Amarillo by Morning (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Amarillo by Morning


Cover size =
Border =
Caption =
Artist = George Strait
Album = Strait from the Heart
A-side =
B-side =
Released = 1983
Format = Single
Recorded =
Genre = Country
Length = 2:52
Label = MCA
Writer = Paul Fraser, Terry Stafford
Producer = Blake Mevis
Audio sample? =
Certification =
Last single = "Marina del Rey"
(1982)
This single = "Amarillo by Morning"(1983)
Next single = "A Fire I Can't Put Out"
(1983)

"Amarillo by Morning" is a country music song written by Paul Fraser and Terry Stafford.

Stafford wrote the lyrics after playing with his band at a rodeo in San Antonio, Texas, and then driving back to his home in Amarillo, Texas.Albright, Max. "Amarillo, A Place to Sing About". "Amarillo Globe-News". September 17, 2003] [Moser, Margaret. [http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/print?oid=188508 "The Top Texas 40: Ranking the Lone Star State in song"] - "Austin Chronicle" - November 28, 2003]

Releases

Stafford recorded the song on his "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" album, released in 1973. [Stafford, Terry, and the Nashville Edition. "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose". New York, New York: Atlantic Records. 1973. SD 7282. OCLC 26762481] Young, Harry. [http://keepkey.yochanan.net/terry.htm "Terry Stafford Track Annotation"] ] The single was released August 2, 1973, by Atlantic Records with the Master number 26867. The single "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" had been previously released as an A-side 45 (Atlantic Master 26868; June 7, 1973), but due to the success of "Amarillo by Morning", the single was re-released October 4, 1973 as the A-side (Atlantic Master 26867-1 stereo and Atlantic Master 26867-2 mono), with "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" on the B-side. ["Cash Box" - November 17, 1973] The song entered the Cash Box Country Looking Ahead chart November 3, 1973, the Cash Box Country chart on December 15, 1973, peaking at #37, the Billboard Country chart December 1, 1973, peaking at #31, the Record World Country chart December 15, 1973, peaking at #50, and Canada RPM Country chart January 26, 1974, peaking at #38.

The song has been recorded by numerous artists, including rodeo champion Chris LeDoux in 1975 on his album "Life as a Rodeo Man", Terry Bullard, Kelly Schoppa and more recently by Clifton Jansky. George Strait covered the song in 1982, it appeared on Strait's 1982 album "Strait from the Heart" (LP MCA 5320). It was released on MCA as a single, release number 52162. The publisher's release was January 14, 1983, and the full release came February 16, 1983. The single entered the Billboard Country chart February 12, 1983, peaking at #4.Collins, Dugg. [http://www.dickshuey.com/stories/story101.html "Terry LaVerne Stafford"] - Dick Shuey's Country Music Stories] A cover was also recorded by John Arthur Martinez on his 2004 album "Lone Starry Night".

Legacy

The song is regularly played at rodeos. The song was named "#12 country song of all-time" by Country Music Television. [Flippo, Chet, and Country Music Television Network. "CMT 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music". Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. 2004. ISBN 0634063529] [ [http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/greatest_series/76600/episode_countdown.jhtml Countdown: The Greatest: 100 Greatest Songs - Show 1 (songs 100-76)] - CMT.com] Development Counselors International and "USA Today" named the song one of the top ten songs about a place, number 7. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2003-09-15-newyork_x.htm "'New York' tops place songs"] - Development Counselors International - "USA Today" - 9/15/2003] [ [http://www.aboutdci.com/WhatsNew.cfm?ItemID=%22%27P%2D9%0A "Results of DCI's "Music on Location" Poll Announced"] - Development Counselors International - September 16, 2003]

References