Happy Birthday Merle.
April 6th is the day that the great Merle Haggard came into this world, way back in 1937, but it’s also the day that he left it, 4 years ago today in 2016.
I still remember where I was when I found out The Hag had passed away. I walking in the rain to a CVS Pharmacy to get a box to mail something and I remember turning on some Merle for my walk home, and not caring at all that it was raining. I just seemed appropriate, like the Heavens were crying.
Anyways, back to Merle.
Merle has been and will continue to be one of the most-covered country artists of all time, and just about everybody in the game (at least anybody worth a shit) has done a Merle song at one time or another.
Here’s a few favorites from recent memory.
Cody Jinks – “The Way I Am”
Miranda Lambert – “Misery & Gin”
Eric Church – “Heaven Was A Drink Of Wine”
Ronnie Dunn – “That’s The Way Love Goes”
Reba McEntire – “Mama Tried”
Ben Haggard – “Footlights”