STRAITALY
The First Italian 'Pure Country' Web Site about
Il Primo Sito Web Italiano di 'Puro Country' su
GEORGE STRAIT
STRAIT IN ITALY
Mca-Nashville hasn't
been distributing Mr. STRAIT in Italy for years and years and only recently
(Aug. 1998) they edited 'ONE STEP AT A TIME' and a greatest hits album
called 'THE VERY BEST OF GEORGE STRAIT - 1981/1987'. Easily the new 1999
album will be distributed too.
The reason why MCA-Nashville
never promoted their main country singer in Italy (while some acts like
The Mavericks and Trisha Yearwood are regularly distributed here) seems
to be really a strange thing.
The US Billboard Charts
(both Country and Pop) really gave an helping hand to Mr. STRAIT to find
his right way (simply on the cd support!) outside the United States, as
a country artist able to be ranked very high even there where (US pop charts)
country music may be found if and only when performed by some 'hatted hunks'
such as, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and Tim McGraw (they were, actually,
top artists and bestsellers... if, now in Italy, you may (soon) find the
last Garth Brooks' double live album on the music stores in Italy this
is easily due to the fact that he sold 12 millions of it in 5 Billboard
weeks that is 35 days!!!).
GEORGE STRAIT, actually,
is 'almost unknown' in Italy. Only 'country lovers' are fully aware of
his value and importance in country music. THE B.M.C.A.I. (Bluegrass and
Country Music Association of Italy and the Italian country magazine 'WESTERN
SIDE' are the main country sources speaking about country music, roping,
horses and.... GEORGE STRAIT.
Today (1999) and since September
1998 (very recent indeed!) GEORGE STRAIT is also his one and only unofficial
Italian Web Site: STRAITALY. STRAITALY (STRAIT - ITALY) stands for a fusion,
a mix of two words having two letters (it!) in common. This is both a true
picture of Mr. 'Pure Country' and an attempt of a fascinating mix of two
different and distant countries (Italy and Texas), of two different kind
of music (the Italian melody and the Texan western swing) and of two separated
stories (Italy's and Mr. Strait's) which met in 1998 (The Year!) and we
still cannot know if this late and recent crossing of destinies will be
a lucky meeting and the end a happy one.
STRAITALY, recently,
had the chance to ask and talk about Mr. STRAIT, as a singer to be promoted
in Italy, while phone-chatting with a guy working at the Italian Mca-Universal's,
in Rome. To tell the truth, in his opinion Mr. STRAIT wouldn't have so
many probabilities to succed in getting an Italian audience and some fame
in Italy. The 'reason why that' is, mainly, because :
1) (in STRAITALY's opinion)
they don't trust him as he'd deserve as a #1. Well, it seems that they
(MCA-UNIVERSAL) are aware of Mr, STRAIT's value but they do think that
Italy is not the right place, and the Italian audience is not yet (and
when if not now?) ready for his (and any?) country music;
2) no wish to dare promote
a country singer, even if a #1 in the States;
3) and, maybe, the very
GEORGE STRAIT is not thinking at all about a tour there where he hasn't
been having a market for years (those about 27 ones of his career).
In STRAITALY's opinion the
STRAIT's music and style might be really successful here in Italy, provided
that he may (be wishing to) be carrying on an European (an Italian) tour
(despite all his US fans wanting him all over the States, here and there,
from Texas to Minnesota, from East to West Coast).
As a matter of fact, GEORGE
STRAIT is also a very melodic singer and Italy loves beautiful melodies
and whom are crooning them. His songbook, today, is very wide and he is
certainly not lacking in all that qualities a great singer must own and
in hit songs.
Will Mr. STRAIT in person
take off from Texas, landing in Italy one day ? In Italy
there is a saying stating: 'Hope is the last one to die', to mean
that 'Until there's life.... we may hope'!
If we must be believing
in this we (Italy and Italian country lovers) also must hold on tight to
what the brand new album-title is stating: 'ALWAYS NEVER THE SAME'... which
is standing for STRAIT-HOPE!
GEORGE
STRAIT
'ALWAYS
NEVER THE SAME':
THE
COWBOY RIDES AWAY TO ITALY
....And
finally MCA-Nashville provided Italians with some western
swinging
and some good traditional pure country music!
In
fact, George Strait has just landed in Italian music stores thanks to
MCA-Universal
and BMG which are distributing, at the moment, two GS
compact-discs.
Now we can really see Texas from here: many thanks MCA!
Well,
actually, MCA hasn't been distributing George Strait for years and
years
(and years!) since 1981 and now, in 1998, we, pure country lovers,
may
find and buy his last album 'ONE STEP AT A TIME' (and probably his
next
to come cd 'ALWAYS NEVER THE SAME', too). To let us know the early
STRAIT
years, MCA also edited a greatest hits (20 tracks) titled 'THE
VERY
BEST OF GEORGE STRAIT - 1981-87). And that's all as for Mr. 'Pure
Country'!
We would like to be thanking MCA a little bit more in the
future...
just looking forward listening somethin' more from their
main-top
act.
Actually,
it's a real pity because George Strait is from Texas and not
properly
an Italian, he is playing western swing and some peculiar
traditional
country music but he is also very melodic and close to the
Italian
style of performing, playing and writing songs (his writers).
It's
umbelievable that a #1 like him (both in country and pop Billboard
charts,
last 3-4 years, above all) is known (just a little) only now, in
1998-1999.
Will
George Strait be able to get to the Italian audience, too? Maybe
this
will happen and maybe that won't be easily taking place but, as for
now,
you can be looking at the Italian music stores' shelves and you
also0
may see 'a cowboy' - a man with a white Texas cowboy hat , a blue
shirt
and a sweet, mild smile - be displaying at the letter 'S' section.
This
is the first step, his first one and, like always his habit, step
by
step, one step at a time, George Strait, has just ridden away to
Italy.
If
tomorrow is - as Mr. Strait is going to state with his 1999 album
-
'ALWAYS
NEVER THE SAME', Italians may hope for his coming (we really
dare
say that!) to Italy. That would mean, actually, a 'great piece of
Texas'
coming to the Strait boot-country (Italy). A first (of some
others,
maybe) twin-link between Texas and Italy was made when,
recently
(this summer) the town of 'Duncanville' (near Dallas) got
twin-linked
with 'Monasterolo di (of) Savigliano' a small village in the
North
West (just a western double link!) of Italy.
But
that's another story about which we will be telling, someway,
somwhere,
someday... that's for sure! Sure, like our good
Strait-wish.
In the meanwhile, Italy (Country lovers) is longing for
George
Strait! And (when he comes to Italy) 'That'll be the Day of
'ALWAYS NEVER THE SAME' !
article
for the US 'Cowboys 'n' Cowgirls'
and '2Stepping.com' Web Sites.
under
copyright by STRAITALY - A.R.
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times since 09/21/1998
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STRAITALY © SEPTEMBER - SETTEMBRE 1998, 1999 by Adriano Rossi
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