George Strait: 'Honky Tonks Have A Really Great Feel'

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George Strait is playing along with Miranda Lambert at Sunday's ACM Awards in Las Vegas and last Monday, he played for Loretta Lynn at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Those are really big gigs, but according to the King of Country Music, he's played every little honky tonk you can imagine.

Early in Strait’s career, he played every little honky tonk bar in Texas and the Broken Spoke which is featured on the cover of his new album, Honky Tonk Time Machine, was one he played quite often.

“All of those honky tonks have a really, really great feel to ‘em. I mean, they’re very intimate,” says George. “Of course, in those days, the crowds weren’t standing at the front of the stage. They were dancing. That was what it was all about. If they weren’t dancing, you probably weren’t doing too good.”

While he played several of the honky tonks, George does have a few favorites. “If I had to pick three of the best honky tonks that I ever worked in those days, I think it would be Gruene Hall, Cheatham Street Warehouse and Broken Spoke.”

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Honky Tonk Time Machine is Strait's 30th studio album released just last week. His latest single at radio is “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar.”

-Nancy Brooks

George Strait

Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media GroupEditor

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.