When I first read about the Legendary Performances series to be produced by a joint venture between the Country Music Hall of Fame and Shout! Factory, I mentally assembled a want list. One of the top five of that list turns out to be the third release in this excellent series.
Merle Haggard’s story has been told many times over in numerous articles and a few books. Born in Bakersfield, a child in trouble leading to incarceration, turns his life around through music and becomes one of the most influential singers and songwriters of our time.
Following the format of the previous two volumes, this DVD contains 15 performances by Haggard on a variety of programs beginning in 1968 through 1983.
The first three performances come from the syndicated 1968 program Country Music Holiday, hosted by longtime Grand Ole Opry performer Wally Fowler. Joined by The Strangers, Haggard runs through three of his top five hits from the previous three years, “Branded Man,†“The Bottle Let Me Down†and “Swinging Doors.†Strangers Telecaster master Roy Nichols shows why he has been an influence to most country guitarists as he trades licks with steel guitar player Norm Hamlet.
The late 1960s and early 1970s was a boom time for syndicated country music television. That year, in addition to appearing on Country Music Holiday, Haggard also appeared on Billy Walker’s Country Carnival. Here Haggard gives us three more of songs, “Mama Tried,†a No. 1 hit that year, “I Started Loving You Again,†a true Haggard classic that never charted for him and “I Take A Lot Of Pride In Who I Am,†which reached No. 3 the following year. In a rare event, he performs these with the house band made up of Nashville studio aces rather than the Strangers. Putting the tracks side by side with those cut by the Strangers it is easy to see why the Strangers became one of the most revered bands in country music. The band alone would record five albums for Capitol Records between 1969 and 1973.
(Haggard would also appear on two episodes of the CBS summer replacement show Hee-Haw where he would lip-synch his hits in various settings like a front porch and a train yard.)
The 1970s are represented on the DVD with a performance on the 1972 CMA Awards (“Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man),†which had reached No. 1 in 1971), two separate appearances on the Porter Wagoner Show (“The Fightin’ Side of Me†and “Okie From Muskogee,†both No. 1 hits, in 1970 and “The Roots Of My Raising,†a 1976 No. 1, in 1977). Three appearances on the Ralph Emery hosted Pop! Goes The Country show Haggard in good spirits. Although all are good, the best track of the three is the extended version of his 1969 No. 1 “Working Man Blues†from 1974 guest spot that features solos from Roy Nichols, Tiny Moore on electric five-string mandolin and piano player Mark Yeary. Also included are a 1975 performance of “Movin’ On†and a 1977 rendition of “Ramblin’ Fever,†which reached No. 1 in 1975 and No. 2 in 1977, respectively.
The two closing tracks come from 1983 where Haggard pays tribute to two of his heroes. He takes the CMA Awards show stage for a great rendition of Lefty Frizzells’ “That’s the Way Love Goes,†a song he took to No. 1. The final selection is taken from the 1983 Johnny Cash Christmas Special where Haggard and band, dressed in cowboy duds, run through Bob Wills’ “San Antonio Rose.†Haggard had recorded the excellent Bob Wills tribute album in 1970.
Two bonus clips are included on the disc. The first is Haggard’s 1994 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, back when they still honored the legends during the awards show. The second clip is an interview conducted in 1981 on Hags tour bus as he is accompanied by then wife Leona Williams as he talks about family, touring and recording.
This is another great addition to the Legendary Performances series and offers fans a rare glimpse at live footage of a true living legend that wouldn’t be seen without the efforts of the people at the Hall of Fame.
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