Tag Archives: Damn Strait

Scotty McCreery Returns to “American Idol” Stage to Perform “Cab in a Solo”

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It’s a special homecoming for Scotty McCreery…

The 30-year-old part-Puerto Rican country singer and former American Idol champion returned to the AI stage on Sunday to perform his single “Cab in a Solo.”

Scotty McCreeryThe North Carolina native, who dominated Season 10 all the way to the finale and then bested Lauren Alaina for the crown. has released five albums and gained entry into the Grand Ole Opry.

He returned to the American Idol stage to show off the vocal chops that won him the title in the first place.

McCreery released the breakup ballad “Cab in a Solo” in August 2023 as the lead single off his upcoming sixth studio album, Rise and Fall, which comes out on May 10.

The “Damn Strait” singer made lost love sound downright charming on the American Idol stage: So now I’m finding out how a heartbreak taste / With a Silver Oak, 1998 / Drinking cab in a solo / Solo in the cab of my truck.

McCreery, who was a wise-beyond-his-years teenager in 2011, is all grown up. He’s now a husband, a father, a hitmaker, and a Grand Ole Opry member.

But for some longtime fans of American Idol, his victory still “feels like yesterday.” “You’re my favorite AI grand winner..,” one X/Twitter user wrote.

“Cab in a Solo” climbed to No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Performing it on the stage where his career began was a surreal moment for McCreery.

More than that, though, the “I Love You This Big” singer couldn’t wait to offer some support to season 22’s top 10 contestants.

“I’m always happy to chat and help them any way I can. I mean, it’s a ringer they put you through on Idol,” McCreery told Country Now. “Any of those TV shows, not just Idol. It’s a lot at once and you’ve got to just do your best to get through it and sound good and pick great songs and look confident. If I can help, I love doing that stuff.”

Scotty McCreery Earns Fifth No. 1 on Billboard Country Airplay Chart with “Damn Strait”

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Scotty McCreery is celebrating a Strait flush…

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican country singer’s latest track “Damn Strait” has risen to the No. 1 spot on the July 23-dated Billboard Country Airplay chart.

Scotty McCreery

That gives the former American Idol champion his fifth total and consecutive No. 1 on the chart.

In the tracking week ending July 17, the song drew 27.2 million audience impressions, according to Luminate.

McCreery has notably topped Country Airplay with each single that he has released since he signed with Triple Tigers Records in 2017.

“My first country music concert was George Strait, and along with my love for Elvis [Presley], he inspired me to become a country music singer myself,” says McCreery. “When I did American Idol, George called me and requested I sing his [1995] hit ‘Check Yes or No,’ and I still sing it from time to time in concert. Now, having my fifth straight No. 1 on a song that pays tribute to George, while at the same time being a classic country heartbreaker such as he might have sung, is such a full-circle moment that means the world to me. Trent Tomlinson and Jim Collins wrote a clever song that reaches beyond name-dropping Strait hits to tell a meaningful story.”

“Damn Strait” is the sophomore single from McCreery’s album Same Truck, which arrived at its No. 10 high on Top Country Albums last October, marking the seventh top 10 for the Garner, N.C., native. He earned his third and most recent No. 1 set with Seasons Change in March 2018.

Same Truck lead single “You Time” became McCreery’s fourth Country Airplay No. 1 for a week last October. He first ruled Country Airplay with “Five More Minutes” (one week, March 2018) and led again with “This Is It” (two, February 2019) and “In Between” (one, June 2020).

McCreery first appeared on Country Airplay with the No. 15-peaking “I Love You This Big” in August 2011 and has posted two top 10s in addition to his No. 1s: “See You Tonight” (No. 8, March 2014) and “Feelin’ It” (No. 10, December 2014).

On the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart, “Damn Strait” ranks at No. 8, after hitting No. 6 in June. It drew 4.6 million U.S. streams and sold 2,000 downloads in the week ending July 14.

Meanwhile, as the song crowns Country Airplay, it’s just the fourth No. 1 to namecheck another artist in its title. Eric Church’s “Springsteen,” his ode to Bruce Springsteen, was boss of the chart for two weeks in 2012; Brad Paisley’s “Old Alabama,” featuring Alabama, reigned for two frames in 2011; and Joe Diffie’s “Bigger Than the Beatles” topped the chart for two weeks in 1996. (Strait and Alabama boast 26 and seven No. 1s, respectively, since the survey began in 1990.)