George Strait Country Music Festival Tour Is Set

1 Showcase newer nationally known countrymusic talent. The stages will have talentperforming each day before the stadiumshow starts and during each one of the setchanges. Check your local schedules forthe time that Straitland opens. In manyS T R A I T T A L KGeorge Strait Country Music FestivalTour Is SetAfter months of preparation and planning,all of the logistics and details have finallybeen worked out for the 1999 George StraitCountry Music Festival Tour. It will beginon March 6th in Phoenix,AZ and wrap upon June 6th in Pittsburgh,PA. The tour willconsist of 18 shows in major athletic stadi-ums. The cities to be visited will include,in addition to Phoenix and Pittsburgh,ElPaso,Tampa,Clemson, ,New Orleans,San Antonio,Houston,Dallas,Ames,IA,Chicago,L as Vegas,Oakland, ,Foxboro,MA,Kansas City,Louisville,and Detroit.

2 The stops inWashington and Foxboro will be the first inseveral years in the northeast. A completeitinerary can be found on the back page ofthe newsletter. Special fan club seating willbe available at all locations. A story else-where in the newsletter will furnish all ofthe George Strait on tour this yearwill be CMA Album of the Year winner,Tim McGraw and double CMA AwardwinnersThe Dixie Chicks. The DixieChicks have also been nominated for threeGrammy awards. Kenny Chesney,one ofcountry Music s most consistent chart top-pers will be included on the show alongwith Jo Dee Messina and MarkWills andAsleep at the Wheel. Messina chalked uptwo of Country Music s top 5 hits in 1998while Wills was the most successful newmale artist of 1998.

3 AsleepAt The Wheel,who will open the show,is considered byvirtually all critics to be the best westernswing band in America. As a part of lastyear s show,the Wheel did an outstandingjob of setting the pace for the days show will also feature the Straitland entertainment area outside ofthe stadium. Straitland will consist ofsponsor booths,food and beverage conces-sion stands,vendors and a stage that willContinued on next pageS T R A I T T A L KNew George Strait Album Arrives March 2ndThe new George Strait Album AlwaysNever The Same will arrive in record out-lets on Wednesday,March album,co-produced by Strait and MCA President,Tony Brown was finished just before theend of the year.

4 It will contain ten newsongs. Several of Nashville s most promi-nent writers and some of Strait s favorites,contributed songs for the album. Theyincluded Dean Dillon,Hank Cochran,Kostas,Jim Lauderdale,Aaron Barker,JeffStevens,Steve Bogard,Melba Montgomery,Lonnie Williams,Steve Leslie,Mart Green,Terry McBride,Wayland Holyfield,FredKnobloch,Dana Hunt and the late first single off the album, Meanwhile by Holyfield and Knobloch isalready climbing the Billboard and R & Strait Country Music Festival Tour Is Set(Continued)locations,where space is available,anumber of carnival rides will be setup. Straitland was a huge hit in1998 and every effort is being madeto make it even more enjoyable added feature to the tour thisyear will be the brand new GeorgeStrait Country Music Festival website,which is expectedto be functional toward the end ofFebruary,will feature many differentpages.

5 Included,along with manyother features,will be biographiesand photographs of all of the per-formers on the show,links to theirhome pages,photos from each ofthe shows,local information foreach show,ticket information foreach show and the ability to buytour site will alsofeature a new innovation called StraitCam. StraitCams will beset up in every stadium beginningon the day that our crews move in toprepare for the show. Fans can keepup with the progress of each show,by checking in on the StraitCam daily. No sound will be available,butfans will be able to see fresh pho-tographs every few minutes. Fans willbe able to check on and look at pho-tographs of all the activities includingthe day of the show. In addition,another StraitCam will be placed in Straitland at each stadium to givefans a good idea of what is going photos from the StraitCam will be refreshed everyfew minutes.

6 Fans will be able toaccess the tour StraitCams throughthe Official George Strait website The WheelDixie ChicksJoDee MessinaKenny ChesneyMarkWillsTim McGrawS T R A I T T A L KFan Collectable ColumnFebruary/March 1999 Small Town Girl - Paperback byLaVyrle Spencer - p. 229,mentioned in the paragraph. The Orange County Register - Cover story - 12/2/98. Mentioned in story,page4. Tustin,CA. CountryAmerica - 1/1999 issue. Cover picture of 1998 s Biggest Stars and Best - pgs. 54-55,photo and story - page 76,story. Music City News - 1/1999. Photo pg. 1,pg. 24 photo,pg. 48 mentioned,pg. 56 photo. Nashville,TN. The Spokesman-Review - CD pg. E7 - Coeur d Alene,Idaho.

