The Legendary Merle Haggard

Very saddened to hear of the passing of Merle Haggard. This story from The Tennessean is a tribute to Merle's musicianship. The article is about Merle's son Ben who played guitar in Merle's road band.

Here's an excerpt:

But Merle Haggard didn't offer that advice to young Ben. Instead, he praised his still-developing skills but shot looks at him when Ben delivered a hot lick that impressed with flash rather than with melody.
"He says you should learn a song's melody all the way through," Ben says. "He says, 'Anything you can learn about a song, learn it.' He hates hearing somebody playing a thousand notes: He'd rather somebody play the melody, so the people can understand it."
Ben not only had to play melodies, he also had to replicate the highly advanced, signature guitar licks that greats Grady Martin, Roy Nichols and Reggie Young had played on classic Merle Haggard recordings.

And here's part of an interview with Merle from Elmore Magazine. Merle talks about the musicians who influenced him:

EM: What musician influenced you most?

MH: Bob Wills. He influenced Grady Martin who influenced me on guitar, and then when I came back to fiddling he influenced me again. It’s just his touch on the fiddle, lifted by Grady and put on the guitar. Grady was my favorite guitar player so it kind of goes back to Wills. The musicians who have worked with me are certainly influential in my life, and it’s an array of great players like Grady Martin, Reggie Young, Chet Atkins, James Burton and the list goes on of great players. I try to pick up a little from everyone.

Sneak Peek - American Masters to Present THE HIGHWAYMEN: FRIENDS TILL THE END

 

From the site:

Frequently referred to as "the Mount Rushmore of country music," The Highwaymen Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson were American country music's first bona fide supergroup, an epic quartet comprised of the OUTLAW COUNTRY genre's pioneering stars. An essential musical and cultural influence, the Grammy-winning group was active from 1985 1995: recording three albums, touring the world and acting in the movie Stagecoach (1986). AMERICAN MASTERS The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End,premiering nationwide Friday, May 27 at 9:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) as part of the 30 th anniversary season of THIRTEEN's American Masters series, explores how these men came together and the fruits of their historic collaboration.

Produced and directed by four-time Emmy Award-winner Jim Brown (American Masters Pete Seeger: The Power of Song; Billy Joel: A Matter of Trust The Bridge to Russia, The Weavers: Wasn't That A Time!), the documentary features vintage performances, rare, behind-the-scenes footage of life on the road and in the studio with producer Don Was, and new interviews with Nelson; Kristofferson; family members Jessi Colter (country singer and Jenning's wife), Annie Nelson, Lisa Kristofferson, and John Carter Cash; band members Reggie Young (guitarist) of The Memphis Boys, Mickey Raphael (harmonica player) and Robby Turner (pedal steel guitarist); and managers Mark Rothbaum and Lou Robin. Artists influenced by The Highwaymen, including John Mellencamp, Toby Keith, Marty Stuart, and Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, are also interviewed. Jennings and Cash add their perspective via archival interviews.