Had the privilege to see Merle Haggard in concert 3 times. The second time I saw him was before Bonnie Owens died. My wife and I thought we might be able to meet Merle if we got to his bus before the show began. We got there before the crowd arrived and went up to the bus and saw this little bitty woman, all dressed up in a cowgirl costume sitting on the outside of the bus. It was Bonnie Owens and we asked could we meet Merle. She apologized and said he was on the bus sleeping but if he woke up before we got though talking with her he would certainly talk to us. We talked to Bonnie for about 15 minutes. Never saw a more down-to-earth entertainer in my life. Back in the 60s she was married to Buck Owens before she married Merle, and was a fine singer in her own right. I gave her a song I had written and she said she would give it to Merle. Bonnie died about a few years ago. IMHO Merle Haggard was the greatest singer/songwriter of the past 50 years. Her was also a great impersonator and could sound just like a lot of the great country stars. All the great country singers are leaving us. I’ve got about 50 Merle Haggard albums. He and George Jones were my favorites, along with Lefty and Hank Williams. Rest in peace Mr. Merle Haggard. Your likes will not come this way again and you will live in our memories forever because your music will never die.
Merle was Bonnie’s great love. I knew Bonnie, Buck, and Merle.
She loved him til the day she died.