Denny Strickland is premiering a special performance of George Strait's hit "Run" exclusively for readers of The Boot.

"Run," from Strait's 2001 record The Road Less Traveled, reached No. 2 on the charts, and Strickland brings it to life once again. His cover of the tune is part of his Dive Sessions series, for which he performed at Nashville dive bar Springwater. (Fun fact: While Springwater may be a dive bar through and through, it is also the location at which Kesha filmed one of her music videos.)

The seedy bar atmosphere fits the romantic song in a distinctly contrasting way: Strickland's black cowboy hat and acoustic guitar, paired with his rolling vocals, are reminiscent of Strait, but he brings his own unique presence to the song and video.

"Baby, run, cut a path across the blue skies / Straight in a straight line / You can't get here fast enough," Strickland croons.

A contemporary country artist, Strickland shifts into a more traditional song with extreme ease -- and it makes sense, as Strait has had a huge impact on his career.

"I’ve always had great respect for the King, George Strait," the singer says. "To have a life-long career in this business is an accomplishment in itself. He was one of the reasons I decided on music as a career move."

Picking "Run" to cover was an easy choice; after all, when your "all-time favorite artist" is Strait, one of his classics is a must-cover song. Strickland also covered Conway Twitty and Waylon Jennings for the Dive Sessions; those videos are forthcoming.

Fans can find more information about Strickland on Twitter, Facebook and his official website. His current single, "How Far You Wanna Go," is available via iTunes.

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