7 The Fargo Forum - 12/6/98. Article on the Ticket sales at the Fargodome p. C6. Fargo,ND. CountryWeekly - 12/8/98. Front cover photo,pg. 3 mentioned,pg. 4,pg. 16-21 story and photos,pg. 22,pg. 30 & 54 Singles and LPs. Holiday 1998 Catalog - The Ft. Western Stores pg. 64 Photo of Hill Country 4xQuality Beaver Felt. People Magazine - 12/28/98. p. 117 mentioned,NY,NY. CountryWeekly - 12/22/98. Pg. 9 mentioned and p. 50 and 52. Nashville,TN. Star Tribune - 12/28/98. Metro/State section mentioned - p. B2. Minneapolis,MN. CountryWeekly - 1/5/99. Small cover photo,mentioned pgs. 14,16,19,23,26-28. 1998 Top Songs pg. 38,50 and 64. Nashville,TN. Courier - Journal - 12/29/98. Featuresection,The Insiders. True Tales About People In The News.

8 P. C3 ,KY. Cowboys and Indians - CowboyHat ad. 1/99,p. 111. Christian Science Monitor - 12/11/98. Pg. 18 - Arts and Leisure - Music section,mentioned. Indianola,Iowa. Detroit Free Press - 12/28/98. Pg. 10-D, mentioned in Names and Faces section - 1988 Concert Circuit. The Spokesman - Review Entertainment Section . 12/20/98. - Music Charts - mentioned. Modern Screen Presents - Who sWho In Country Music -Vol. 93,No. 5 - March 1999. Small cover picture,mentioned on pages 16,28,34,42,56,57 and 68. Page 58 - small picturew/article. Page 91 - full page photo of George . Pocono Record - Nashville Sound Section - 12/28/98. article - mentioned. Swiftwater,PA. St. PetersburgTimes - Weekender Section - 1/1/99. Page 16 - Pop Beat #7 at Houlihan s Stadium.

9 St. Petersburg,FL. Modern Screens Country Music - April 1999. Pg. 30 photo w/letters to the Editor. Lyrics to We ReallyShouldn t Be Doing This w/photo. photo. Indianapolis Star News Paper - Jan. 4,pg. 2 mentioned in article. Indianapolis,IN. The Spokesman Review - 12/30/98. article. Spokane,WA. CountryWeekly - 1/12/99. Pg. 8 - Letters. Nashville,TN. Music City News - Feb. issue. Pg. 18-19. TNN/ Music City News Awards Ballot. Nashville, following George Strait Fan Club Members submitted to the Collectable Column -And WeThank You!As a GSFC member,you can join in and earn Strait Cash,receive your Strait Talk 1st Class and a Collector s is all youneed to do - collect magazine or newspaper articles,photos or reviews - send them in and if we use them,your name is added to thelist.

10 It s easy. Remember to enclose the article,where it came from,date,page #,issue and your name and address. Thank You!Freddie and Rosa Goymor - Dallas,TXVirginia Jackson - Charles Town, George - Longview,TXAlex Gaffney - Gales Creek,ORTrudy Holderby - Davenport,WAJoyce Shoults - Tulsa,OKHelen Miller - Belton,TXDebbie Erickson - Taylor,MIJean Hurt - Beech Grover,ING. Stevens - Melbourne,FLMaryTillman - Alamo,TNMrs. John J. Evans - Harrisburg,MOBeverly Neely - San Antonio,TXLinda Ressler - Mandon,NDMildred Crawford - Tustin,CALou Dallman - Oshkosh,WICarolyn Evans - Harrisburg,MOVickie Kulp - Fredericksburg,VARosa Goymor - Dallas,TXJolie Wilson - CanadaMargaret Stangl - St. Louis Park,MNLuella Jumps - Mound City,MODebbie Erickson - Taylor,MILaVanda Rzehron - Martinez,CAJohn M.