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	<title>Merle Haggard Official Website &#187; Merle Haggard</title>
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	<link>http://merlehaggard.com</link>
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		<title>Let  Me  Testify</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2011/09/let-me-testify/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2011/09/let-me-testify/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:14:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hag Editorial]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/?p=801</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So there is NO misunderstanding, let me testify, the power of the healing our Heavenly Father has bestowed upon me. In ’08 I was diagnosed with lung cancer. Most everyone knows that’s a death sentence! Not in my case! More recently I was diagnosed with a heart problem in two hospitals, in Ft. Worth and in Bakersfield. Either they both malfunctioned exactly the same way, or once again, the Lord stepped in and altered the condition. An angiogram proved it all wrong. My heart is perfect! It’s almost embarrassing to know that the Lord cares that much for me. But, I am gonna shout it to the entire world. He healed me either at my request or someone else’s There were a lot of prayers involved He also guided the hands of other special doctors and was able to properly relocate my Atlas. But never for a moment do I give credit or claim any myself. The Man upstairs is still in charge. I am gonna be 75 this coming April and I am a walking miracle I might add a Healthy miracle. I give all the thanks to my Heavenly Father and to my wonderful family, Theresa, Jenessa and Bennie.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>156</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>From vinyl to CDs</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2009/01/from-vinyl-to-cds/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2009/01/from-vinyl-to-cds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:24:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/?p=208</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[From vinyl to CDs, the country music legend keeps on singin&#8217; Article by Karen Cotton &#8211; Jan 25, 2009. Any fan of music knows the name Merle Haggard. Even the casual listener will hear echoes of Haggard on the radio today. Haggard&#8217;s music &#8211; songs that tell the story of his life &#8211; has influenced country and rock since the 1960s. On Feb. 10, fans have the chance of a lifetime to see him perform live at the Cheyenne Civic Center. A few of Haggard&#8217;s 40 No. 1 hits include: &#8220;Branded Man,&#8221; &#8220;Mama Tried,&#8221; &#8220;Okie From Muskogee,&#8221; &#8220;Workin&#8217; Man Blues,&#8221; &#8220;My Favorite Memory,&#8221; &#8220;Fugitive,&#8221; &#8220;Fightin&#8217; Side of Me&#8221; and &#8220;Legend of Bonnie and Clyde.&#8221; His friends and collaborators have ranged from Willie Nelson, George Jones and Conway Twitty, just to name a few. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994. Late last year, Haggard was battling lung cancer and had a lemon-sized tumor removed from his right lung. Haggard took time from his schedule to talk via the phone with us about his health, music career, his famous friends, his brand new double CD project, how he feels about the contemporary country music scene, &#8220;American Idol&#8221; and being called a legend. Q: Why did you decide to tour after you had your lung operation? &#8220;Well, the lung operation left me in better health than I was before. Haggard: &#8220;It was a matter of recuperating over the injury of the surgery. I feel a lot better than I did probably five years prior to surgery. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t know I had the problem, you know, so I don&#8217;t have a cough and my lungs they just, in your lung capacity you have three lobes on right side and two on the left, on the top lobe on my right side had a suspended tumor hanging from it. Like a fruit from a tree and it wasn&#8217;t attached to anything. &#8220;They went in and found that they were able to get it and there was no chemo or radiation, or anything like that, your lung expands and fills in where it&#8217;s taken out, so I&#8217;m almost back to full capacity of air, which I haven&#8217;t had for a few years. &#8220;I&#8217;m singing better than I was before the surgery, yes.