My Kind Of Country

Country music from a fan's point of view.

Classic Rewind: George Strait – ‘Down And Out’

2 Comments Posted by Occasional Hope on November 27, 2012

One of George Strait’s very first hits, this song was written by Dean Dillon and Frank Dycus. Posted in memory of Dycus, who died last week:

Luckyoldsun November 27, 2012 at 7:29 pm
The Strait video is interesting. I’m looking for anything there that would have foretold what a monster star he would become, but I just can’t see it. Between the cowboy hat, the exaggerated vocal accent and the insipid lyrics, it looks and sounds like a parody of a generic country singer.

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Ken Johnson November 30, 2012 at 10:59 am
This was Strait’s follow up to his first MCA single “Unwound” (#6/1981) and peaked at a disappointing #16 during the final week of November 1981. Strait later admitted that he was never really fond of this song so perhaps his intuition was telling him something. His knack for selecting great material became his passport to success.

Strait has never been a dynamic onstage act. What is lacking in this early clip is the inner confidence that consistent success later provided him. He was only about 30 years old and was just gaining significant onstage experience. Still much better than the plastic losers that now comprise the majority of the newer male country acts. At least Strait is authentic.

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