George Strait's Debut in 'Pure Country' Was A Pivotal Point In His Career

Jan 13, 2020 by apost team

Fans of country star George Strait are being newly introduced to his unlikely success and failure when he starred in the film, Pure Country, back in 1992.

While many are familiar with the songs from one of his most successful albums, they might not know there was an entire feature film featuring Strait, nor that the movie flopped.

Pure Country was filmed and released at the height of country fever in the United States when fans and those new to the genre were all about country music, country lifestyle, and country wear. It made sense to produce country films that idolized and dramatized country singers and their lifestyles, and many studios jumped on the bandwagon. When George Strait decided to star in Pure Country, he was already a country star, known both to country music fans and those new to the scene.

Therefore, both he and the studio were certain that the film would be a box office hit because his concerts sold out all the time and his music were flying off the shelves. That didn't exactly happen though, and since then the film was almost forgotten about until its recent revival through popular movie streaming services, reports Rolling Stone.

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For the film, Strait starred in the role of main character, Dusty, also known as Wyatt Chandler, a new-to-the-scene country music star that was quickly rising through the ranks of stardom but was constantly faced with the temptation to sell out for even more. The plot wasn't exactly unique, nor was it well thought-out and developed, placing Strait in a role that just about every country star knew and worried about in real life. 

Country star Dusty is doing well in his newfound fame, but because he is a quiet country boy at heart he quickly becomes overwhelmed by the grandness of his fame and new lifestyle. In true country movie fashion, Dusty turns his back on all things fame and fortune and runs away from the stage, chasing love instead.

Ranch worker Harley Tucker (Isabel Glasser), becomes Chandler's love interest in the film, helping him through the emotions and revelations that come with your first true love. Chandler is able to safely process some important life lessons as well, reflecting on his passion for creating music and how he can better accomplish his career goals. While Chandler is off creating a new life for himself, his manager is more concerned with the almighty dollar rather than saving his career or helping Chandler through this new turn in life. An impostor is put on the stage and Chandler's act continues on without him. 

Now that so many years have passed since the film was created, most folks don't even realize he was in the film nor that some of their favorite songs were the result of the movie. George Strait is an even bigger star than he was in 1992, when the film was created and released, so much so that even non-country fans recognize his name and music.

The part definitely left a mark on his career and resume. Fans love it regardless of how cliche the film ended up turning out. Everyone from movie critics to country music fans were generous in their praise and reviews of the film, excusing Strait from any negative aspects of the project. For Strait and the studio, even though the film did not do well at the box office, it still was a success musically, Rolling Stone continues.

Obviously, songs had to be created for the country star to sing, and those songs did exceptionally well, outselling his other albums at the time. Even the passing of time, and the creation of new songs, has not diminished the success of the movie's soundtrack. Strait's compilation albums are the only albums that have surpassed the Pure Country soundtrack in sales.

For country fans, if you have never seen the film, it is worth watching if only to listen to the music in the context it was created for. Strait on the movie screen is a pleasure to see and he fit the role perfectly even if the story didn't necessarily fit him.