Daily Grist–“Political correctness is pure cyanide to common sense.” JDRhynes
The first time I heard Merle Haggard sing on a radio was in June of 1964. I was in my 1956 Ford pickup and I was talking to a friend of mine in front of his house, in Linden California. I had just started my truck to go home and the radio happened to be on, and that was when I heard the first notes of Merle’s classic song,”swinging doors”. My buddy stuck his head to the drivers window and said who the hell is that singing? We both were just transfixed in place by that song. Roy Nichols “bending the wires”on his telecaster, and Merle Haggard singing as only he could! From that time on I was a huge Merle Haggard fan and supporter.
In 1969 Merle came out with his classic two LP album of Jimmie Rodgers songs, entitled “same train different time”.I will never forget the first time I heard a song from that album. I was on my way home from work on highway 26 and I was listening to a station in Modesto California and a friend of mine, Glen Stepp, was the disc jockey. He played Rogers classic song,”blue yodel number three”, and before the song was over I had turnaround my car and was headed to Stockton, to Fretias music store in downtown Stockton. I got there 5 min. before closing time, and the owner was a friend of mine that I had known since I was a teenager. He was at the counter and greeted me when I walked through the door. I asked if he had Merle Haggard’s latest record in stock, to which he replied, you mean”same train different time”?
That’s the one I’m looking for, and he promptly laid one on the counter, and I’m more than happy to pay him $6.50 plus tax for that wonderful two record set that I listen to well after midnight when I got home. In years to come I was able to have Merle autograph the cover of that set, along with the cover of his tribute to Bob wills, best damn fiddle player in the world. Those are two of my most precious material possessions.
Fast forward to the year 2000. When the promoter of the late-summer bluegrass Festival informed me that he had booked Merle Haggard to appear at the festival on Thursday night, I knew this is my one chance to do something special for Merle to show my appreciation for his music that I had enjoyed over the years. I had been creating metal art all of my life and what better way to show my appreciation for Merle’s music than to create a special piece of metal art just for him. I thought about what I wanted to create for a couple of days and nights, and one morning when I woke up, there it was right in front of me mentally. About a week later I had it finished and here’s what it turned out to be. I made the base of a piece of 1/8 inch plate, about 3 feet long in the shape of the state of California. I used a map of the state of California for the pattern. I engraved Two stars on the base and fill them with brass, one over the city of Bakersfield were Merle was born, and one over the city of Redding were Merle lived. Then I cut out the letters HAG out of 5/8 plate and welded them to the base. Then I built a full-size hollow body guitar out of metal, welded it in place leaning on the H of Merle’s nicknameHAG. Fast forward to the Thursday night of the festival. My friend Ronnie Reno was appearing at the festival with his band, and he and Merle were the best of friends because Ronnie had played in Merle’s band for eight years. Ronnie told Merle we had a little surprise for him and when would he like for us to present it to him on stage. Merle said right after my opening number,”Silver wings”. We had it sitting on a road case that had wheels on it, and when I pushed it to the front of the stage Merle’s eyes get big as dinner plates, and was in total shock and surprise ! Mounted on the base was a small brass plaque with a few words that I composed; for Merle Haggard one of America’s true living treasures. Thank you for all the music and for being just a good old boy. When Merle shook my hand and thanked me, the look in his eye was one of genuine appreciation. I will treasure that moment with Merle for all eternity.
We all know that on April 6 of this year, Merle’s 79th anniversary of his birth, he passed over Jordan. I was admitted to the hospital on that day due to complications from a gallbladder operation on March 10, and spent the next six days in the hospital. Consequently I was not able to attend Merle’s funeral service, which Ronnie Reno told me I was more than welcome to attend with him. Ronnie said Merle had time to plan the whole service and it was a thing of beauty. Short and sweet and right to the point. What more could a man ask then to die the way you want to. After all, that’s all we really get out of this life isn’t it. Merle had the best of both worlds in the end, spent his whole life playing music and entertaining people all over the world, and when it’s time to leave he got to plan his own funeral service and who he wanted to be there honoring him with word and song. Godspeed my friend and may you rest in peace until we meet on that glorious day.