&#8221; Q: What was the scariest part about your lung operation? Haggard: &#8220;Getting the nerve to do it. &#8220;In some countries they use it as torture. They hang you up and pull lungs out the side of your chest. &#8220;This is much the same: They have to cut your rib bone, take out a piece of your ribs, underneath the scapula, (on) your backside. They lift that up. It&#8217;s very gory. They go inside and take the part of the lung that they wanted out and sew up the rest with metal clamps and it&#8217;s very painful. The first all of thirty days to six weeks you&#8217;re in dire need of Morphine and Percocet and all of that &#8230;...]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Merle Haggard Doing &#039;Better Every Day&#039; After Lung Cancer Surgery</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2009/01/merle-haggard-doing-better/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2009/01/merle-haggard-doing-better/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/_merleswp/?p=171</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Story by: Elleen Finan &#8211; People &#8211; January 21, 2009 05:30 PM EST Just two months after undergoing lung cancer surgery, Merle Haggard says he&#8217;s back in business. &#8220;I&#8217;m doing real well – a little better every day,&#8221; the country legend tells PEOPLE. &#8220;I have a little bicycle in the back room I&#8217;m starting to exercise on and I&#8217;m going into the studio to see how my voice sounds.&#8221; Haggard, 71, had surgery in November to remove a lemon-sized tumor. &#8220;Most of the reports were like, &#8216;He&#8217;s got six months to live!&#8217; There was never any indication of that,&#8221; he says. &#8220;I lost the upper lobe of my right lung where there was a tumor suspended like a fruit on a tree. But there was no chemo and I got real lucky.&#8221; Haggard was a heavy cigarette smoker until he gave up his Camels in 1992, but insists his cancer wasn&#8217;t caused by smoking. Post surgery, Haggard has a new outlook. &#8220;I feel like I&#8217;ve extended my life,&#8221; he says. &#8220;I&#8217;m in better shape than when I went in.&#8221; Still Writing Songs The singer already has tour dates planned. &#8220;I need an enormous amount of money to maintain my lifestyle so I&#8217;ve got to go to work!&#8221; he jokes. &#8220;The economy requires it!&#8221; He&#8217;s also back to work penning new songs, including a new tune inspired by President Barack Obama called &#8220;Hopes Are High,&#8221; which he wrote two days before the inauguration. A sampling of Haggard&#8217;s lyrics: &#8220;We got a new style with a sincere smile/And a new song to sing along/And we&#8217;ve got sunshine and a new guy/And hopes are high/Hopes are high&#8221; The song has a sunny outlook, but Haggard says he&#8217;s realistic about the new president. &#8220;I can&#8217;t see that one man can walk into turmoil like this and do much about it,&#8221; he says. &#8220;I don&#8217;t look for him to change anything overnight.&#8221; Story by: Elleen Finan &#8211; People]]></description>
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		<title>Haggard pens new song in honor of Obama</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2009/01/haggard-pens-new-song-in-honor-of-obama/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2009/01/haggard-pens-new-song-in-honor-of-obama/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:36:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/_merleswp/?p=181</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Story by: The Bakersfield Californian &#8211; Tuesday, Jan 20 2009 4:22 PM Country legend and Oildale favorite son Merle Haggard was so moved by the historic events unfolding in Washington this week that he wrote a song praising President Barack Obama. Haggard penned “Hopes Are High” late Sunday night and was recording it Tuesday, according to publicist Tresa Redburn. Haggard made headlines in 2007 when he wrote a song for Hillary Clinton, Obama’s rival among Democrats for the party’s nomination for president. But he told Billboard.com that he wasn’t trying to stir any pots with the song. “I’m just reacting to the news,” he was quoted as saying. Haggard, currently between record labels, hopes to have the tune on the Internet in a week, Redburn said. “Hopes Are High” Hopes are high, faith is strong If we all try we can get along Cause there&#8217;s a new day and a brighter day With a new song to sing along And there&#8217;s sunshine and blue sky And hopes are high There&#8217;s a blue bird atop a tree Singing loud for you and me He&#8217;s got a new note and a brighter note That we should sing and let ring Cause there&#8217;s sunshine and a blue sky And hopes are high We&#8217;ve got the bad times behind us And the Good times up ahead Bet your money on the promise land And the good things that He said We got a new style with a sincere smile And a new song to sing along And we’ve got sunshine and a new guy And hopes are high Hopes are high We’ve got the bad times behind us And we&#8217;ve got the good times up ahead Put your money on America And the good things he said Cause there’s a new day and a brighter day With a new song to sing along And there’s sunshine and blue sky And hopes are high]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>A New Song</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2009/01/a-new-song/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2009/01/a-new-song/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:39:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hag Editorial]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/_merleswp/?p=5</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[" Some have referred to me as America's Poet of the common man". And I have written something that may be just right for the moment.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Merle Haggard comes to Cheyenne</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2009/01/merle-haggard-comes-to-cheyenne/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2009/01/merle-haggard-comes-to-cheyenne/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:50:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/_merleswp/?p=25</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The country musician has collaborated with Willlie Nelson, George Jones and Conway Twitty. By Karen Cotton kcotton@wyomingnews.com All it takes is a glance at Merle Haggard&#8217;s extensive discography that dates back to 1965 to figure out why he&#8217;s a country legend. A few of his 40 number one hits include: &#8220;Branded Man,&#8221; &#8220;Mama Tried,&#8221; &#8220;Okie From Muskogee,&#8221; &#8220;Workin&#8217; Man Blues,&#8221; &#8220;My Favorite Memory,&#8221; &#8220;Fugitive,&#8221; &#8220;Fightin&#8217; Side of Me&#8221; and &#8220;Legend of Bonnie and Clyde.&#8221; Today at 10 a.m., you can buy tickets to see this country icon live at the Cheyenne Civic Center on Feb. 10. Haggard&#8217;s friends and collaborators have ranged from Willie Nelson to George Jones and Conway Twitty &#8211; just to name a few. Late last year, Haggard was dealing with lung cancer and had a lemon-sized tumor removed from his right lung. According to his Web site, doctors removed the upper lobe of his right lung, and Haggard said he does not require any radiation or chemotherapy. He now has a clean bill of health and is touring harder in 2009 than he ever has before. Dru Rohla, the director of the Cheyenne Civic Center, said Haggard&#8217;s management approached him about a possible February performance in Cheyenne. &#8220;It&#8217;s an opportunity to bring back a country Western legend to Cheyenne,&#8221; Rohla said. &#8220;The last time he played here at the Cheyenne Civic Center was in July of 2000, and the show went very well.&#8221; Rohla said the 2000 show gave viewers the opportunity to witness someone who had been perfecting his craft for several decades. &#8220;It&#8217;s an experience to witness an entertainer who has that ability to project his music that is basically timeless,&#8221; Rohla said. Initially, he thought the 2000 show would only draw an older audience. He was wrong. &#8220;The people who bought tickets were younger,&#8221; he said. On Thursday, a 23-year-old gentleman and Haggard fan called the Cheyenne Civic Center asking about tickets, Rohla said. &#8220;He said he&#8217;s his favorite country singer of all time,&#8221; Rohla said. &#8220;That&#8217;s the great thing with Merle Haggard. He can span that generation gap.&#8221; Haggard&#8217;s bio says that he&#8217;s considered one of the greatest influences in country music. Haggard has charted a multitude of Top Ten songs and has won just about every music award that is possible for a performer and a songwriter. He received the great honor in 1994 of being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. &#8220;In the Country Western music industry, there are few legendary, icon status performers left,&#8221; Rohla said. &#8220;There&#8217;s Merle along with Willie Nelson, Ray Price and Charlie Pride, in a short list of Country Western legends that are still performing.&#8221; Merle Haggard Tickets for the country legend&#8217;s show at the Civic Center go on sale at 10 a.m. today When: Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m. Where: Cheyenne Civic Center, 510 W. 20th St. Tickets: $42-$50 More info: 637-6363, www.cheyenneciviccenter.org Merle Haggard in Casper When: Feb. 11, 7:30 pm Where: Casper Events Center, Number One Events Drive, Casper Tickets: $42-$52...]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Merle Haggard beats lung cancer</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2008/12/merle-haggard-beats-lung-cancer/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2008/12/merle-haggard-beats-lung-cancer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:47:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/_merleswp/?p=23</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[LOS ANGELES (Reuters) &#8211; Merle Haggard is not letting a bout with lung cancer get in the way of his ambitious touring and recording plans. Seven weeks after the 71-year-old country legend had a lemon-sized tumor removed in what he calls &#8220;the greatest test of my fortitude,&#8221; he said on Wednesday that he expects to work harder in 2009 than he has in 20 years. Haggard says he is singing better now that he is in the throes of kicking his daily marijuana habit. More importantly, the son of Depression-era Dust Bowl migrants from Oklahoma views himself as a cheerleader during tough times. &#8220;I think we can stir up some good humor out there among the folks that are crying for good news, and just give them a moment&#8217;s happiness,&#8221; he told Reuters. Haggard will play his first concerts in a little over two months on Friday and Saturday in his central California hometown of Bakersfield. They will be the first shows of his life where he has not loosened up before with either tobacco or marijuana, he said. &#8220;So it&#8217;s gonna be interesting as to what kind of a show comes out of this body that&#8217;s used to performing the other way.&#8221; Haggard, who once derided pot-smoking hippies in his 1969 hit &#8220;Okie From Muskogee,&#8221; got hooked on marijuana after a doctor said it was a good substitute for his Valium habit. WOMEN&#8217;S PRISONS He gave up a few times over the years, but &#8220;nothing was funny,&#8221; he said. He quit again, four days before going under the knife on November 3, and prays that he does not lose his creative mojo. Doctors removed the upper lobe of his right lung, and Haggard said he does not require any radiation or chemotherapy. With a clean bill of health, he is mapping out his 2009 itinerary and is eyeing some unusual venues, namely churches, hospitals and prisons. &#8220;Especially women&#8217;s prisons, they get overlooked,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We played a women&#8217;s prison in Wyoming one time, and it was the greatest response I&#8217;ve ever received in my life. Forty women was all that were there, and 40 women cried when we left.&#8221; Haggard can relate to that crowd. From the ages of 14 to 23, he was in and out of institutions for various petty crimes. He spent his 21st birthday behind bars at San Quentin State Prison, where he served nearly three years for burglary. In 1959, prisoner 45200 watched Johnny Cash perform there. Haggard eventually found fame in the late 1960s with such chart-topping tunes as &#8220;Branded Man,&#8221; which was inspired by his fear that his criminal past would become public knowledge. A follow-up ballad &#8220;Sing Me Back Home&#8221; was inspired by a San Quentin buddy who eventually was executed. With 39 No. 1 hits to his credit, Haggard ranks alongside Cash, George Jones and Willie Nelson as a giant of country music. But his elegantly crafted tunes have drawn from all musical genres, including, folk, pop, jazz, blues and...]]></description>
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		<title>MERLE HAGGARD BACK HOME</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2008/11/merle-haggard-back-home/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2008/11/merle-haggard-back-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:46:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/_merleswp/?p=21</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[MERLE HAGGARD IS BACK HOME AFTER LUNG SURGERY; UPON WAKING UP POST-OP, MERLE OPENED HIS EYES, YODELED AND SMILED MERLE HAGGARD arrived home five days after having lung surgery in a Bakersfield hospital last Monday morning. It was discovered during a previous biopsy that he had non-small cell lung cancer, which has a far better cure rate than the small (oat) cell cancer. At this time, tests show that they were able to eliminate the affected tissue when they removed the upper lobe of his right lung. Upon waking up after the surgery, Hag opened his eyes, yodeled and smiled. Haggard’s post-operation progress was so rapid and successful he was discharged on Saturday night. “Due to the surgeon, Dr. Peck, the Tylenol pushers on the fourth floor of the Memorial Hospital, and most of all, my wife Theresa, I’m feeling good…better and better each day,” says Haggard. “If not for the love and wisdom of my wife, I might not be around today.” Haggard adds, “I’d sure like to know who controls the largest shares of Tylenol. God forbid it be the oil companies!” Mr. Haggard and his family are respectfully asking for privacy at this time. Your prayers and good thoughts would be very much appreciated.