George Strait’s ‘Pure Country’ comes to vinyl for first time

George Strait’s Pure Country film and soundtrack celebrates its silver anniversary this year with a limited edition vinyl pressing of the album. The pressing, made in conjunction with his September 1st and 2nd Las Vegas shows, is making its vinyl debut on September 25th, 25 years to the day it initially hit store shelves. Strait will pay special tribute to the film’s impact on his music for a not-to-be-missed set of shows.

In a rare interview and iconic nearly-8,000-word profile in The New Yorker, Strait divulged that he was initially reluctant to star as the lead in the feature film. In the profile, Strait revealed he “was persuaded by the producer Jerry Weintraub, and by Colonel Tom Parker, the former manager of Elvis Presley… After a concert in Las Vegas, Parker told Strait how important Hollywood had been to Presley. ‘Elvis hated making those movies,’ he said—but they transformed him from a pop star to an icon.’” Serendipitously, from his Las Vegas shows this weekend at T-Mobile Arena, Strait revealed his plans to honor the motion picture’s connection to fans over the last 25 years with a special spotlight on the music and stories behind some of the soundtrack’s most beloved songs.

George Strait mixing up Las Vegas residency after July shows

In observance of the release of the vinyl and the film’s silver anniversary, the Alamo Drafthouse, an independent movie theater chain founded in Austin, Texas with 28 locations nationwide, will host special screenings of Pure Country throughout the month of August. Known for a completely immersive experience, providing food and beverages during their showings along with a strict no talking/no cell phone policy, it’s the perfect way for fans, old and new, to relive their favorite moments and songs while experiencing Dusty on the big screen once again.

What’s equally as impressive is that even though Pure Country is Strait’s highest-selling single album RIAA 6x Platinum Certification, his 50 Number Ones and Strait Out of the Box have sold seven and eight million copies respectively, with Sanneh noting, “One of the things that really makes George Strait unusual is longevity and consistency… He’s become the defining voice of country music.”

George Strait’s Final Four Shows of 2017 are set for Friday, September 1st; Saturday, September 2nd; Friday, December 8th and Saturday, December 9th.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com