Amarillo by Morning (song)
| "Amarillo by Morning" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Terry Stafford | ||||
| from the album Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose | ||||
| B-side | "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" | |||
| Released | 1973 | |||
| Format | 7" (45 rpm) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:28 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Writer(s) | Paul Fraser Terry Stafford |
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| Producer(s) | Blake Mevis | |||
| Terry Stafford singles chronology | ||||
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"Amarillo by Morning" is a country music song written by Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser, and recorded by Stafford in 1973. Several cover versions have since been made, including a major 1983 hit for George Strait.
Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[1]
Contents
Content
Stafford conceived the song after playing with his band at a rodeo in San Antonio, Texas, and then driving back to his home in Amarillo, Texas.[2][3]
Releases
Stafford recorded the song on his Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose album, released in 1973.[4][5] 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.[6] 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.[5]
The song has been covered by numerous artists, including rodeo champion Chris LeDoux in 1975 on his album Life as a Rodeo Man, Asleep at the Wheel and John Arthur Martinez on his 2004 album Lone Starry Night. Brazilian singer Zé Ramalho has also recorded the song.
George Strait version
| "Amarillo by Morning" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by George Strait | ||||
| from the album Strait from the Heart | ||||
| B-side | "Lover in Disguise" | |||
| Released | January 14, 1983 | |||
| Format | 7" 45 RPM | |||
| Recorded | April 13, 1982 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:52 | |||
| Label | MCA 52162 | |||
| Writer(s) | Paul Fraser Terry Stafford |
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| Producer(s) | Blake Mevis | |||
| George Strait singles chronology | ||||
|
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It was covered in 1983 by George Strait. 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.[7]
Critical reception
Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song an A grade, saying that he has "finally found his niche as a performer." He goes on to say that the "simple arrangement and understated delivery are the defining elements of just about every Strait record since."[8]
Chart performance
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 4 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Preceded by | RPM Country Tracks number-one single April 30, 1983 |
Succeeded by "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" by B. J. Thomas |
Legacy
The song is regularly played at rodeos.[7] The song was named "#12 country song of all-time" by Country Music Television.[9][10] Development Counsellors International and USA Today named the song one of the top ten songs about a place, number 7.[2][11]
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Albright, Max. "Amarillo, A Place to Sing About". Amarillo Globe-News. September 17, 2003
- ↑ Moser, Margaret. "The Top Texas 40: Ranking the Lone Star State in song" - Austin Chronicle - November 28, 2003
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Young, Harry. "Terry Stafford Track Annotation"
- ↑ Cash Box - November 17, 1973
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Collins, Dugg. "Terry LaVerne Stafford" - Dick Shuey's Country Music Stories
- ↑ [1] Review by Kevin John Coyne
- ↑ Flippo, Chet, and Country Music Television Network. CMT 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. 2004. ISBN 0-634-06352-9
- ↑ Countdown: The Greatest: 100 Greatest Songs - Show 1 (songs 100-76) - CMT.com
- ↑ "'New York' tops place songs" - Development Counselors International - USA Today - 9/15/2003
