Somewhere Down in Texas
Encyclopedia
Somewhere Down in Texas is an album by American country music
singer George Strait
. This album was released on June 28, 2005 on the MCA Nashville Records label. This album was certified platinum and peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200
. Singles released from it were, in order: "You'll Be There", which peaked at #4 on Hot Country Songs
; "She Let Herself Go", which became Strait's 40th Billboard Number One hit on the country charts; and a cover of Merle Haggard
's "The Seashores of Old Mexico", which peaked at #11. "Texas" also charted at #35 on Hot Country Songs
from unsolicited airplay.
In 2005, the Country Music Association
named "Good News, Bad News" the musical event of the year.
Additional background vocals on "You'll Be There" by Jaime Babbitt, Robert Bailey, Lisa Cochran, Vicki Hampton, Chris Rodriguez
, Casey Wood.
Strings
on tracks 2, 3, 4, and 6 performed by the Nashville String Machine
and contracted by Carl Gorodetzky.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer George Strait
George Strait
George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...
. This album was released on June 28, 2005 on the MCA Nashville Records label. This album was certified platinum and peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Singles released from it were, in order: "You'll Be There", which peaked at #4 on Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
; "She Let Herself Go", which became Strait's 40th Billboard Number One hit on the country charts; and a cover of Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
's "The Seashores of Old Mexico", which peaked at #11. "Texas" also charted at #35 on Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
from unsolicited airplay.
In 2005, the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
named "Good News, Bad News" the musical event of the year.
Track listing
- "If the Whole World Was a Honky Tonk" (Bryan Simpson, Ashley GorleyAshley GorleyAshley Gorley is an American songwriter and producer. Gorley graduated from Belmont University in 1999, and in 2001 signed with Combustion Music...
, Wade Kirby) – 4:07 - "Somewhere Down in Texas" (Dana Hunt Black, Tim Ryan Rouillier, Charlie Black) – 3:55
- "The Seashores of Old MexicoThe Seashores of Old Mexico"The Seashores of Old Mexico" is a country music song written by Merle Haggard. It was recorded by Hank Snow in 1971, Freddy Weller in 1972, Haggard himself in 1974, and in 1987 Haggard and Willie Nelson recut the song as a duet...
" (Merle HaggardMerle HaggardMerle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
) – 4:11 - "You'll Be ThereYou'll Be There"You'll Be There" is the title of a song written by Cory Mayo and recorded by American country music singer George Strait. It was released in March 2005 as the lead single from the album, Somewhere Down in Texas. It peaked at number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and...
" (Cory Mayo) – 4:18 - "High Tone Woman" (Leslie SatcherLeslie SatcherLeslie Winn Satcher was born in 1962 in Paris, Texas. She has recorded two albums of her own and, in addition, she has co-written several singles for such artists as George Strait, Martina McBride, Pam Tillis, Gretchen Wilson, Patty Loveless, and Vince Gill....
, Rouillier) – 2:52 - "Good News, Bad News" (Dean DillonDean DillonDean Dillon is an American country music artist. Between 1982 and 1993, Dillon recorded six studio albums on various labels, and charted several singles on the Billboard country charts. Although he has not charted since 1993, Dillon has continued to write several hit songs for other artists, most...
, Dale Dodson, Lee Ann WomackLee Ann WomackLee Ann Womack is an American country music singer and songwriter, who is best known for her old fashioned-styled country music songs that often discuss subjects such as cheating and lost love....
) – 3:22- duet with Lee Ann Womack
- "Oh, What a Perfect Day" (Monty HolmesMonty HolmesMonty Holmes is an American country music singer-songwriter. Holmes signed to Bang II Records and released his debut album, All I Ever Wanted, in 1998. His highest charting single, "Why'd You Start Lookin' So Good," peaked at number 43 in 1998...
, Buddy Brock, Jeff Silvey) – 3:29 - "Texas" (Steven Dale Jones, Phillip White) – 3:04
- "Ready for the End of the World" (Clint DanielsClint DanielsClint Allen Daniels is an American country music artist. Signed to Arista Nashville in 1998, Daniels released his self-titled debut album that year and charted two singles for Daniels on the Hot Country Songs charts. In 2003, Daniels signed to Epic Records, releasing a third single but no album...
