Merle Haggard is certainly one of America’s greatest singers and songwriters, but the secret weapon throughout his career has been an army of guitar badasses. Roy Nichols, James Burton, Glen Campbell, Roy Buchanan, Eldon Shamblin, Ronnie Reno, Bobby Wayne, Redd Volkaert, Ralph Mooney, Norman Hamlet, let alone Merle himself. It’s a veritable roll call of […]
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Ralph Mooney died last Sunday and calling him a pedal steel pioneer seems woefully inadequate. He was the crucial link between Bakersfield country and Texas outlaw country, the two most significant reactions to the Nashville Sound between 1955-80. Think about this. Moon played for Wynn Stewart at Wynn’s peak (1950s-’60s), played for Waylon Jennings […]
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Merle Haggard And The Strangers – Corrine, Corrina Civic Center, Philadelphia February 14, 1970* Featuring Chubby Wise on fiddle https://app.box.com/shared/static/obkfd8q9ni.mp3 * I’ve read conflicting reports that this show was recorded on 2/14/70 and 3/14/70, but the Valentine’s date seems more credible. A couple of weeks ago, I asserted that Merle Haggard is the greatest […]
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“Don Rich was the quintessential driving force behind Buck Owens. His lead guitar, fiddle playing, and soulful tenor made the Buckaroos the premier band in country music in the ’60s and early ’70s. When a guy loses his best friend/sidekick, life is never the same.” —Chris Hillman “Don was to country music what James Burton […]
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