Merle Haggard is considered the Greatest Country musician to ever live and on April 17th his sons Ben and Noel Haggard will be appearing at the Marion Cultural & Civic Center for a special tribute to their dad!
Born during the Great Depression, Haggard scratched and clawed his way through the early years of his life. At a young age, he taught himself how to pay a guitar by listening to old records from Lefty Frizzell and Hank Williams. A teenage Haggard was in-and-out of juvenile detention halls and even spent some time in San Quentin Prison. By the 1960s, Haggard had cleaned up his act and began one of the most impressive careers for any musician. Over a 20 year span, Haggard released 38 No. 1 hits including songs like ‘Mama Tried,’ ‘Swinging Doors,’ and ‘Branded Man.’ Up until his death in 2016, Haggard was still producing top tracks. The Hag was enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
With the natural phrasing and richly sonorous voices that one would expect, Ben and Noel add their own fresh takes on Merle’s legendary songs in a program filled with many of his 38 #1 hits, including classics like: “Silver Wings,” “Mama Tried,” “The Fighting Side of Me,” “Sing Me Back Home,” “The Running Kind,” “I’m A Lonesome Fugitive,” “Heaven Was a Drink Of Wine,” “What Am I Gonna Do With the Rest of My Life?” and “Workin’ Man Blues”, among many others.
Both recording artists in their own right, have honored their father’s legacy ever since Merle’s passing. Ben was The Strangers’ lead guitarist during the last eight years of Merle’s life and a regular on Haggard’s recordings. In one of his father’s more memorable moments, Ben took the stage with “Hag” and the Highwaymen Willie Nelson & Kris Kristofferson, as well as Blake Shelton for a performance at the 2014 Grammys.
For anyone who’s heard young Haggard play guitar with his father, that talent is undeniable, but he’s only recently discovered a singing voice that, while borrowing genetically from dad’s well-worn gravitas, adds its own fresh take on songs like “Sing Me Back Home”, “Heaven Was a Drink Of Wine,” “Workin’ Man Blues” and “What Am I Gonna Do With the Rest of My Life?,” all of them taking on new meanings in the wake of Hag’s passing.
Noel Haggard released his debut album, One Lifetime, in 1997. The album produced two singles; both reached Top 100 on Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. His first single, “Once You Learn,” peaked at No. 72 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada. His second single, “Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa,” was covered by George Strait on his 2003 album Honkytonkville. Strait’s version of the song peaked at No. 11 on the Hot Country Singles racks chart.