, Tony MartinTony Martin (songwriter)Tony Martin is a country music songwriter who has had twelve Number One hits as a songwriter. Among his compositions are "Third Rock from the Sun" by Joe Diffie and "Just to See You Smile" by Tim McGraw....
) – 3:51 - "She Let Herself GoShe Let Herself Go"She Let Herself Go" is the title of a song written by recorded by Dean Dillon and Kerry Kurt Phillips, and recorded American country music singer George Strait. It was released in September 2005 as the second single from Strait's 2005 album Somewhere Down in Texas. The song reached the top of the...
" (Dillon, Kerry Kurt Phillips) – 3:18 - "By the Light of a Burning Bridge" (Walt AldridgeWalt AldridgeWalt Aldridge is an American musician, singer, songwriter, engineer and record producer.Aldridge is known primarily as a Nashville songwriter...
, Michael WhiteMichael White (singer)Larry Michael White is an American country music artist. The son of songwriter L.E. White, who has written for Conway Twitty, Michael was signed to Reprise Records in 1992, releasing his debut album Familiar Ground that year...
) – 3:17
Personnel
- Eddie BayersEddie BayersEddie Bayers is an American session drummer who has played on 150 gold and platinum albums. He received the Academy of Country Music 'Drummer of the Year Award' for eight straight years, and has three times won the Nashville Music Awards 'Drummer of the Year'...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Stuart DuncanStuart DuncanStuart Duncan is a bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar and banjo. Born in Quantico, Virginia and raised in Santa Paula, California, where he played in the school band, he has been a member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band since 1985, and is a much-in-demand session musician...
– fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Paul FranklinPaul Franklin (musician)Paul Franklin is an American multi-instrumentalist, known mainly for his work as a steel guitarist. He began his career in the 1970s as a member of Barbara Mandrell's road band; in addition he toured with Mel Tillis and Jerry Reed. He has since become a prolific session musician in Nashville,...
– pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"... - Steve Gibson – acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Wes Hightower – background vocals
- Brent MasonBrent MasonBrent Mason is an American session guitarist and occasional songwriter. He is known primarily for his work in the field of country music. In addition to releasing two instrumental studio albums, he holds several credits as a songwriter...
– electric guitar on all tracks except "The Seashores of Old Mexico", nylon string guitarClassical guitarThe classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
on "The Seashores of Old Mexico" - Steve Nathan – Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, WurlitzerWurlitzer electric pianoWurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Michael Rhodes – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on "The Seashores of Old Mexico" - Matt RollingsMatt RollingsMatt Rollings is an American composer, musician and record producer. He plays piano, organ, and keyboards.Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, he has worked with many artists, not all country...
– piano, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Marty Slayton – background vocals
- George Strait – lead vocals, background vocals
- Bryan SuttonBryan SuttonBryan Sutton is an American musician. Primarily known as a flatpicked acoustic guitar player, Sutton also plays many other instruments including mandolin, banjo, and electric guitar....
– acoustic guitar, gut string guitar - Glenn WorfGlenn WorfGlenn Worf is one of the premier Nashville session bassists. He was born in Dayton, Ohio but grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and has concentrated on the bass guitar since he was thirteen. He majored in music at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. Inevitably his talents forced him to abandon the...
– upright bass on "High Tone Woman", bass guitar on all other tracks except "The Seashores of Old Mexico"
Additional background vocals on "You'll Be There" by Jaime Babbitt, Robert Bailey, Lisa Cochran, Vicki Hampton, Chris Rodriguez
Chris Rodriguez
-Biography:Rodriguez was born on March 7, 1960, in Bronx New York, and moved to Nashville, becoming a veteran of the scene in the early 1990s. His debut album, Beggar's Paradise, was released by Sony in 1999, by which time he had collaborated on projects with country and CCM acts such as Amy Grant,...
, Casey Wood.
Strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
on tracks 2, 3, 4, and 6 performed by the Nashville String Machine
Nashville String Machine
Nashville String Machine is a musical collective comprising session musicians and has been credited on recordings as far back as 1974. The Nashville String Machine's composition varies from project to project. It has appeared as large as an orchestra, or as small as a duo.-Notable members:Being a...
and contracted by Carl Gorodetzky.
Chart performance
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |