{"id":55961,"date":"2016-04-09T08:00:44","date_gmt":"2016-04-09T13:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whisnews21.com\/?p=55961"},"modified":"2016-04-09T08:00:44","modified_gmt":"2016-04-09T13:00:44","slug":"48-hours-after-merles-death-willie-breaks-his-silence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/2016\/04\/09\/48-hours-after-merles-death-willie-breaks-his-silence\/","title":{"rendered":"48 Hours After Merle’s Death Willie Breaks His Silence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MerleHaggard004\"48 Hours After Merle Haggard\u2019s Death Willie Nelson Breaks His Silence<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When news broke that Merle Haggard died on his 79th birthday, every true music fan instantly thought of Willie Nelson<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"pancho\"If you\u2019re reading this article, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ve been listening to Merle Haggard non-stop. And there\u2019s an even better chance that many of those Merle songs are duets with his \u201cbrother\u201d, Willie Nelson. The two had been friends for almost half a century, and had gotten even closer after releasing their sixth collaborative album, Django and Jimmie, just last summer. When I heard what Willie had to say about losing his partner-in-crime, I admired their friendship and contributions to music even more.<\/p>\n

Did you know that Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson first met at a game of poker that was held at Willie\u2019s Nashville home in 1964. At the time, they were struggling songwriters. However, they didn\u2019t become close until playing at casinos in Reno in the late \u201970s.<\/p>\n

\"willie-nelson-600x378\"\u201cWe\u2019d play a couple of long shows a day, then spend all night long jamming,\u201d Haggard told Rolling Stone.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hours after media outlets confirmed Merle\u2019s death, Willie released a sentimental statement. It breaks my heart to imagine the pain Willie is enduring after losing such a monumental figure in his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was my brother. My friend. I will miss him,\u201d Willie said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Willie tweeted the statement along with a priceless photo of him and Merle. He also included a link to the music video for their hit song \u201cPancho and Lefty\u201d. The simplicity of Willie\u2019s statement is a reflection of the extraordinary man that millions are missing today. The details of their friendship made me miss Merle even more.<\/p>\n

\"WillieMerleTour\"Did you know that Merle and Willie recorded \u201cPancho and Lefty\u201d at Willie\u2019s ranch near Austin, where they\u2019d stay awake for days. The two would play golf all day, then record music all night. Willie claims they \u201cwere living pretty hard in that time period,\u201d and their timeless music is proof.\u00a0\u201cPancho & Lefty was a different beast. Released during a time when country artists were beginning to borrow more and more heavily from pop music, the album doubled down on twang and dusty cowboy imagery, bringing a sense of old-school honky-tonk back to a rapidly modernizing genre,\u201d Rolling Stone magazine said.<\/p>\n

Fans were thrilled when Willie and Merle released another duet album to cherish last summer. Django and Jimmie was an instant chart-topper, and the two country music legends spent most of their time praising each other during interviews promoting the new album.<\/p>\n

\"Screen-Shot-2016-04-07-at-11.05.10-AM\"\u201cIt\u2019s a mutual-admiration society with us,\u201d Willie said. \u201cMerle\u2019s one of the best. There\u2019s not anyone out there that can beat him.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

True to their outlaw roots, the first single Willie and Merle released from the new album was called \u201cIt\u2019s All Going to Pot.\u201d The pro-cannabis song sparked quite a controversy, but fans were shocked when Merle revealed how he REALLY felt about the green leaf his \u2018BFF\u2019 Willie sang about so much\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the time I wrote \u2018Okie From Muskogee,\u2019 I didn\u2019t smoke. It was \u201968. I thought it was responsible for the flower children walking around with their mouths open. It was not so. But if a guy doesn\u2019t learn anything in 50 years, there\u2019s something wrong with him,\u201d Merle said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Merle was well-aquainted with causing controversy through his music. Although he released several No.1 singles throughout the 1960s, his most controversial song, \u201cOkie From Muskogee,\u201d defined a generation and became his signature song.<\/p>\n

\"Merle_Haggard_F35tif2When Merle released \u201cOkie From Muskogee\u201d in 1969, it became the anthem for many Americans whose patriotism and conservative values were under persecution from Vietnam War protesters and hippies. The controversial single crossed over to the pop charts and in 1970 earned Merle the Country Music Association\u2019s Awards for Single, Entertainer and Top Male Vocalist of Year. The album of the same name also won Album of the Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lack of respect for the American military hurt my feelings at the time,\u201d Merle once said<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Although \u201cIt\u2019s All Going To Pot\u201d got most of the spotlight when Merle and Willie debuted their sixth duet album, it was their song \u201cMissing Ol\u2019 Johnny Cash,\u201d that touched fans and music critics the most. Rolling Stone magazine called the song \u201cone of the best\u201d and described it as \u201can ode to their late friend and a meditation on mortality.\u201d When I listened to the song\u2019s lyrics, I realized once again that Merle\u2019s storytelling lyrics are incomparable.<\/p>\n

\"Cash-and-Meryl\u201cWell, Johnny Cash was a friend of mine, knew him well for a mighty long time. Shared the stage for many a show, broke my heart to see him go. Cash had the fire of a thousand men, lovin\u2019 life was his greatest sin. Treated his fans like the next of kin. Rappin\u2019 a bit, talkin\u2019 trash. Missing ol\u2019 Johnny Cash.\u201d \u2013 Merle Haggard, \u201cMissing Ol\u2019 Johnny Cash\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Did You Know that\u00a0Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash\u2019s first encounter was on January 1, 1958 at San Quentin, a maximum-security penitentiary just outside of San Francisco. It was Johnny\u2019s first-ever prison concert \u2013 a concert that inspired Merle Haggard, then a 20-year-old San Quentin inmate, to become a country music legend. But the story of how they actually met is even more mind-blowing.<\/p>\n

\u201cJohnny Cash was a special friend to me. We understood each other \u2013 we had the same upbringing, the same sense of humor,\u201d Merle once said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Screen-Shot-2016-04-07-at-12.44.32-PM\"The two country music legends didn\u2019t actually meet until 1963, when they ran into each other in the bathroom at a recording studio. And yes, it happened while they were next to each other in the urinals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had some crazy times. He and I became real close friends. I think we would\u2019ve killed for each other,\u201d Merle said about Johnny.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"merle-haggard-gq-1105-5\"It was Johnny Cash who encouraged Merle to be open about his criminal past. Merle\u2019s biggest fear was the public discovering all the crimes he\u2019d committed, but Johnny convinced him that the people would support him and even better \u2013 the tabloids wouldn\u2019t be able to throw it in Merle\u2019s face if he threw it in their face first. Merle\u2019s fans loved him even more after learning he escaped prison 17 times.<\/p>\n

\u201cJohnny always said to me, he said, \u2018Merle, you\u2019re everything that people think I am,’\u201d Merle told Vanity Fair in 2010.\u00a0\u201cPrison is the biggest business in America. [If] you got the money, you can build a prison out in Nevada and it\u2019ll be filled before you finish building it. That\u2019s a fact, and that\u2019s a shame,\u201d Merle once said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"21-og\"Did You Know that\u00a0 Merle and Johnny were so protective of each other, that Merle mouthed off to CBS Records executive, Rick Blackburn, in 1985 after he fired Johnny Cash. Blackburn hated one of the songs Johnny had recently recorded and went out of his way to tell Merle too \u2013 every time he saw him. Merle bit his tongue for a while, but eventually he gave Blackburn a piece of his mind and stood up for his dear friend, Johnny Cash.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s about the third time you\u2019ve told me that.\u201d Merle told Blackburn, \u201cIt\u2019s more like five times. Well, I\u2019m about five times short of telling you to go to hell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho do you think you are? You\u2019re the son-of-a-b**** that sat at that desk over there and fired Johnny Cash. Let it go down in history that you\u2019re the dumbest son-of-a-b**** I\u2019ve ever met,\u201d Merle said as he finished mouthing off to Blackburn.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Screen-Shot-2016-04-07-at-1.47.19-PM\"One of Merle\u2019s most legendary memories with Johnny is the time Johnny thought it would be hilarious to dynamite a broken-down car he discovered on the side of the road. Merle\u2019s retelling of the story made me laugh so hard.\u00a0\u201c[Johnny] hooks it all up, hits the plunger and blows it up. And he said, \u2018Now, when that guy goes to tell his old lady his car blew up, he won\u2019t be lying!’\u201d Merle said<\/p>\n

\"w\"Although the loss of Merle is painful to bear, I\u2019m sure Willie Nelson finds peace knowing his best friend is now jamming in heaven with Johnny Cash \u2013 and don\u2019t forget about Waylon Jennings and George Jones.\u00a0\u201cHaggard\u2019s music remained some of the most consistently interesting and inventive in country music. Not only have his recordings remained fresh, but each subsequent generation of country singers shows a great debt to his work. That fact stands as a testament to his great talent even more than his induction to the Country Music Hall of Fame,\u201d CMT said.<\/p>\n

As the saying goes, \u201cLegends never die\u201d, but that doesn\u2019t mean the pain his fans are experiencing right now is excessive. We\u2019re sad because the man who made music that became the soundtrack to our lives is gone \u2013 and completely irreplaceable.<\/p>\n

\"MerleHaggard003\"Whether his music was the only song you could relate to in the 1960s, whether his criminal past inspired you with hope, or whether you have infinite cherished memories with your father playing Merle\u2019s timeless music on the way to school everyday in the 90s \u2013 it\u2019s okay to be sad.<\/p>\n

Merle Haggard isn\u2019t just a legend \u2013 he\u2019s transcendent.\u00a0At least we have his music to help us cope, and the immeasurable impact he\u2019s made on all our lives, especially Willie Nelson\u2019s, that will continue to impact others for generations to come.<\/p>\n

No matter what genre of music you prefer, Pancho and Lefty will go down in history as the greatest collaboration of all time. Their bond is incomparable, and this loss is unfathomable.<\/p>\n

We ask that you keep Willie Nelson and the rest of Merle Haggard\u2019s loved ones in your prayers \u2013 they need them now more than ever –\u00a0God bless Willie Nelson as he mourns.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0– qpolitical<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

48 Hours After Merle Haggard\u2019s Death Willie Nelson Breaks His Silence When news broke that Merle Haggard died on his 79th birthday, every true music fan instantly thought of Willie Nelson If you\u2019re reading this article, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ve been listening to Merle Haggard non-stop. And there\u2019s an even better chance that many of those Merle songs are duets with his \u201cbrother\u201d, Willie Nelson. The two had been friends for almost half a century, and had gotten even closer after releasing their sixth collaborative album, Django and Jimmie,<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55961"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}