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Letter From the Haggard&#039;s</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2008/11/letter-from-the-haggards/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2008/11/letter-from-the-haggards/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:51:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[From Merle & Theresa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/_merleswp/?p=27</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Fans, Friends, Family, and Acquaintances Merle has undergone the removal of a cancerous growth in his right lung. Merle is recuperating from the surgery and doing better and better each day. I would like to personally thank all of you who took the time to send your love, support, care, concern, and most of all, all of your prayers! Merle and I both believe strongly in our Lord Jesus Christ and His healing powers. After all He is the greatest physician of all. Believing in our prayers to be answered is the key. Faith! Sincerely with the upmost gratitude, Theresa Haggard]]></description>
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		<title>Merle is The Main Man</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2008/08/merle-is-the-main-man/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2008/08/merle-is-the-main-man/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:45:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/_merleswp/?p=19</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[MERLE HAGGARD TO HEADLINE THE 12th Annual Sturgis South Motorcycle Rally in front of an expected 40,000 plus bikers! The performance will be held in City Park, Sturgis. Merle will perform @ 8:00 PM. For more information go to www.sturgismsrally.com!]]></description>
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		<title>Chester Smith a dear and life long friend</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2008/08/chester-smith-a-dear-and-life-long-friend/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2008/08/chester-smith-a-dear-and-life-long-friend/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:44:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[From Merle & Theresa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/_merleswp/?p=16</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Chester Smith a dear and life long friend of Merle&#8217;s, past away on August 8, 2008. He was known for his hit song &#8220;Wait a little longer please Jesus&#8221; and &#8220;Holiday For Tears&#8221;. &#8220;Wait a little longer &#8221; became an international hit in the pop field. He went on to start his own radio station &#8220;Kloc&#8221; in Ceres, California. Merle&#8217;s awareness of Chester goes back to 1947, in the years he spent with KTRB Modesto as a disc jockey who called himself &#8220;Chester String Bean Smith&#8221;. He was once nearly fired for playing an Ernest Tubb record. The owner specifically told him not to play that, because it was too &#8220;hillbilly&#8221;. Some months there after, the owner came to work and found there was no place to park within walking distance of his own station, because of the crowd. He came in to see &#8220;String Bean&#8221; was on the microphone doin&#8217; his thing. The owner walked in and said &#8220;what&#8217;s all the commotion about?&#8221; Chester replied &#8220;a celebrity friend of mine is gonna stop by&#8221;! &#8220;Please tell me, who do you know so famous?