MERLE HAGGARD EXCELLENT '76 2 LP SONGS I'LL ALWAYS SING

MERLE HAGGARD SONGS I'LL ALWAYS SING 2 LPCategory / Style / Moods: Country Honky Tonk, Bakersfield Sound, Western Swing Revival, Traditional Country, Progressive Country / 1777 S1976 CAPITOL 2 LPTITLE: SONGS I'LL ALWAYS SINGARTIST: MERLE HAGGARDCONDITIONVINYL: VG+ OR BETTERCOVER: VGClick here for info on grading and abbreviationsEXCELLENT COMP ORIGINAL PRESS TRACKS: Disc: 11.Okie from MuskogeeBurris, Haggard 2.The Emptiest Arms in the WorldHaggard 3.Mama TriedHaggard 4.Swinging DoorsHaggard 5.Uncle LemMartin 6.The Fightin' Side of MeHaggard 7.Sing Me Back HomeHaggard 8.Silver WingsHaggard 9.Sing a Sad SongStewart 10.Honky Tonk Night Time ManHaggard 11.Kentucky GamblerParton 12.I'm a Lonesome FugitiveAnderson, Anderson 13.Things Aren't Funny AnymoreHaggard 14.Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)Haggard 15.I Forget You Every DayHaggard 16.Workin' Man BluesHaggard 17.Love and HonorHaggard 18.Branded ManHaggard 19.Someday We'll Look BackHaggard 20.I Take a Lot of Pride in What I AmHaggard Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Though many compilations have followed it since it was first released in 1976, Songs I'll Always Sing remains one of the definitive Merle Haggard compilations. Relying not only on hit singles, the 20-track double-album set features a number of album tracks and obscurities -- such as "Love and Honor," "Silver Wings," "Honky Tonk Night Time Man," "Things Aren't Funny Anymore," and "I Forget You Every Day" -- which give a more rounded and accurate picture of Hag's classic Capitol recordings. After all, there were always a handful of killer songs on his individual albums that rivaled his hits singles in terms of quality. In terms of comprehensiveness, both the four-disc box Down Every Road and the double-disc The Lonesome Fugitive have supersceded Songs I'll Always Sing, but the double album set will always remain an excellent summation of his heyday. Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine As a performer and a songwriter, Merle Haggard was the most important country artist to emerge in the 1960s. Haggard became one of the leading figures of the Bakersfield country scene in the '60s. While his music remained hardcore country, he pushed the boundaries of the music quite far. Like his idol Bob Wills, his music was a melting pot that drew from all forms of traditional American music -- country, jazz, blues, and folk -- and in the process, developed a distinctive style of his own. As a performer, singer, and musician, he was one of the best, influencing countless other artists. Not coincidentally, he was the best singer/songwriter in country music since Hank Williams, writing a body of songs that became classics. Throughout his career, Haggard has been a champion of the working man, largely due to his rough and tumble history. It's impossible to separate Haggard's music from his life. Haggard was born to James and Flossie Haggard on April 6, 1937. His parents moved from Oklahoma to California during the Great Depression, converting an old boxcar into a home. Before their marriage, James played fiddle in local honky tonk bars. Flossie was a member of the Church of Christ, which led to her forcing her husband to stop playing the honky tonks. James died from a brain tumor when Merle was nine years old. After his father's death, Merle became rebellious. In an attempt to straighten her son out, his mother put him in several juvenile detention centers, but it had little effect on Merle's behavior. As a teenager, he fell in love with country music, particularly Bob Wills, Lefty Frizzell, and Hank Williams. When he was 12 years old, Haggard was given his first guitar by his older brother; Merle taught himself how to play by listening to records that were lying around the house. Even though he had begun to pursue music, Haggard continued to rebel, running away with his friend Bob Teague to Texas when he was 14 years old. A few months later, the pair returned to California, where they were arrested as robbery suspects. After the real thieves were caught, Haggard was sent back to juvenile hall, but he and Teague took off to Modesto, CA. For a brief time, he did manual labor, was a short-order cook, drove a truck, and committed a series of small crimes. Soon after he moved to Modesto, Haggard made his performing debut with Teague at a bar named the Fun Center; the two were paid five dollars and given all the beer that they could drink.This exquisite piece of retro music history is a vinyl sound recording (not a CD). Visit the A Sound Deal store for information on grading, shipping, abbreviations and general info.Add me to your favorites for red hot sales bulletins and sneak previews of upcoming products. Click here for more info on grading and abbreviationsCombine Items to Save $$$! Click here to check the store for more!©A Sound Deal