# Cowboys and Dreamers

Cowboys and Dreamers is the thirty-first studio album by American country music artist George Strait. It was released on September 6, 2024, via MCA Nashville. The album's first single, "MIA Down in MIA", was released on May 17, 2024.
Strait dedicated the album to longtime fiddle player of Ace in the Hole Band Gene Elders and manager Erv Woosley, who both died on March 20, 2024, as well as road manager Tom Foote who died on April 29, 2024.

## Content

Strait announced the album on May 16, 2024, while performing at Lucas Oil Stadium. Three promotional singles — "MIA Down in MIA", "The Little Things", and "Three Drinks Behind" — were released ahead of the album. As with his last album, Honky Tonk Time Machine, Cowboys and Dreamers was co-produced by Chuck Ainlay.
While performing in 2024, Strait teased songs for Cowboys and Dreamers, including "Honky Tonk Hall of Fame" (featuring Chris Stapleton) and "Three Drinks Behind." "Waymore's Blues" was co-written and previously recorded by Waylon Jennings for his 1975 studio album, Dreaming My Dreams.

## Musical style and composition

Cowboys and Dreamers has been labeled primarily neotraditional country and honky-tonk by critics, with elements of Western swing, gospel, and countrypolitan.

## Commercial performance

Cowboys and Dreamers debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and number six on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, with first-week totals of 27,000 equivalent units.

## Personnel

Musicians
* George Strait – lead vocals
* Marty Slayton – background vocals
* Wes Hightower – background vocals
* Glenn Worf – bass guitar (tracks 1–3, 6, 9, 13), upright bass (7, 8, 11)
* Eddie Bayers – drums (tracks 1–3, 6–11, 13)
* Brent Mason – electric guitar (tracks 1–3, 6–11, 13)
* Mac McAnally – acoustic guitar (tracks 1–3, 6, 7, 13)
* Paul Franklin – steel guitar (tracks 1–3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13)
* Matt Rollings – Wurlitzer electric piano (tracks 1, 2, 9), piano (3, 6–9), Hammond B3 (11)
* Steve Nathan – synthesizer (tracks 1, 3, 9), Hammond B3 (8, 13)
* Stuart Duncan – mandolin (tracks 3, 13), fiddle (6, 8, 9, 11)
* Steve Gibson – acoustic guitar (tracks 3, 6, 8, 9, 11)
* Andrew Dunn – cello (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Austin Hoke – cello (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Kevin Bate – cello (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Sari Reist – cello (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Kristin Wilkinson – conductor (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Chris Farrell – viola (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Elizabeth Lamb – viola (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Monisa Angell – viola (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Seanad Chang – viola (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Alison Hoffman – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Annaliese Kowert – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Carrie Bailey – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Conni Ellisor – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* David Angell – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* David Davidson – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Jenny Bifano – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Jung-Min Shin – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Karen Winkelmann – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Mary Kathryn Vanosdale – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Peter Otto – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* WeiTsun Chang – violin (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* John Michael Whitby – Hammond B3 (tracks 4, 5, 7, 10, 12)
* Benny McArthur – acoustic guitar (tracks 4, 5, 10), electric guitar (12)
* Joe Manuel – acoustic guitar (tracks 4, 5, 10, 12)
* Terry Hale – bass guitar (tracks 4, 5, 10, 12)
* Bobby Jarzombek – drums (tracks 4, 5, 10, 12)
* Rick McRae – electric guitar (tracks 4, 5, 10, 12)
* Mike Daily – steel guitar (tracks 4, 5, 10, 12)
* Ronnie Huckaby – Wurlitzer electric piano (tracks 4, 5, 12), Wurlitzer organ (4), piano (10, 12)
* Gene Elders – mandolin (track 4), fiddle (5, 12)
* Chris Stapleton – acoustic guitar, lead vocals (track 8)
Technical
* George Strait – production
* Chuck Ainlay – production, mixing, engineering
* Tony Brown – production (tracks 1–3, 6–9, 11)
* Bob Ludwig – mastering
* Dan Harrison – engineering (track 2)
* Lance Van Dyke – additional engineering, engineering assistance
* Jon Clover Brown – engineering assistance (tracks 1–6, 8–13)
* Kaitlyn Walker – engineering assistance (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Tate Sablatura – engineering assistance (tracks 3, 7, 13)
* Dan Flynn – engineering assistance (tracks 4, 5, 10, 12)
* Kristin Wilkinson – string arrangement (tracks 3, 7, 13)

## Charts

Chart performance for Cowboys and Dreamers :
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
| Australian Country Albums (ARIA) | 35 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 51 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 71 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC) | 52 |
| UK Country Albums (OCC) | 6 |
| US Billboard 200 | 14 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) | 6 |