6 ms·

In Memoriam: Merle Haggard, 1937–2016

72 points by tintinnabula 11y ago

chiph 11y ago
The interview he gave along with Sturgill Simpson might have been his last. http://gardenandgun.com/article/legend-and-renegade http://gardenandgun.com/article/legend-and-renegade
- glhaynes 11y ago
  NPR's Fresh Air re-ran host Terry Gross's 1995 interview with Haggard last week. Available via podcast or I think this direct link to their embedded player will work: http://www.npr.org/player/embed/473559002/473559008 http://www.npr.org/player/embed/473559002/473559008
melling 11y ago
It didn't seem to be mentioned in the article, but Merle Haggard was there when Johnny Cash played ""Folsom Prison Blues" at San Quentin. That's what inspired him to be a singer: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/inmate-merle-haggard-hears-johnny-cash-play-san-quentin-state-prison http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/inmate-merle-hagg...
- ksherlock 11y ago
  Haggard: "Funny you mention that, Johnny." Cash: "What?" Haggard: "San Quentin." Cash: "Why's that?" Haggard: "The first time I ever saw you perform, it was at San Quentin." Cash: "I don't remember you being in that show, Merle." Haggard: "I was in the audience, Johnny." http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-merle-haggard-johnny-cash-20160408-story.html http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-merle-h...
- e12e 11y ago
  Thanks for that. It made me think of a comment Cash makes on another live recording, about singing "a song written by someone right here at Folsom". Unfortunately, that wasn't Haggard, it was another inmate, and it appears he didn't fare as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Sherley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Sherley "Glen Milborn Sherley (March 9, 1936 − May 11, 1978) was an American criminal who became a country singer-songwriter after his song "Greystone Chapel" was made famous by Johnny Cash in 1968. Sherley wrote the song while in prison and it was performed by Cash at his Folsom Prison performance, later released as the album At Folsom Prison. Sherley was on the front row, unaware that his song was to be played. Sherley subsequently wrote and performed a number of other songs. However, despite help from Cash, he was unable to adjust to life outside of prison, eventually committing suicide at the age of 42."
DubiousPusher 11y ago
Most anecdotes about pop culture are bullshit. But the one about the implosion of country & western music is very real. The number of country acts that actually still create music different from pop/rock is so staggeringly small it breaks my heart. The vast majority are a caricature that play pop with a twang. That reality makes the loss of folks like Merle Haggard much more pointed. There hasn't been an effective passing of the torch. It's akin to the loss of the last generation of traditional folk artists in the late 50s.
- trgn 11y ago
  Justin Townes Earle, Sturgill Simpson (see below), are real good and to a certain extent, many of the "folk-ish" rock bands (Old 97s and the like) carry the torch somewhat. Country instruments have moved quite a bit into indy music in the last ten-fifteen years as well. The worst about pop-country music IMO now, is that popular country used to have absolutely great singing voices, sing cleanly with a sort of neutral phrasing quite different from the emotional grunting of rock&roll singers. Merle Haggard being a great example. Now, men sound like a parody. Not only do they sing like crap, the lyrics are absolute shit. It's pretty much all "it's friday, time to call in sick, take a long weekend to go fishin'". Urgh.
  - sk5t 11y ago
    You might give a listen to Jason Isbell. I'm no country aficionado--closest I'll go is Jenny Lewis or Neko Case, usually--but Isbell seems to get back to the thoughtful lyrics and good execution that used to make stars.
  - omegaham 11y ago
    What? My life exclusively consists of getting off work on Friday night to drink beer at some tailgate / bonfire out at the county line and finding some girl in Levis and a ballcap to jump in my truck and taaake it slooow on some back road... something something fill your cup with ice-cold beer, look into her baby blue eyes, etc. Country is at a nadir right now, and I'm seeing a lot of parallels to mid-2000s rap. I hope that it experiences a similar revival, because I really do like a lot of older country music. These days, I've been listening a lot more to folk music to get the thoughtful lyrics, and it's sad that it's going further and further underground.
ArkyBeagle 11y ago
The Americana acts are keeping a pseudo honky-tonk tradition alive, somewhat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6LsnxaAcgE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6LsnxaAcgE "The society that supported it died out." I'm slowly trying to get some Ernest Tubb and Ray Price on the setlist of the band I'm in but it's a hard sell. These are guys in their forties. Edit: schpellings

