13 Years Ago: George Strait’s ‘Troubadour’ Certified Platinum

Thirteen years ago today, on June 3, 2009, George Strait's Troubadour album was certified platinum, for sales of one million copies. The record, Strait's 25th studio album, includes two No. 1 singles, "I Saw God Today" and "River of Love," as well as one Top 10 single, the title track.

""I Saw God Today" is such a well-written song,” Strait says of his first single from Troubadour, written by Rodney Clawson, Monty Criswell and Wade Kirby. “Sometimes we take a lot of things for granted, especially anybody that’s had a child ... If they’re in the delivery room or not — when they first see that child, it truly is a miracle. And you just realize that all of these things that God has given us, sometimes you just take for granted. But if you step back and take a look around, you’ll see what beauty we have around us in the things that He has created for us.”

George Strait Troubador album cover

"River of Love," which was penned by Billy Burnette, Shawn Camp and Dennis Morgan, almost became a hit for Josh Turner instead.

"When Josh didn’t take it, the song was pitched to George," Camp recalls to The Boot. "When we were standing backstage on the CMA [Awards] show, waiting to go on with George and sing "River of Love," Josh was back there with us. I turned to him and jokingly said, 'You know, this one could have been yours.'"

Troubadour, which became Strait's 18th chart-topping record, won Best Country Album at the Grammy Awards; it also won Album of the Year at the CMA Awards. "I Saw God Today" won a CMA as well, for Single of the Year.

This story was originally written by Gayle Thompson, and revised by Annie Zaleski. 

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