It’s time to say goodbye to Merle Haggard, who died
Wednesday, April 6 – his 79th birthday. Time to appreciate his
talent and his perseverance in the face of profound change.
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| Merle Haggard |
Haggard was a man who had a rough start in life, did some
hard time, then got out of prison, came up with 38 number one hits, and produced
good music right to the end of his days.
He was a gifted musician, a fine singer and a vivid
songwriter.
Perhaps surprisingly, I think his touch as a songwriter
talent shines particularly brightly on his most famous song, “Okie From Muskogee.”
Because it might seem at first like a novelty song, and a divisive one at that.
But was actually a unifying song, one that clean-cut hawks
and long-haired doves all sang with equal enthusiasm.
That’s because it was a song of nostalgia for a simpler
time, in a period of great societal change.
In the
Americana Hour show that debuts Saturday, we’ll take
a musical look at the life and times of Merle Haggard.
Not too many words. Just a few of Merle’s songs. And a lot
of other music – sort of a musical tone-poem, giving a sense of the different eras
through with Haggard lived, worked and thrived.
In the end, he came to grips with the changes. They might
not have smoked marijuana in Muskogee, but Merle is reported to have smoked plenty
himself over the years.
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| Merle Haggard |
And just last year, he issued an album with his good friend
Willie Nelson – an old leftie and pot smoker. The album is called Django and
Jimmie, and it was a tribute to jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and Jimmie
Rodgers, who’s often called the father of country music.
We’ll hear from that Willie and Merle album, as well. It’s a tip of the hat to
the people who influenced them, and without whom they would not have become the
musicians they were.
Just as future musicians will owe their careers to the
Hag.
