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Mandatory Merle Haggard
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"[Merle] Haggard, unlike many of his well-intentioned disciples and less-gifted imitators, actually stands for something: country music as the tough, uncompromising manifesto of hard-core humanity. He’s from a generation of country artists that would have happily kicked the crap out of any slick knob-twiddler trying to make them sound like the latest vapid 20-year-old pop star."
Bernard Perusse
(Source: blogs.montrealgazette.com)
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"I met [George Jones] at the Blackboard Café in Bakersfield, California, which was the place to go in ‘61. He was already famous for either not showing up or showing up drunk, and he showed up drunk. I was onstage—I think I was singing Marty Robbins’ ‘Devil Woman,’ and he kicked the doors of the office open and said, ‘Who in the fuck is that?’ It was one of the greatest compliments of my entire life when George Jones said I was his favorite country singer. It began a love affair between us, because we loved each other’s stuff so much. In 1967, I released a ballad called ‘I Threw Away the Rose,’ and he was so impressed he actually jumped ship and left his tour, rented a Learjet and came to Amarillo, Texas. He told me my low note changed his life. He also folded my steel guitarist Fuzzy Owen into a rollaway bed and rolled him out on the street. That was the pinnacle of it all."
Merle Haggard
(Source: Rolling Stone)
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"Mainly, what I’m doing lately is receiving awards and making the Kennedy Arts Center. Someone said all you’ve got to do is show up. Mainly, what I’ve been trying to do is show up."
Merle Haggard
(Source: victoriaadvocate.com)
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"R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, For nearly half a century, the music of Merle Haggard has championed those familiar with the hardships of life, and the evocative songs of this country music legend have made a lasting mark on American music and earned him recognition as the poet of the common man; and
WHEREAS, Merle Haggard was born in Oildale, California, in 1937, the son of Dust Bowl migrants from Oklahoma; the loss he felt at the death of his father set him on a troubled path during his youth, and he spent time in a number of juvenile detention centers before ultimately being sentenced to a term in San Quentin State Prison in 1957; there, he resolved to turn his life around and was inspired to join the prison band after seeing Johnny Cash perform for the inmates; and
WHEREAS, Following his release in 1960, he began performing in California clubs with his band, the Strangers, helping to popularize the rousing, guitar-driven “Bakersfield sound”; in 1966, he had his first number one hit with “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive,” and in the years that followed, he began using his songwriting skills to acknowledge his turbulent past and to reflect on the experiences of those close to him; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Haggard went on to record nearly 40 chart-topping songs, including the self-penned classics “Hungry Eyes,” about the despair of Great Depression labor camps, “Mama Tried,” describing a son’s guilt for being sent to prison, and “Okie from Muskogee,” channeling his father’s Oklahoma roots for what would become a patriotic anthem; and
WHEREAS, Whether he’s singing of the thrill of love, the bitterness of loss, or the day-to-day grind of the “Workin’ Man Blues,” Mr. Haggard has enjoyed critical acclaim in addition to great popular success; he has won three Grammys and numerous Academy of Country Music awards, and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994; moreover, his lifetime achievements were lauded in 2010 with his selection as a Kennedy Center Honoree; and
WHEREAS, Merle Haggard gives voice to the struggles, demons, and dreams of everyday people, and his extraordinary gifts as a writer and performer have earned him the respect of his peers and the admiration of countless fans across the United States and beyond; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to country music legend Merle Haggard and extend to him sincere best wishes for good health, continued success, and happiness; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Haggard as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives."State Rep. Doug Miller, R-New Braunfels
(Source: ftp.legis.state.tx.us)
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"The range of [Merle Haggard’s] material, from the philosophical to the stridently political to the mean-spirited, kept conveying the notion of country music as a spacious form, one that can accommodate all kinds of attitudes and literary conventions and still confirm the Americanness of its listeners."
Ben Ratliff
(Source: The New York Times)
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"Sometimes [Merle’s] like my kid; sometimes he’s like my brother."
Bonnie Owens
(Source: The New York Times)
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