Merle Haggard, Phil Baugh, and the Pickers Came Today

Phil Baugh – Late 1950s

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 gunslingers.

One picker who deserves a little more love is Phil Baugh. He was a native Californian (Olivehurst, CA) and lifelong sideman with two hits to his name: “Country Guitar” (video below) and “One Man Band,” both 1964. His guitar heroics on those recordings led to a handful of Haggard sessions in 1965-66, and Baugh’s ferociously playful guitar helped usher Hag into the country mainstream.

Merle Haggard – If I Had Left It Up To You

Merle Haggard – I’m Gonna Break Every Heart I Can

Both songs recorded April 27, 1965

Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar
Phil Baugh – guitar
Roy Nichols – guitar
Tommy Collins – guitar
Ralph Mooney – pedal steel
George French – piano
Bob Morris – bass
Helen “Peaches” Price – drums

Haggard’s first session as a Capitol artist featured Baugh and Nichols sharing lead guitar duties. I think Roy is more prominent on “If I Had Left It Up To You,” but “I’m Gonna Break Every Heart I Can” is a stripped-down, Baugh-led rocker. Nichols works elegantly against the beat, as much blues as it is country, but Baugh holds his own with a series of explosive leads that blur the line between Bakersfield country and rock ‘n’ roll. “Break Every Heart” was a modest hit on the country charts (peaking at #42), but I think it’s a cool, two-minute demonstration of Hag’s versatility and Baugh’s chops, a combo that would yield legendary results on their next collaboration.

Merle Haggard – Swinging Doors

Recorded December 1, 1965

Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar
Phil Baugh – lead guitar
Ralph Mooney – pedal steel
Billy Mize – guitar, harmony vocal
Lewis Ley – guitar
George French – piano
Bob Morris – bass
Helen “Peaches” Price – drums
Bonnie Owens – harmony vocal

“Swinging Doors” is the tipping point in the Merle Haggard catalog. Released on February 28, 1966, it was Merle’s first Top 5 hit, and established him as a force on the charts for the next two decades. It’s one of those songs that seems like it wasn’t written so much as handed down on stone tablets. It’s a testament to its durability that 45 years after its release it’s still a jukebox fixture (duh) and honky tonk staple. The depth of this song’s awesomeness requires a checklist:

• The :16 second Ralph Mooney/Phil Baugh guitar duel intro is the greatest intro in country music history. Moon unleashes a pitch-perfect seven seconds that’s a clinic on how to kickoff a country song, followed by a nasty bending Baugh lead that anticipates both the Clarence White/Gene Parsons B-Bender, as well as his own multi-pedal rack that allowed him to achieve a steel sound on electric guitar.
• A honky tonk song about home, where home is a honky tonk. That’s so meta I think I just passed it in the space-time continuum.
• I understand why people say George Jones is the greatest country singer ever, but my vote goes to Merle. He can sing anything and when he and Bonnie Owens sing together, pure magic often follows.
• Peaches Price + Jerry Ward = a swinging pocket. JW especially is bringing extra bacon fat.
• George French’s subtle piano intro at :52 and his understated playing from that point forward.
• Baugh 1:03-1:18 + Mooney 1:19-1:27 + Baugh 1:27-1:36 + Moon 1:38-2:08 = pure gold
• The Baugh/Moon outro 2:22-2:50 = additional gold.

Merle Haggard – The Girl Turned Ripe

Recorded December 1, 1965

Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar
Phil Baugh – lead guitar
Ralph Mooney – pedal steel
Billy Mize – guitar, harmony vocal
Lewis Ley – guitar
George French – piano
Bob Morris – bass
Helen “Peaches” Price – drums
Bonnie Owens – harmony vocal

The overlooked song of the Haggard/Baugh and Mooney/Baugh collaborations and the B-side to the “Swinging Doors” single. The pedal steel/electric guitar interplay picks up where “Swinging Doors” left off, Moon offering his usual brilliant countermelodies, while Baugh’s aggressive leads jump out of the speaker. In a micro sense, Phil Baugh was to Merle Haggard as Junior Barnard was to Bob Wills.

Phil Baugh deserves further exploration, but in the meantime here’s video evidence of his greatness:

Phil Baugh – Country Guitar

Not only an exhibition of Baugh’s ridiculous guitar skills, but an impersonation medley that influenced both Haggard and Bill Kirchen. Baugh was actually long associated with the Telecaster, but here he’s rockin’ the Joe Maphis double-neck Mosrite (whose home base was Bakersfield, CA).

Glen Campbell – Y’all Come

I love this video because the common image of Glen Campbell is either as the vanilla sellout of the ’60s and ’70s or his unfortunate run-in with a certain mugshot. But make no mistake, at his young and hungry best, Campbell was a legit multi-instrumentalist with a voice to die for. And how about Baugh’s flirtation with fuzztone! I can see him getting fired up by Stones and Kinks songs, but that’s probably wishful thinking on my part, to quote den father Wynn Stewart. This mid-’60s snapshot captures a pair of California country heavyweights at their peak singing the theme song of regional hero, Cousin Herb Henson.