NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It’s been 15 years since The New York Times distinguished George Strait as “a country superstar in complete command of his gift,” and with the arrival of his 31st studio album for MCA, Cowboys And Dreamers, that statement rings just as true today. Filled with classic country honky-tonkers about drinkin’ and not thinkin’ as well as sad songs and ballads about loss and cheatin’, listen to the album Cowboys & Indians Magazine notes is “a cornucopia of trad-country-arrangement beauty,” HERE.
Dedicated to three of Strait’s very good, longtime friends and collaborators who he lost this year – manager Erv Woolsey, road manager Tom Foote and fiddler Gene Elders who plays on four tracks on this album – the Texas Troubadour shared, “I will never forget all of the good times we had together.”
Produced by Chuck Ainlay, who has been mixing Strait records since 1985, Tony Brown (Strait’s 1993’s Easy Come, Easy Go; 2008’s Troubadour) and Strait, the album’s title comes from a song penned by Jessie Jo Dillon, Keith Gattis and Bubba Strait.
“It is a really cool song,” shared Strait of the title track. “So cool that I thought that I should name the whole album after it. And sometimes I feel like the last of a dying breed trying to find where I fit. That pretty much says it all. ‘Somewhere between high on top of the world, and fighting with calling it quits.’” While the Keith Gattis reaffirming “Wish I Could Say” offers, ‘Wish I could tell you how the world ain’t ended, And how it’s all going to be ok.’
The follow-up to Honky Tonk Time Machine, Strait’s 27th No. 1 Billboard Country album, Cowboys And Dreamers, named “album of the week” by Associated Press, features 13 new songs, including three already released tracks — “Three Drinks Behind,” “MIA Down in MIA” and “The Little Things” — as well as “Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame” featuring Chris Stapleton and Strait’s rendition of Waylon Jennings’ “Waymore’s Blues.” All making appearances in his live set, Strait has one final show in 2024, supersizing his long-standing “Strait to Vegas” show at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium to mark the 37th installment of the engagement with Chris Stapleton and special guests Little Big Town.
Cowboys And Dreamers Tracklist
(Songwriters in parentheses)
1) “Three Drinks Behind” (Benjamin Gaither, Jeff Silvey and Kim Williams)
2) “Cowboys And Dreamers” (Jessie Jo Dillon, Keith Gattis and Bubba Strait)
3) “To The Moon” (Marty Brown and Steve Clark)
4) “MIA Down in MIA” (Adam Craig and Dean Dillon)
5) “Wish I Could Say” (Keith Gattis)
6) “Calling From The Car” (Bobby Braddock)
7) “People Get Hurt Sometimes” (Jim Lauderdale, Kendell Marvel and Jimmy Ritchey)
8) “Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame” ft. Chris Stapleton (Chris Stapleton, Jameson Clark and Timothy James)
9) “The Little Things” (George Strait, Monty Criswell and Bubba Strait)
10) “The Book” (George Strait, Dean Dillon, Jessie Jo Dillon and Bubba Strait)
11) “Rent” (Guy Clark and Keith Gattis)
12) “Waymore’s Blues” (Curtis Buck and Waylon Jennings)
13) “The Journey Of Your Life” (Ronnie Bowman and Troy Jones)
About George Strait
George Strait is the King of Country Music, having sold more than 105 million albums and counting while earning more than 60 major entertainment industry awards as well as countless nominations. The Texas singer-songwriter is the only act in history to have a Top 10 hit every year for over three decades. With 33 different Platinum or multi-Platinum albums, he’s earned the third-most certifications of any artist in any genre, following only The Beatles and Elvis Presley, and with a total of 60, Strait has more No. 1 songs than any other artist in history.
The Texas troubadour’s 31st career studio album, Cowboys And Dreamers, is available now. It follows 2019’s best-selling country album, Honky Tonk Time Machine, on MCA Nashville. That album quickly became Strait’s record-extending 27th No.1 Billboard Country album. The Country Music Hall of Fame member also earned his 100th entry on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with his single “The Weight of the Badge” from the project. For more information, visit GeorgeStrait.com.
