`Gentleman Cowboy' George Strait Is Still Tipping His Hat To Tradition

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George Strait and Terri Clark, 8 p.m. Saturday, Tacoma Dome; sold out. -----------------------------------------------------------------

It's about time George Strait made up for his last Tacoma Dome appearance, some nine years ago.

The great country singer was on stage for only about two minutes.

"I wasn't going to come out here and sing tonight because I caught a cold and can't talk, much less sing," he rasped to the audience then. "I apologize. I'm sorry."

Then he touched the brim of his signature white cowboy hat, turned on his boot heels and slipped away.

Strait has been back only once since, to play the Puyallup Fair five years ago. It's no wonder his show Saturday at the T-Dome sold out so quickly. Strait just hasn't performed here enough.

The "Gentleman Cowboy" from Poteet, Texas, who ran a 1,000-head cattle ranch before he hit it big as a country singer, was one of the leaders of the "New Traditionalist" movement back in the early 1980s. With songs such as "Amarillo by Morning," "You Look So Good in Love" and "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind," he helped sweep away the prevailing "countrypolitan" style, which was more pop than country. Strait almost single-handedly paved the way for such later stars as Garth Brooks, John Michael Montgomery and Alan Jackson.

With the release last year of "Out of the Box," a four-CD

collection with 15 years of Strait hits (and some rarities), his contribution was put in perspective. The handsome, lanky, soft-spoken performer with the sturdy, traditional country voice has recorded some of the best country songs of the '80s and '90s.

Many of them are about love and love lost, but he also displays a sharp sense of humor. Among the many gems to be found in "Out of the Box" are "All My Ex's Live in Texas," "Love Without End, Amen," "I've Come to Expect It From You," "I Cross My Heart" and "Easy Come, Easy Go."

Strait was one of the first contemporary country stars to make a successful transition into movies, with "Pure Country" in 1993. Although not a critical favorite, it did well at the box office and in the home-video version, and also has aired on TV several times. The soundtrack of the film, in which he essentially played himself, yielded several hits, including the No. 1 country song "I Cross My Heart."

Terri Clark is one of the new crop of sexy female country singers, headed by Shania Twain and also including Linda Davis, Faith Hill and and Chely Wright.

The Canadian singer has already scored three hits from her debut album: "When Boy Meets Girl," "Better Things to Do" and the current "If I Were You."