Billy Joe Shaver.....the original "Whacko from Waco....touring hard at 76.
Posted on 04/06/2016 10:42:04 AM PDT by BuckeyeTexan
I thought about that song when I originally read that editorial. Raye was talking about the ignorant bro country songs rather than ... wait for it ...
the perfect country and western song.
Merle was Bonnie’s great love. I knew Bonnie, Buck, and Merle.
She loved him til the day she died.
In the late 1960s I noticed Country Music then was nothing more than 1950s rock and roll.
I’m still partial to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys and Sons of the Pioneers, Marty Robbins.
To me, Haggard was the most authentic country singer/performer of my generation. Listening to “Silver Wings” as I type this. Will go to his part in “Pancho and Lefty” next.
A friend just sent this to me. Not sure of the source, maybe Twitter? Anyway, a comment from Merle’s son, Ben Haggard:
“A week ago dad told us he was gonna pass on his birthday, and he wasn’t wrong. A hour ago he took his last breath surrounded by family and friends. He loved everything about life and he loved that everyone of you gave him a chance with his music. He wasn’t just a country singer.. He was the best country singer that ever lived.”
Awesome!
I grew up in East Tennessee, right next to the Smoky Mtns Nat’l Park...Chet Atkins, Archie Campbell, Dolly Parton...
Kenny Chesney went to high school where I once coached football (before his time)
We had real country music, though “Texas Swing” was also country at it’s best too....
Thankful we got to see him three years ago up in North Bay. Merle was masterful, a night to remember. RIP to The Hag!
Great story about the Hag.
RIP Mr. Haggard.
Reminds me of the joke what kind of music do rabbits listen to?
Hip Hop!
My mom’s folks were from Nashville and they knew many of the Grand Ole Opry stars back in the 1940s.
Mom married dad, went west. One day the Grand old Opry came to town and she went to see it. She asked one of the promoters if Roy Acuff would be there.
He looked shook, and said Roy could not make it.
During the program out came Minnie Perl! Mom was shocked as it was NOT Minnie Pearl.
She realized they were all a bunch of fakes skimming the high Plains people who had never seen a real Opry star.
When she looked at her program, it was Minnie Perl, Not Minnie PeArl.
He’ll never swim Kern River again!
Remember Homer and Jethro??
I knew Jethro Burns pretty well...His nephew and I played ball together...
I met Bobby Austin when he was a patient at the Portland VA hospital. His wife Vern told me some great stories of about having to run Merle, Buck and George Jones out of her house when they would all be getting drunk with Bobby. She said she would say “now dammit I’ve got kids to get up for school in the morning and ya’ll better get out of here”!
Billy Joe Shaver.....the original "Whacko from Waco....touring hard at 76.
They made lots of spoof songs and were very funny.
Well there is this fellow; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX4IDwa2_h0
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