When you think of country music, you think of George Strait.
The undisputed King of Country Music, George’s career spanned across five decades featuring over 100 singles, 60 of which have become number ones.
Of course, 60 number ones is good enough for, oh I don’t know… the most in the history of country music.
Eric Church and his wife like to play this little George Strait drinking game, and the rules are really simple: Go back and forth naming number one singles from George and if you’re wrong, you take a drink. Sounds fun right?
Anyways, I got to thinking about all the Strait hits, but what about some of the songs that weren’t number ones?
Some of them may surprise you…
“Amarillo By Morning”
Written by Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser, it was first recorded by Stafford in 1973.
George Strait covered it for his 1982 album Straight From The Heart, however it wasn’t released as a single until 1983. It peaked at #4 on the country charts, however it’s arguably the most iconic song George has ever released.
“Marina del Rey”
Written by Frank Dycus and Dean Dillon, it was released in September 1982 as the second single from his album Strait from the Heart. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard country chart.
“The Cowboy Rides Away”
A Sonny Throckmorton and Casey Kelly tune, it was released in January 1985 as the second single from his album Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind.
“Cowboys Like Us”
Written by Bob DiPiero and Anthony Smith, it was released in August 2003 as the second single from his album Honkytonkville. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
“Troubadour”
Written by Leslie Satcher and Monty Holmes, it was released in June 2008 as the second single and title track from his album Troubadour.
With Vince Gill singing background vocals, “Troubadour” was nominated for Best Male Country Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards, but it never topped the charts.
And shoutout to George holding it down with a bottle of Codigo tequila… what a legend.
