A fun event has sprouted up from the community of musicians and neighbors around the Kraken. My buddy Lance White (Too Much Fun band fearless leader and honorable member of the Mystery Hillbillies sideman team) has taken on the task of cat herding over 40 singers, 3 house bands and various solos and duos, for a night filled with Merle Haggard songs. You know THAT’S gonna be fun. Merle was an amazing singer, a great guitar player, and a poet of the working man. He was able to walk among a lot of different kinds of people and command respect from folks who might not always respect each other. He kept his integrity until the end.
For a glimpse into Merle’s personality and thinking toward the end of his life, this article is worth the read. It’s an interview with Merle and Sturgill Simpson. Sturgill is a bit of a modern day working man/thinking man’s poet, and the two have a clear respect for each other. Both play the kind of country music that is on a largely separate track from most mainstream contemporary country (which is fine with me). Sturgill’s first exposure to Merle Haggard’s songs came from 8 track tapes in his Grandfather’s Bronco. Merle and Marty Robbins were his granddad’s favorites.
At the Kraken on Friday night, June 10th, all of us cats will assemble to sing nothing but Merle songs. So excited to be part of it. Robert Graham is responsible for the artwork and assembly of the excellent poster, which lists all of our names around the edge. Looks great, doesn’t it? Please share it, and print yourself one for your music room. You can copy it, share this post, and/or visit the facebook event page.
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