Reba Said No When Offered George Strait’s #1 Song “Does Fort Worth” First

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You know and love Reba, and it’s hard to imagine her passing up on something amazing. Even the superstars have to say no sometimes in order to prioritize their own career goals, especially when they’ve found a groove in their music and are working hard to keep a good thing going.

 

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A post shared by Reba (@reba) on Oct 25, 2020 at 6:50am PDT

Written by Sanger Shafer and Darlene Shafer, “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” became a number one hit for George Strait in 1984. The song was offered to McEntire, but she turned it down. Legend has it that McEntire said no thanks to the song because it referenced beer.

“Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” was actually written a decade earlier, and was passed through several country music stars before Strait took it under his wing. Most country music fans agree that Strait did the song justice, and it’s hard to imagine any other country crooner putting a different spin on this 80’s country hit.

Around the same time that Strait topped the country music charts with “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind,” McEntire did the same with “How Blue.” Over the next two decades, Strait and McEntire continued to rule the country airwaves.