Scotty McCreery has met a lot of famous people over the years. But few have had an impact like George Strait. Their first encounter admittedly left McCreery at a loss for words when they met face-to-face.
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"So I had talked to him on the phone before we met in person," McCreery recalls to Taste of Country. "But when we met in person, he was behind me, and he tapped me on the shoulder and was like, 'Scotty?'"
"I turned around and it was George and I think I said, 'H-h-hello?'" McCreery adds
McCreery was a fan of the King of Country Music since childhood. He even released a song, "Damn Strait." The video for the song, his fifth No. 1 hit, was shot at Gruene Hall, where Strait's career began.
"It kind of feels like you just know him ..." McCreery says. "You grow up listening to all his music. He's the King, but it's just like, 'Man, you've been on my speakers my whole life.'"
George Strait's Influence
Strait has undoubtedly influenced countless careers, but likely few to the degree of McCreery's.
"George is such an icon, such a legend, such a hero of mine," McCreery tells Wide Open Country. "He was my first concert, Greensboro Coliseum. It was him and Reba and Lee Ann Womack. The first time I met him, he tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Hey Scotty.' I was speechless for like two minutes before I could even say anything."
McCreery didn't write "Damn Strait," which was written by Trent Tomlinson and Jim Collins. But as soon as McCreery heard the song, he knew it was the perfect way to honor the icon.
"It might have been done before," McCreery says. "But in my experience, I had never seen a song namedrop song titles in a way that it's not just the titles. Like, it actually makes sense in the story to the point where even if you don't know George Strait songs — shame on you if that's you. But if you don't, you can still listen to the story and understand the story. That's what made the difference to me with this one and what made me fall in love with it: just how clever they wrote the song with those titles in mind."
