
In Memoriam: Merle Haggard, 1937–2016 - tintinnabula
http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2016/04/08/merle-haggard-1937-2016/
======
DubiousPusher
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.

~~~
scotch_drinker
Adding to the list, mostly Texas artists but Guy Clark (leaving us soon),
Robert Earl Keen, Slaid Cleaves, James McMurtry, Hayes Carll. These are true
storytellers in the vein of Merle and worth looking into.

~~~
tmm
And female artists in a similar vein: Lucinda Williams, Brandi Carlile and
Gillian Welch immediately come to mind.

A great site (IMHO) for keeping up with musicians in the style of these guys
is Jessie Scott's musicfog.com. Jessie Scott was the program director for X
Country on XM, before it was replaced with whatever Sirius runs there now and
it was her programming that really expanded my music base (I would likely have
never heard of any of these artists if not for X Country).

~~~
scotch_drinker
+1 for X Country and Outlaw Country on Sirius. Also, take any artist from the
lists above, start a station on Pandora and you will get a wonderful lesson
into today's musical storytellers.

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melling
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-
hagg...](http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/inmate-merle-haggard-
hears-johnny-cash-play-san-quentin-state-prison)

~~~
ksherlock
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-h...](http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-merle-
haggard-johnny-cash-20160408-story.html)

------
chiph
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
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)

------
ArkyBeagle
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

