In the early 1970s, singer-songwriter Terry Stafford drove the long, flat roads of Texas, making his way home to Amarillo after performing at a rodeo in San Antonio. As he made the journey, he turned over lyric ideas in his mind about his trip, and the opening lines of a future top-five country hit began to form: “Amarillo by morning/ Up from San Antone.”
One of country music’s iconic lines comes from Stafford’s “Amarillo by Morning,” a song chronicling the life of a rodeo cowboy, and the hard-won, rugged freedom of the lifestyle: “I ain’t rich but Lord, I’m free.”
It would take a commercial to help the singer-songwriter finish penning the future hit—and a 1980s country star-in-the-making to turn it into country music gold.
An Overnight Collaboration
Country songwriters share a cultural connection with bull riders and barrel racers. Many country stars, like Reba McEntire, grew up singing at rodeos, honing their craft and developing their show before signing with a label. Many, like Cody Johnson, continue to perform for rodeo events throughout their careers.
Bucking broncos served as songwriting inspiration for Stafford on his seven-and-a-half-hour road trip. But the tune would really take shape after being inspired by a commercial touting the quick shipping times of one of America’s largest delivery services, Federal Express, now known as “FedEx.” The advertisement mentioned Amarillo, suggesting that even locations housed in a state as vast as Texas can qualify for the company’s speedy delivery.
The nod to Amarillo gave Stafford a vision to tie the lyrics to a traveling cowboy, life spent on the road, and the toughness and glory that come with dreams of rodeo stardom.
He called up fellow songwriter and good friend Paul Fraser to collaborate, and Fraser worked as fast as the shipping times advertised in the commercial.
Fraser’s well-known retelling of the making of “Amarillo by Morning” appears in the Ace Collins book, “The Stories Behind Country Music’s All-Time Greatest 100 Songs.”
“It got him thinking. This commercial guaranteed they could get your package to places like Amarillo by the next morning [and] he wanted to write a song around that concept.”
The following morning, Fraser had the first draft of lyrics written down. After a couple of lyrical adjustments, the two musicians were ready to deliver a tune that would ultimately be recognized as one of country music’s most influential compositions.
A Cowboy at Heart
Stafford released the original version of “Amarillo by Morning” on his 1973 album, “Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose.” As a performer on the rodeo circuit, the singer-songwriter had a built-in audience for the wistful tune. And, as the song gained popularity at rodeo events, fellow artists providing entertainment began to perform cover versions.
Years later, “Amarillo by Morning” got the attention of an up-and-coming country singer hailing from the Lonestar State, George Strait.
A cowboy at heart with a ranching background, the country performer immediately connected with the song’s story when he heard it. In the early 1980s, just a decade after the initial release of the single, Strait recorded and released his own rendition in the style of a Western swing ballad.
Despite its popularity, his single wasn’t a No. 1 hit when it was released in 1982. But it did climb all the way to No. 4 on Billboard’s country chart. And the song’s concise, impactful storytelling combined with Strait’s traditional country production featuring plenty of fiddle and acoustic guitar garnered critical praise over the years.
Media outlet Country Music Television named “Amarillo by Morning” the genre’s 12th greatest song of all time in 2004. And in 2010, Western Writers of America chose the easygoing ballad as “one of the top 100 Western songs of all time.”
‘Strait From the Heart’
“Amarillo by Morning” debuted on Strait’s sophomore studio album, appropriately titled “Strait from the Heart.” Country listeners latched onto the artist’s authenticity underscoring top hit singles from the record, like “Fool Hearted Memory,” as well as the catchy, “A Fire I Can’t Put Out.”
The success of the album marked Strait’s country music arrival, walking the path of traditional and classic country stylings through 50 years of a professional career still going strong.
He’s released many singles over the years, but the cowboy crooner has stated his reflective rodeo anthem feels different.
“Of all the songs I’ve recorded, ‘Amarillo by Morning’ always sticks out in my mind.”
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