NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — People from all over the world travel to Gruene Hall as a destination for Texas country music. Hundreds of supers stars have taken the stage at Gruene Hall, and used the historic dance hall as a backdrop for music videos, album covers – even major motion pictures.
Now, a big-name country singer is paying tribute to not only Gruene Hall, but the King of country music who got his start playing the stage at the famous honky tonk.
American Idol winner and country superstar Scotty McCreery filmed the video for his new song, “Damn Strait,” at Gruene Hall.
“'Damn Strait,' is one of my favorite songs I've ever had the pleasure of singing,” said McCreery. “It's an ode to George (Strait) – all about being your classic country heartbreak song and probably one of my favorite videos, if not the favorite video I've shot. Getting to do it there – Gruene, where George cut his teeth – was pretty awesome for a young 28-year-old guy like me in country music. It meant the world.”
McCreery said he knew he wanted the video to be filmed somewhere in Texas, and realized there was not another venue with a better fit than where Strait got his start with the Ace in the Hole Band.
“Just kind of looking around all the pictures on the wall and all the stories they have up about George and kind of how they got started,” said McCreery. “It's kind of like the ghost of country music past, you know, right there on stage.”
Mary Jane Nalley has been the co-owner of Gruene Hall for decades and said McCreery’s song and video capture the true spirit and history of the oldest dance hall in Texas.
“It just encompassed everything about the hall and what makes it special, but it also harkens back to the time that George was here and how much fun we had when he played,” said Nalley. “And just to be able to share that with more people now of what that really means, and it means a lot to us.”
You can watch McCreery’s “Damn Strait” video on YouTube.
Watch the entire interview with McCreery here.