George Strait, heir apparent to Merle Haggard?

Blackcloud2

Blackcloud2

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I’m thinking so. Both have liquid voices that never seem to hit a wrong note. Both perform their music in person without dubbing/voice-over/lip-syncing. Both offer seemingly easy music to sing/mimic that quickly is discovered to be harder replicating than expected. I’ve been known to carry a tune here or there with much applause, but these two gents need serious study unless you’re prepared to come off sounding like a farm animal meeting a bleak future.

In my opinion both men have exemplified ‘cool’, no matter the music or time; simply suave gents anyone would like to saddle up to.

As I mentioned I do sing, tonight it’s Karaoke. Got to go, I’m working a crowd through “Mr. Green Jean’s” best hits off the “Captain Kangaroo” series. Yup, we know how party out this way! :)
 
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I have been a george strait fan for years in fact some one of my best and one of my worst memories are each associated with a george strait song.
 
I saw George Strait perform in a small dance hall in Wayne, Oklahoma in 1984. Been a fan ever since. Same dance hall had other famous acts passing thru before they were "famous," like Earl Thomas Conly and Charly McClain.
 
George loves to fish too, here's his rig "Day Money"!


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Old TexMex said:
George loves to fish too, here's his rig "Day Money"!
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Is that at Marina Del Rey? :D

I really don't see how you can truly compare George and Merle because of their difference in styles. Merle has more of that outlaw (Willie, Waylon, Johnny, Kris) style where as George is more cowboy and I don't mean that in a bad way because he's had 44 number 1 records. When you think about it you just can't compare "Okie From Muscogee," "The Fighten' Side of Me" or "Mama Tried" to "I Cross My Heart," "The Cowboy Rides Away" or "Amarillo by Morning." Merle is great, George is great but they are great in different ways. Now all that said, I do love Willie and Merle singing "Pancho and Lefty."

About George hanging it up next year, my understanding is that the last half of The Cowboy Rides Away tour will be in 2014 and after that he will retire from touring. I may be wrong but I understood he would still record at the ranch.

BTW, one year my wife saw George Strait in Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Atlanta and Denver. Yeah, she has a small picture of him on her keychain and a big picture on the safe in Jacksonville. I think he might be the only man she would leave me for. :D:D:D

CW
 
I first heard George Straight at Carswell AFB in Tx....Well heard his songs, sung by another Airman walking around B52s, in the early 1980s. While we walked our posts around alert bombers he would sing George Straight tunes and do his best Texas 2 step. Kind of a George Straight impersonator, in fatigues and carrying an M16. Despite this first intro to Mr. Straight's music I still like to hear him sing.....He's pure country. :)
 
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George has done something that I don't believe anyone else has ever done ... he has had at least 1 song in the top ten every year for 30 years in a row! His music has remained relevent to the country music audience without needing g to reinvent himself every few years. Instead he has remained true to himself and who he is, and the audiance has rewarded him for it.

In the overly comercialized world of modern music, George Strait is not an act. He is the real deal.

Colt
 
Straightshooter2 said:
Is that at Marina Del Rey? :D

I really don't see how you can truly compare George and Merle because of their difference in styles. Merle has more of that outlaw (Willie, Waylon, Johnny, Kris) style where as George is more cowboy and I don't mean that in a bad way because he's had 44 number 1 records. When you think about it you just can't compare "Okie From Muscogee," "The Fighten' Side of Me" or "Mama Tried" to "I Cross My Heart," "The Cowboy Rides Away" or "Amarillo by Morning." Merle is great, George is great but they are great in different ways. Now all that said, I do love Willie and Merle singing "Pancho and Lefty."

About George hanging it up next year, my understanding is that the last half of The Cowboy Rides Away tour will be in 2014 and after that he will retire from touring. I may be wrong but I understood he would still record at the ranch.

BTW, one year my wife saw George Strait in Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Atlanta and Denver. Yeah, she has a small picture of him on her keychain and a big picture on the safe in Jacksonville. I think he might be the only man she would leave me for. :D:D:D

CW
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I appreciate the responce, very interesting. No, I wasn't comparing them head-to-head or time-to-time, I was simply referring to their obvious ability to rise above the crowd when it comes to singing. Cowboy? Yup, George Strait is a cowboy, no dispute on that point, he's the real deal. However, Merle Haggard sang with his, as you describe 'Outlaw' style to many cowboys in the day (20 years well before he ever saddled up with Willie, Johnny Paycheck, Waylon, David Allen Coe, Kris K., etc,), no he was already enjoying his deal. California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas....my memory is getting fuzzy with my advancing age, but I believe there were cowboys in those bars listening, dancing and thinking Merle Haggard was a God.

If you can find it, the movie "Junior Bonner" will give you a flavor of those days in AZ. The 'Whiskey Row' joints were all playing Merle, the Rodeo Queen in the movie was my ex-brother in-law's girlfriend...he rode a bronc, a bull and roped in both singles and doubles during that week. He gave me his Merle Haggard 8-track because he bought his latest sounds.... I gave him a rifle last year and he likes George Strait too!
 
I've always thought of Merle Haggard as more Bakersfield sound than outlaw, although in real life he was an outlaw. "Mama Tried" was semi autobiographical. If my memory isn't too foggy, he learned to play the guitar while he was in prison for armed robbery.

Haggard also did a little known tribute album to Bob Wills, so that puts him squarely in the western swing category.

Given the Bakersfield influence, I'd think that Dwight Yoakam is probably more of a successor than George Straight.

That's just me though.

I'm going to go back to listening to Bob Wills now.
 
They are my two favorite CW singers.

Went to a BBQ place for lunch after church today and when we walked in the background music was Merle singing "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink". Gawd, I love that song!!
 
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