&#8221; With a slight grin Chester replied &#8220;oh, just an old &#8220;hillbilly&#8221; singer named Ernest Tubb&#8221;. Needless to say from that day on Chester had the last word on what to program on the air. From that day on he became the holy grail of country and gospel music. He was like an ambassador to the city of Modesto, California. He was a mentor and always full of wisdom and inspiration. My wife Theresa , myself and my family will miss him dearly. We are sure that Chester is in charge of programming a much bigger deal! More Links about Chester Smith: Hillbilly-Music Dawt Com Modesto Radio Museum]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>MERLE HAGGARD’S ‘THE BLUEGRASS SESSIONS’</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2007/07/merle-haggard%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%98the-bluegrass-sessions%e2%80%99/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jul 2007 01:43:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[MERLE HAGGARD’S ‘THE BLUEGRASS SESSIONS’ OUT OCTOBER 2; FIRST BLUEGRASS ALBUM IN HAGGARD’S LEGENDARY CAREER FEATURES DUET WITH ALISON KRAUSS In a career spanning more than 40 years, country music legend MERLE HAGGARD has found a new direction to explore with THE BLUEGRASS SESSIONS, in stores October 2. HAGGARD’s first-ever foray into bluegrass – to be released by bluegrass luminary Del McCoury’s McCoury Music label – features a duet with Alison Krauss on the HAGGARD-penned classic “Mama’s Hungry Eyes.” Joined by a savvy cast of musicians (including Marty Stuart on guitar and mandolin), HAGGARD recorded THE BLUEGRASS SESSIONS at Ricky Skaggs’s Tennessee studio in two days of intimate “living room style” sessions, as Stuart explains in the disc’s liner notes. “Each take became a performance. Merle’s singing was totally inspired,” Stuart writes. “In fact, he got to the point where he didn’t even go into the control room to listen to playbacks. There was no need. All of us knew what we were doing was right.” Says HAGGARD: “I really enjoyed doing it, and I hope this is just Volume One.” THE BLUEGRASS SESSIONS features a handful of reworked HAGGARD classics (including “Big City”), several new HAG tracks, and a few nods to bluegrass tradition (a medley of Jimmie Rodgers songs, and the Delmore Brothers’ album-ending “Blues Stay Away From Me”). Although SESSIONS marks HAGGARD’s first venture into bluegrass, it is a logical step for the Country Music Hall of Famer. A pioneering artist in his own right, HAGGARD has long shown an affinity for the roots of American music – whether it’s with tributes to predecessors like Bob Wills and Lefty Frizzell, or his recent back-to-basics albums with fellow country luminaries George Jones (last year’s Kickin’ Out The Footlights…Again), and Willie Nelson and Ray Price (this year’s double CD Last Of The Breed). HAGGARD has been hailed as “the indomitable guardian of country tradition” in Blender, and dubbed “the most influential country singer of his generation” by the L.A. Times. His disc with Jones earned this praise from People in a 4-star Critic’s Choice review: “You’d be hard-pressed to find a better country album than this collection featuring two still-vigorous old warriors.” The sentiments for Last Of The Breed with Nelson and Price were similar. Of that disc, Entertainment Weekly said, “This veritable Mount Rushmore mostly revisits forgotten country classics, making this a particularly tasty hall-of-famer hookup.”]]></description>
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		<title>MERLE HAGGARD GETS A NEW STREET FOR CHRISTMAS</title>
		<link>http://merlehaggard.com/2006/12/merle-haggard-gets-a-new-street-for-christmas/</link>
		<comments>http://merlehaggard.com/2006/12/merle-haggard-gets-a-new-street-for-christmas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Dec 2006 01:42:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Merle Haggard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://merlehaggard.com/_merleswp/?p=9</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[MERLE HAGGARD GETS A NEW STREET FOR CHRISTMAS: MERLE HAGGARD DRIVE TO BE UNVEILED IN COUNTRY LEGEND’S BIRTHPLACE OILDALE, CA Country legend MERLE HAGGARD is being honored in his birthplace – Oildale, CA – with a stretch of road soon to be renamed in his honor. Earlier this week, Oildale’s Board of Supervisors chose a 3 ½ mile stretch of 7th Standard Road (from Highway 99 to North Chester Ave.) to be newly dubbed Merle Haggard Drive. HAGGARD was born in the town, just north of Bakersfield, in 1937. Meanwhile, HAGGARD’s recently released CD with fellow icon George Jones – KICKIN’ OUT THE FOOTLIGHTS…AGAIN – has earned continued praise for the man the Los Angeles Times calls “the most influential country singer of his generation.” “You’d be hard-pressed to find a better country album than this collection featuring two still-vigorous old warriors,” reads People’s 4-star Critic’s Choice review. Rolling Stone asks, “Hag and Jones cover each other’s songs – what’s not to like?” and Amazon.com ponders, “Who knew hard-luck autobiography could sound so exquisite?”]]></description>
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