zones which are pretty much everywhere where I live.

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For every fan who thinks country music is all about hot shot newcomers, consider this. In a story that ran in the New York Times on New Year's Eve, the writer puts Nashville up on a pedestal for what he calls an "enduring pension plan for cherished acts," listing Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney, who have proven their resilience over the years. They have all been releasing albums for a long, long time and continue to stay at the top of their game. There's not a has-been in the bunch.

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Over the New Year's break, I spent some time taking it easy with George Strait's second album, Strait From the Heart, which I consider one of his finest achievements. Released in 1982, the standout track is "Amarillo by Morning" -- still his signature song almost three decades later -- but if you've been following Strait's music for a long time, you'll also recognize "Fool Hearted Memory" and "A Fire I Can't Put Out," his first No. 1 hits. Interestingly, a few tracks on here wound up recorded by other artists, notably Guy Clark's "Heartbroke" (a No. 1 hit for Ricky Skaggs) and Clay Blaker's "The Only Thing I Have Left" (on Tim McGraw's debut album).

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Many of my top albums from 2009 are by some of my longtime favorite artists. So as we prepare to enter a new decade, I'd like to acknowledge the musicians who have been creating notable music since long before some contemporary country artists were even born. For example, Reba McEntire notched her first Top 10 hit in 1980. George Strait wasn't far behind when "Unwound" arrived a year later. In an astonishing feat of longevity, McEntire's Keep on Loving You and Strait's Twang both debuted atop the Billboard 200 this year, tracking sales among all genres of music. I can't even tell you how eager I am to see these two on tour together in 2010.

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As a companion piece to a recent story about a dozen of my favorite country albums of the decade, I came up with this playlist representing my top tunes of the 2000s. To narrow it down to just 20 selections, I enlisted two requirements: That the song climbed to No. 1 on Billboard's country airplay chart and that I still enjoy hearing it whenever it comes on. I have personal stories tied to pretty much all of these tracks, and I bet they will trigger a lot of memories for you, too.

"I Hope You Dance," Lee Ann Womack
"Angry All the Time," Tim McGraw
"Somebody Like You," Keith Urban
"She'll Leave You With a Smile," George Strait
"Travelin' Soldier," Dixie Chicks
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Reba McEntire always shows up in the most unexpected places. First in a hilarious Saturday Night Live skit with Andy Samberg a few weeks ago -- oh wait, that wasn't Reba? Well, there's no mistaking her distinctive voice on a new duet of "Blue Christmas" with stellar singer Andrea Bocelli. In the spirit of unexpected pairings, I've compiled a list of my favorite country Christmas songs with some selections that you probably haven't heard on country radio. Hopefully you'll find a few surprises.

"Let It Snow," Alison Brown Quartet
"Blue Christmas," Andrea Bocelli with Reba McEntire
"Last Night (I Went to See Santa)," Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
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On Saturday night, I met a couple (Nick and Michelle) whose first blind date had been to a Tracy Lawrence concert. Fast forward some 10 years and they are happily married with kids, and still love country music. No surprise there. But their story reminded me of how much I love Lawrence, especially his "Paint Me a Birmingham." How he literally created an image in that song of a place he loved. I felt the same way about Chris Cagle's "Laredo." And all the songs about towns/roads/rivers I've never been to in real life but feel like I have because of the country songs that have taken me places.

"Paint Me a Birmingham," Tracy Lawrence
"Laredo," Chris Cagle
"Louisiana," Tim McGraw
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