The Cowboy Rides Away

The year was 1981, and a fellow by the name of George Strait was on my radio singing about how the woman he had wrapped around his finger just come unwound.... With disc jockey friends, and disc jockey aspirations, I just had to have this song in my collection. Unable to find the single, I opted to buy the album, and the rest, as they say, is history...  Remember, this was still a few years before "The Nashville Network" would become popular, and country music videos, well, they didn't exist.  So the only way you'd know what a singer looked like was to maybe see them on "The Tonight Show", live in person, or, of course, the photo on their album.

And that is where my Mom became unwound!  She fell in love with the man, stole my album, and has been his #1 fan ever since!  With a smile, I can say I blame George for the fact that I now live in Texas. (No regrets there, if not, I wouldn't have met my lovely wife!) After so many years of coming to Kingsville for George's team roping & concert, my parents fell in love with the area and retired here.  33 years, millions of albums sold, and more than 60 #1 country singles later, he is retiring from touring; indeed, this is where the cowboy rides away.  So my Mom, like many others, is very sad as King George's farewell tour comes to a close. Thanks for the memories George, it's been one heck of a ride!