Merle Haggard: One wishes there had been a collaboration

[Richard W]

While reading Simple Dreams, I was struck by how often Merle Haggard was mentioned and idolized by Linda and the many fellow country-inspired artists surrounding her, often singing his songs in group jam sessions.

Given the facts that Merle has often mentioned Linda as his favorite female singer and that Linda recorded his "Silver Wings", I'm left wondering why Linda and Merle didn't collaborate. Perhaps it's a simple matter of their voices being incompatible, but I don't "hear" that incompatibility (then again, I'm no singer).

[sliderocker]

Sept 23, 2013 12:45:06 GMT -5 Richard W said:

While reading Simple Dreams, I was struck by how often Merle Haggard was mentioned and idolized by Linda and the many fellow country-inspired artists surrounding her, often singing his songs in group jam sessions.

Given the facts that Merle has often mentioned Linda as his favorite female singer and that Linda recorded his "Silver Wings", I'm left wondering why Linda and Merle didn't collaborate. Perhaps it's a simple matter of their voices being incompatible, but I don't "hear" that incompatibility (then again, I'm no singer).

Especially when one considers Haggard and Linda were on the same record label (Capitol) for so many years. And when one considers that Capitol liked pairing their artists for an album or two, it's all the more astonishing they didn't trying pairing Linda with Haggard. But, I don't believe Haggard in those days recorded with other artists. I recall seeing albums on him singing with his ex-wife, Bonnie Owens (ex-wife of Buck) but no one else. Capitol probably would've loved the idea of pairing Linda with Haggard or with Buck Owens or Glen Campbell for that matter. They paired Campbell with Bobbie Gentry for an album and Anne Murray for an album but sales wise, neither album were major sellers. That might have dampened any enthusiasm Capitol might have had for such a project, along with the fact that in those days, Linda had more misses than hits.

[Dianna]

When I hear Merle's songs.. (My b/f is a fan) I hear a similar voice to Linda's in the background. His wife sings back up .. no? If you listen it really does sound a lot like Linda's early background singing

This song .. it sounds like LInda there singing in the background..

[erik]

I agree, it is a shame that Linda and Merle didn't team up for something, given the Hag's enthusiasm for her. I don't know what his blue-collar fan base would have thought (the man who [allegedly] derided hippies in "Okie From Muskogee" and "The Fightin' Side Of Me" actually singing with one of 'em?!), but I think it could very easily have worked, at least artistically.

[sliderocker]

Sept 23, 2013 16:46:56 GMT -5 erik said:

I agree, it is a shame that Linda and Merle didn't team up for something, given the Hag's enthusiasm for her. I don't know what his blue-collar fan base would have thought (the man who [allegedly] derided hippies in "Okie From Muskogee" and "The Fightin' Side Of Me" actually singing with one of 'em?!), but I think it could very easily have worked, at least artistically.

Hag's blue collar fan base probably would've liked Linda as although she looked every bit the hippie back in those days, she didn't really come across as an extreme hippie. I also don't think Linda was in those days quite the liberal she is today. Still, I think Hag in those days was moving from being based out of Bakersfield to being based out of Nashville, and that might have prevented Linda from working with him since she soured on Nashville after "Silk Purse."

[BRENDYWENDY]

I seem to recall reading somewhere they were to do a duet album. I don't recall if was just reported or he said it. Or maybe he said he wanted to do an album with her. Does anyone else remember anything like that?
I also (more clearly) remember her saying she was recording a duet lp with JD. It might have been in Esquire. I would dearly love to hear whatever they recorded.

[erik]

Quote by sliderocker:

Hag's blue collar fan base probably would've liked Linda as although she looked every bit the hippie back in those days, she didn't really come across as an extreme hippie. I also don't think Linda was in those days quite the liberal she is today. Still, I think Hag in those days was moving from being based out of Bakersfield to being based out of Nashville, and that might have prevented Linda from working with him since she soured on Nashville after "Silk Purse."

I think Linda had a much more moderate, and not overly radical, approach to being a hippie, part of her rural Arizona upbringing transferring itself to California when she made the 500 mile move west. Also, I think in retrospect that the image that M.H. has as a hippie basher, based as it is on just two songs, is rather overrated. And as for Nashville, if he really wanted to be based out of there instead of Bakersfield, it seems to have helped him very little over the long term, since the man is, to my knowledge, neither a member of the Opry (he may still be considered too rough) nor in the Country Music Hall of Fame (yet, anyway).

Still, it is nice to know that he thought so highly of Linda.

[the Scribe]

How about a song meld?



This is a job for Harold Wilkinson!

