This rodeo ballad is George Strait's most famous song and the one he played most often in concert, but he's not the original artist. "Amarillo By Morning" was first recorded by Terry Stafford, who took it to #31 on the Country chart in 1973.

Stafford, who lived in Amarillo, Texas, wrote the song with another singer-songwriter named Paul Fraser. According to Fraser, who told the story of the song in the book The Stories Behind Country Music's All-Time Greatest 100 Songs.

The title was inspired by a Fed Ex (known at the time as Federal Express) commercial Stafford saw that promised to deliver packages the next morning to places like Amarillo. Stafford had played a show in San Antonio and made the drive back to Amarillo, which inspired the opening line:

Amarillo by morning
Up from San Antone

Stafford called Fraser with the idea, and together they hashed out the song. The song built a following in Texas, particularly on the rodeo circuit, and was covered by a handful of artists, including Charlie Russell, Terry Bullar and Kelly Schoppa, before George Strait released his iconic cover in 1982.

Despite being Strait's most famous tune, "Amarillo By Morning" is not one of his record 44 #1 singles - it peaked at #4 on the Country chart.

It's one of George Strait's earliest songs. He included it on his second album, Strait From The Heart, in 1982, when he was on the rise but by no means a superstar. It was the third single from the album, following "Fool Hearted Memory" and "Marina del Rey." "Fool Hearted Memory" was Strait's first #1 Country hit; his second was "A Fire I Can't Put Out," the fourth single from Strait From The Heart.

George Strait isn't a rodeo rider but he is from Texas. His fiddle-heavy version of "Amarillo By Morning" helped define his classic country sound, a throwback to the likes of Hank Williams and Merle Haggard. He stayed in this lane his whole career, riding out the "new country" wave of the '90s and sticking with a traditional sound.

The country singer Chris LeDoux, who was also a rodeo champion, covered this song in 1975. LeDoux was still a working cowboy and would sell his album, which he released himself, at rodeos and by mail order. Many of his songs from this time deal with life on the rodeo circuit and the hard-fought freedom "Amarillo By Morning" celebrates.

Before George Strait recorded this song, John Fisher produced Terry Bullard's version in 1980. He also produced Terry Stafford's version in the '70s. Both Terrys lived in close proximity of each other in Los Angeles when Stafford asked Bullard to re-record "Amarillo By Morning."

The line, "I'll be looking for eight when they pull that gate" refers to the eight seconds a rodeo rider must stay on the bull for the ride to count.

Spike Jonze released a documentary about rodeo riders in 1998 that he titled Amarillo by Morning.

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood had some fun with this song when they hosted the 2013 CMA Awards. After Paisley pretends to "twerk" his back, Underwood tries to sign him up for Obamacare, which had a notoriously glitchy website. They open a laptop, and while they're waiting for the site to load, they start singing: "Obamacare by morning... why is this taking so long?"