72 points by tintinnabula 11y ago

chiph 11y ago

The interview he gave along with Sturgill Simpson might have been his last. http://gardenandgun.com/article/legend-and-renegade http://gardenandgun.com/article/legend-and-renegade

glhaynes 11y ago
NPR's Fresh Air re-ran host Terry Gross's 1995 interview with Haggard last week. Available via podcast or I think this direct link to their embedded player will work: http://www.npr.org/player/embed/473559002/473559008 http://www.npr.org/player/embed/473559002/473559008

melling 11y ago

It didn't seem to be mentioned in the article, but Merle Haggard was there when Johnny Cash played ""Folsom Prison Blues" at San Quentin. That's what inspired him to be a singer: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/inmate-merle-haggard-hears-johnny-cash-play-san-quentin-state-prison http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/inmate-merle-hagg...

ksherlock 11y ago
Haggard: "Funny you mention that, Johnny." Cash: "What?" Haggard: "San Quentin." Cash: "Why's that?" Haggard: "The first time I ever saw you perform, it was at San Quentin." Cash: "I don't remember you being in that show, Merle." Haggard: "I was in the audience, Johnny." http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-merle-haggard-johnny-cash-20160408-story.html http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-merle-h...
e12e 11y ago
Thanks for that. It made me think of a comment Cash makes on another live recording, about singing "a song written by someone right here at Folsom". Unfortunately, that wasn't Haggard, it was another inmate, and it appears he didn't fare as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Sherley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Sherley "Glen Milborn Sherley (March 9, 1936 − May 11, 1978) was an American criminal who became a country singer-songwriter after his song "Greystone Chapel" was made famous by Johnny Cash in 1968. Sherley wrote the song while in prison and it was performed by Cash at his Folsom Prison performance, later released as the album At Folsom Prison. Sherley was on the front row, unaware that his song was to be played. Sherley subsequently wrote and performed a number of other songs. However, despite help from Cash, he was unable to adjust to life outside of prison, eventually committing suicide at the age of 42."

DubiousPusher 11y ago

Most anecdotes about pop culture are bullshit. But the one about the implosion of country & western music is very real. The number of country acts that actually still create music different from pop/rock is so staggeringly small it breaks my heart. The vast majority are a caricature that play pop with a twang. That reality makes the loss of folks like Merle Haggard much more pointed. There hasn't been an effective passing of the torch. It's akin to the loss of the last generation of traditional folk artists in the late 50s.

trgn 11y ago
Justin Townes Earle, Sturgill Simpson (see below), are real good and to a certain extent, many of the "folk-ish" rock bands (Old 97s and the like) carry the torch somewhat. Country instruments have moved quite a bit into indy music in the last ten-fifteen years as well. The worst about pop-country music IMO now, is that popular country used to have absolutely great singing voices, sing cleanly with a sort of neutral phrasing quite different from the emotional grunting of rock&roll singers. Merle Haggard being a great example. Now, men sound like a parody. Not only do they sing like crap, the lyrics are absolute shit. It's pretty much all "it's friday, time to call in sick, take a long weekend to go fishin'". Urgh.
- sk5t 11y ago
  You might give a listen to Jason Isbell. I'm no country aficionado--closest I'll go is Jenny Lewis or Neko Case, usually--but Isbell seems to get back to the thoughtful lyrics and good execution that used to make stars.
- omegaham 11y ago
  What? My life exclusively consists of getting off work on Friday night to drink beer at some tailgate / bonfire out at the county line and finding some girl in Levis and a ballcap to jump in my truck and taaake it slooow on some back road... something something fill your cup with ice-cold beer, look into her baby blue eyes, etc. Country is at a nadir right now, and I'm seeing a lot of parallels to mid-2000s rap. I hope that it experiences a similar revival, because I really do like a lot of older country music. These days, I've been listening a lot more to folk music to get the thoughtful lyrics, and it's sad that it's going further and further underground.

ArkyBeagle 11y ago

The Americana acts are keeping a pseudo honky-tonk tradition alive, somewhat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6LsnxaAcgE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6LsnxaAcgE "The society that supported it died out." I'm slowly trying to get some Ernest Tubb and Ray Price on the setlist of the band I'm in but it's a hard sell. These are guys in their forties. Edit: schpellings