Where has this video been all my life?
We all know Merle Haggard was the king of impressions, and I recently stumbled upon one that just might be his best.
He appeared on The Ralph Emery Special back in 1969 with his then-wife, Bonnie Owens, to sing a little duet… Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash’s 1967 hit “Jackson”.
Merle opens it by teasing Johnny, walking around the stage and mimicking his mannerisms, saying:
“Hello, I’m Jonny Cash. We’d like to welcome you to WSM The Grand Ole Opry, Music City, USA.
Tonight, we have with us some of the greatest names in country music, Mr. Marty Robins, Marty…”
Then, Merle starts singing the opening lines of “Okee From Muskogee” as a joke, immediately telling his wife Bonnie:
“Come on over here June, help me sing this song.”
He changed some of the lyrics of the song, like calling the “pepper sprout” a “popcorn sprout,” and then adding in random lines pieced together from “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Orange Blossom Special.”
It’s pretty dang funny, and once again, Merle nails the perfect Johnny Cash impression:
And the OGs…
