Well this year sure is being hard on musicians, with word of the passing of Merle Haggard today at the age of 79, and on his birthday to boot. This really sucks and is making me feel older as many of these guys I have seen in concert and have hoped to see again.
I remember as child hearing Merle Haggard being played on vinyl by my parents along with Cash, Nelson and Jennings. I know I wasn't a fan of the country music as a kid, but as I got older and went through the ups and downs of what life is, I surely grew to understand what the old time country was really about. Especially the outlaw country music, in which Merle certainly was one. A good buddy of mine Buzzard also got me into the old country music when I was in my early 20's and haven't stopped listening since. Now it's not something I play all the time, but there is a time and place for this stuff, and today is certainly one of them. I am going to pour myself a stiff drink and spin some Merle Haggard in memory of a true legend.
I was lucky that I got to see Merle in concert a few times. The first time was in 2001 at the Coliseum here in Edmonton, row 2 on the floor. This was the perfect time for me to see someone like Merle for the first time, as I was going through a break up of my own at the time. So the tunes really hit the heart. And it was the first time Merle had played in Edmonton in over a decade. A great show it was.
The second time I saw Merle was in 2010 when he played the River Cree Casino on the outskirts of Edmonton. He did two shows that evening, My buddy Buzzard and I attended the late show, and again, he put on an amazing show. So thankful that I had the opportunity to see this original country music outlaw. Rest In Peace Merle, your music will live on.
A couple pictures I took at the show in 2010. Not very good pictures as you can probably tell I took the photos of the screen they had at the venue as my seats weren't the greatest. The very first picture of this post is from the same show, but is actually of him up on stage.
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