[Richard W]

Sept 24, 2013 8:55:06 GMT -5 erik said:

Quote by sliderocker:

Hag's blue collar fan base probably would've liked Linda as although she looked every bit the hippie back in those days, she didn't really come across as an extreme hippie. I also don't think Linda was in those days quite the liberal she is today. Still, I think Hag in those days was moving from being based out of Bakersfield to being based out of Nashville, and that might have prevented Linda from working with him since she soured on Nashville after "Silk Purse."

I think Linda had a much more moderate, and not overly radical, approach to being a hippie, part of her rural Arizona upbringing transferring itself to California when she made the 500 mile move west. Also, I think in retrospect that the image that M.H. has as a hippie basher, based as it is on just two songs, is rather overrated. And as for Nashville, if he really wanted to be based out of there instead of Bakersfield, it seems to have helped him very little over the long term, since the man is, to my knowledge, neither a member of the Opry (he may still be considered too rough) nor in the Country Music Hall of Fame (yet, anyway).

Still, it is nice to know that he thought so highly of Linda.

Haggard was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994.

Love his version of "Hobo's Meditation", which I'd never heard before.

[sliderocker]

Sept 24, 2013 8:55:06 GMT -5 erik said:

I think Linda had a much more moderate, and not overly radical, approach to being a hippie, part of her rural Arizona upbringing transferring itself to California when she made the 500 mile move west. Also, I think in retrospect that the image that M.H. has as a hippie basher, based as it is on just two songs, is rather overrated. And as for Nashville, if he really wanted to be based out of there instead of Bakersfield, it seems to have helped him very little over the long term, since the man is, to my knowledge, neither a member of the Opry (he may still be considered too rough) nor in the Country Music Hall of Fame (yet, anyway).

Still, it is nice to know that he thought so highly of Linda.

I recall hearing or reading somewhere that claimed Haggard had said that "Okie from Muskogee" was a joke on the establishment, that it wasn't meant to be taken serious. It shouldn't have been taken seriously as one of the things we learned in our Oklahoma history class in school (which was a required course in those days)was that Okie was a derogatory phrase coined by one of the Indian tribes here for the white man, and it meant "white trash!" I always got a laugh every time I heard Haggard or someone singing that song because I couldn't listen to it without hearing it as "I'm proud to be white trash from Muskogee." I don't know if Haggard ever heard the meaning behind Okie - he may have and may explain why he downplayed the song. But, the politicians here tried to turn the word into an advantage for a short time, using it as a political buzzword abbreviation for "Oklahoma, key to intelligence and enterprise." It didn't catch on with the public but I still hear a lot of people here refer to themselves as Okies. If I hear someone use the word, I'll tell them what it means and at that point, they usually stop using the word.

Getting back to Haggard, some could argue that he, like Willie and Waylon, was one of the few true outlaws in country music, yet all of them worked out of Nashville, made some or most of their records there. The only way they differed from the Nashville way of doing things was in picking what songs they'd record, what musicians they would use and what arrangements would be used. Haggard had a pretty good chart run for his trouble. By comparison, Buck Owens was a true outlaw in that he did the same thing as W&W and Haggard but he remained in Bakersfield and recorded there, and Nashville disapproved of that set up. The establishment didn't get behind his records the way they did for artists who worked and recorded out of Nashville. He reportedly had some very low record sales in the early 70s but it didn't seem to bother him. He had built an empire which allowed him to do what he wanted and have success on his terms, rather than on someone else's terms.

[simpledream]

there are images floating around of the two in the late 60s and also 80s/90s. my favourite Merle Haggard song is "Sing Me Back Home" - love his version and that of Gram Parsons/Burritos

[the Scribe]

I don't know of any other major singer besides Linda who has contributed to another's albums more. If there isn't a hidden track of Merle and Linda together there is always hope for a mashup since they have recorded some of the same songs individually. They did appear on Hee Haw together but I am not certain if all of the guests performed together at the end of the show as is often the case.

simkl.com/tv/1846/hee-haw/season-1/episode-28/

They were both at Willie Nelson's 4th (3rd) of July Picnic in Giants Stadium, 1983.

this is just a sampling:

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXpPxMNrJk_vZ1_FjjPKIsFIk40MzhF03

[Dianna]

Sept 24, 2013 13:56:47 GMT -5 sliderocker said:

I recall hearing or reading somewhere that claimed Haggard had said that "Okie from Muskogee" was a joke on the establishment, that it wasn't meant to be taken serious. It shouldn't have been taken seriously as one of the things we learned in our Oklahoma history class in school (which was a required course in those days)was that Okie was a derogatory phrase coined by one of the Indian tribes here for the white man, and it meant "white trash!" I always got a laugh every time I heard Haggard or someone singing that song because I couldn't listen to it without hearing it as "I'm proud to be white trash from Muskogee." I don't know if Haggard ever heard the meaning behind Okie - he may have and may explain why he downplayed the song. But, the politicians here tried to turn the word into an advantage for a short time, using it as a political buzzword abbreviation for "Oklahoma, key to intelligence and enterprise." It didn't catch on with the public but I still hear a lot of people here refer to themselves as Okies. If I hear someone use the word, I'll tell them what it means and at that point, they usually stop using the word.

