George Strait Honors 9/11 Victims With 2008 “Where Were You” Cover

Sharing This Article

After the 9/11 attacks, Alan Jackson channeled his feelings into a song titled “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning).”

September 11, 2001, is a day that no one will ever forget. It is the day when terrorists from al-Qaeda hijacked four planes, crashing two into the World Trade Center towers in New York City and one into the Pentagon, with the fourth crashing in Pennsylvania after passengers intervened. The attacks resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths, leading to widespread grief and a significant global impact.

Our country has never been the same. The day brought lots of sadness, and as a songwriter, Alan Jackson channeled his feelings into a song titled “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning).” He sang it for the first time at the CMA Awards on November 7, 2001, less than two months after the attacks.

Although he was hesitant to release the song, it stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks.

At a CMT Giants special honoring Alan Jackson in 2008, George Strait performed his iconic 20021 hit song “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning).”

On September 11, 2020, Strait shared his performance on his social media accounts.

On this day, we honor all the men and women who were affected by the devastating attacks on September 11, 2001. Thank you to all of the first responders that put their life on the line that day and everyday,” Strait wrote on Facebook.

George Strait / Facebook
George Strait / Facebook

George and Alan have been good friends for decades, having come up in the country music scene around the same time, so it made perfect sense for Strait to pay tribute at this event.

Alan Jackson Presents George Strait with the Gene Weed Special Achievement Award at the 38th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards (Photo by M. Caulfield/WireImage)

The two even shared the stage later in the evening at CMT Giants with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley for a fun rendition of “Country Boy.”

Singers/Songwriters Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, George Strait and Dierks Bentley at the Taping of CMT “GIANTS” Honoring Alan Jackson at The Ryman Auditorium on October 30, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. CMT “GIANTS” airs December 6, 2008 at 9pm ET only on C

RELATED: Alan Jackson and George Strait Perform “Remember When” & “Troubadour” At 2016 CMA Awards

Watch George Strait’s cover of “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning).”

Sharing This Article

Save this article!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new articles & videos from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

About the Author

Jennifer Pernicano

My name is Jen, and I live in San Diego, California! I am a mom of two, a wife, a Girl Scout volunteer, a former college soccer player at Santa Monica College and Cal State San Marcos, and a passionate country music fan. I married a fellow country music lover, and our first dance at…

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.