Scotty McCreery shared the official music video for his country single “Damn Strait” on Tuesday (Feb 8).
Historic Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas served as the video’s setting. It’s where George Strait himself played for years honing his craft before landing a record deal and becoming the King of Country Music. It was the American Idol season 10 winner’s first visit to the legendary venue.
The clip, like the song, pays homage to Strait, showcasing photos and memories from the beginning of his decades-long career while Scotty and his band perform on the iconic stage. Austin, TX-based filmmaker Jeff Ray directed “Damn Strait.” He also helmed the singer’s videos for “Five More Minutes,” “This is It” and “In Between.”
A classic country heartbreak song and a tribute to George Strait
“‘Damn Strait’ is both a classic country heartbreak song as well as a tribute to George Strait,” said Scotty in a press statement. “I knew I wanted to film it at a place that paid respect to both elements of the song. When my director Jeff Ray suggested Gruene Hall, where George performed regularly with his Ace in the Hole Band before becoming the legend that he is today, I knew that was the perfect location. You can feel the history and the music of country music’s past and present in every inch of that venue. I’ve wanted to visit Gruene Hall for a long time, and now that I have, I’m looking forward to eventually coming back there to do a show.”
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“I love the different tidbits in there of songs of his,” McCreery shared with Billboard in an interview. “It’s a classic country breakup song, but [it’s also] paying homage to George Strait throughout the song. It’s so cleverly written. If you’re a country fan, a George Strait fan, this song is so cool.”
“Damn Strait, penned by Trent Tomlinson and Jim Collins, follows Scotty’s fourth consecutive No. 1 single “You Time,” also from his fifth studio album Same Truck.
See Scotty on the road
Frank Rogers, Aaron Eshuis and Derek Wells produced Same Truck, as well as Scotty’s previous project, the RIAA Gold-certified Seasons Change. The set debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and contained three consecutive No. 1 hits: the Double RIAA Platinum-certified “Five More Minutes,” Platinum-certified “This is It,” and Gold-certified “In Between.” Scotty co-wrote every song on that album.
Scotty will continue his 2022 Same Truck Tour this Thursday, Feb. 10 at The Fillmore in Detroit, Mich. He’s also heading overseas both for the three-day C2C (Country To Country) Festival in Ireland and the UK, as well as his own dates in Germany and the Netherlands. Tickets are available at ScottyMcCreery.com.