I've heard that term used by older people in my family on my mom's side. The other day, in fact, I was talking on the phone to a friend of mine (she grew up in east l.a.) I was describing to her my neighbors, and my frustration with me taking care of their cats.. and she asked.."are they Okies?" I hadn't heard that term in a long time. but I knew what she meant.. and your description is correct

[sliderocker]

Apr 7, 2016 1:26:46 GMT -5 Dianna said:

I've heard that term used by older people in my family on my mom's side. The other day, in fact, I was talking on the phone to a friend of mine (she grew up in east l.a.) I was describing to her my neighbors, and my frustration with me taking care of their cats.. and she asked.."are they Okies?" I hadn't heard that term in a long time. but I knew what she meant.. and your description is correct

A lot of Oklahomans don't realize we are a southwestern state as opposed to a southern state, and although they associate themselves with the people of the deep southern states, they have absolutely nothing in common with the deep south. The culture is that different. No one here actually speaks with a thick southern twang. I've got cousins who are from the deep south and my accent is nowhere close to theirs. It's not even close to an Oklahoma-Texas accent, which it should be as that's the accent most people here speak. Everyone has an accent of some kind and may not realize how they sound to someone who has never heard it. But, Oklahoma is part of the southwest and part of the old west, and that's the culture they should be embracing. It's as rich as any, if not more, especially with the various Indian tribes that were in Oklahoma. Geronimo is buried at Fort Sill near Lawton.

It's embarrassing that some Oklahomans flew a confederate flag when President Obama paid a back to back visit to the state. This after the southern states began to remove the confederate flag, uncomfortable with what the flag represented. As someone else mentioned, Oklahoma was never part of the confederacy as they did not exist as a state at that time but they have a bunch of rednecks who believe in states' rights and that Oklahoma would've been part of the confederacy had it been a state. The even worse irony is that for the most, none of those idiotic rednecks had ancestors who actually served in the confederacy. They're adults who are overgrown kids playing soldier. They are the true okies and one can't help but cringe at some of what they do.

[the Scribe]

It was my understanding that Dubya Bush's grandfather Prescott Bush, the one that financed the Third Reich including the gas chambers at Dachau (and if that isn't enough tried to force a coup-de-tat on FDR) dug up Geronimo's grave and stole his head for Yale's Skull and Bones Society. So not all of his body remains in OK.

And speaking of collaborations I always loved Linda's collaboration on this song:



I thought Geronimo was buried sitting upright in his Cadillac? Or maybe I am thinking of someone else.

You know, when you read the above you have to think to yourself it is impossible and crazy but it is historical fact.

I've always liked Johnny Rivers.

[Deleted]

Linda sings MH's "Silver Wings" very well. Its her track on "Dylan, Cash & the Nashville Cats" album, CD or MP3 from Amazon.

[RobGNYC]

Sept 23, 2013 13:16:40 GMT -5 sliderocker said:

Sept 23, 2013 12:45:06 GMT -5 Richard W said:

While reading Simple Dreams, I was struck by how often Merle Haggard was mentioned and idolized by Linda and the many fellow country-inspired artists surrounding her, often singing his songs in group jam sessions.

Given the facts that Merle has often mentioned Linda as his favorite female singer and that Linda recorded his "Silver Wings", I'm left wondering why Linda and Merle didn't collaborate. Perhaps it's a simple matter of their voices being incompatible, but I don't "hear" that incompatibility (then again, I'm no singer).

Especially when one considers Haggard and Linda were on the same record label (Capitol) for so many years. And when one considers that Capitol liked pairing their artists for an album or two, it's all the more astonishing they didn't trying pairing Linda with Haggard. But, I don't believe Haggard in those days recorded with other artists. I recall seeing albums on him singing with his ex-wife, Bonnie Owens (ex-wife of Buck) but no one else. Capitol probably would've loved the idea of pairing Linda with Haggard or with Buck Owens or Glen Campbell for that matter. They paired Campbell with Bobbie Gentry for an album and Anne Murray for an album but sales wise, neither album were major sellers. That might have dampened any enthusiasm Capitol might have had for such a project, along with the fact that in those days, Linda had more misses than hits.

The Bobbie-Glen album was a major seller. #11 pop and #1 country, and certified gold.