Merle Haggard, the working man’s poet, an architect of the Bakersfield Sound, and an artist who influenced country music like few others, died Wednesday in California. He had just turned 79 years old, and had been in failing health for some time, leading to the cancellation of several concert dates, including two nights at the Ryman Auditorium that were originally scheduled for March.
Over the course of his half-century career, Mr. Haggard recorded 40 No. 1 country singles, and wrote some of the genre’s most revered classics, which have been recorded by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, The Byrds, Vince Gill, The Grateful Dead, and countless others.
Mr. Haggard’s life, which took him from a San Quentin prison cell to the Country Music Hall of Fame, was a truly American success story. “In some ways, his life sounds like fiction, but if it were fiction, no one would believe it,” said Harris on the night of his Hall of Fame induction.
When Mr. Haggard was 21, he was sent to San Quentin State Prison following a burglary attempt. While imprisoned, he saw country star Johnny Cash perform for the inmates, played in the prison band, and worked in the San Quentin textile mill.
His last solo album, “Working in Tennessee,” was released in 2011, and in 2015, he released two more collaborative albums: one with legendary country/bluegrass singer Mac Wiseman, and “Django and Jimmie,”
http://www.tennessean.com/story/ente...e-79/81272486/
*******************************
It wouild take all day to write his life and his achievements and the duets and the inspiration he inspired for over 50 years. This is a big loss to country music.
I got to see him with George Jones in 2008 and met him in 2013 as he came off his bus.
