Posted on 04/18/2016 9:55:37 AM PDT by Mariner
Keith Richards was facing seven years in prison in 1977 for a massive drug bust at his Toronto hotel room. The night before he was sentenced, he headed to Toronto's Interchange Studios and recorded several songs he'd learned from his late friend Gram Parsons. The highlight was "Sing Me Back Home," a ballad Merle Haggard wrote about his time at San Quentin. For our upcoming issue, Richards spoke with Rolling Stone about his appreciation for Haggard, who died earlier this month, who he calls "one of the great country singers of all time and a hell of a guitar player."
I first met Hag about 10 years ago, doing a TV special. We're at rehearsal, and I'm sitting on the drum riser. There's a cat sitting to my right, grizzled beard, straw Stetson. A nod and a wink. Then I take a second look, and I know it's Merle Haggard. I almost lost the bridge on that song! What a lovely picker. Sometimes you meet somebody and you know instantly that you're friends. He was one of those kind of cats to me. Merle was warm. A twinkle in the eye. You knew he'd been around, and he knew I had too. Hence the nod and the wink.
We talked about Gram Parsons. I still miss that bugger. Gram had hung with Merle for a while in Bakersfield, and Gram came back saying, "This cat’s really special." In the couple of years that I knew Gram, I got a severe education in country music. I was already a fan – I'd known Hank Williams for as long as I can remember, and I was quite familiar with Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton when they were a duo. But Gram knew so much.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
I read half-way through this paragraph, thinking Richards was going stream-of-consciousness about somebody's pet.
Then I realized he was still using his 1960's lingo.
Keith Richards outlives yet another hard-living musician...
Richards learned open tuning techniques from Bobby Goldsboro. Richards makes no bones about his respect for C&W music.
That wont work when he outlives Mick. ;)
Merle Haggard was pardoned by Governor Ronald Reagan.
I’m assuming this was an interpreter’s version of KR’s mumbling?
How old is Keith Richards in cat years?
How old is Keith Richards in cat years?
Doesn’t get much better than Merle.
Keef has penned and performed a number of country tunes, and he adores Mississippi delta blues.
Charlie Watts likes to do big band jazz.
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