They did all of it collectively.
Willie Nelson is gearing as much as launch his 78th profession solo studio album (the a hundred and fifty fifth of his profession in whole), and this present challenge pays tribute to a different nation music legend, Willie’s pal, the late, nice Merle Haggard.
Titled Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, the album is about to drop quickly, on Friday, November seventh, and options 11 nation classics penned by the Hag himself.
In fact, the 2 of them put out a number of initiatives collectively throughout their careers, together with their iconic Pancho and Lefty in 1983, Seashores of Outdated Mexico in 1987, Final of the Breed additionally in 1987, and lastly, Django and Jimmie in 2015.
They had been shut mates, and in a Rolling Stone article from 2016, following his dying round every week prior in April, Willie wrote about their friendship and the way a lot Merle meant to him.
They had been mates for over 50 years, and first met in Nashville within the early 60’s, in fact, throughout a poker sport at Willie’s home. This was earlier than both of them went again house, Merle to Bakersfield and Willie to Texas, and so they had an on the spot connection:
“Merle and I had been buddies from manner again. I first met him at a poker sport at my home in Nashville within the early Sixties, earlier than he went again to Bakersfield and I went again to Texas.
We at all times had rather a lot in frequent. We each hopped trains as youngsters. We each acquired our begins taking part in bass in different bands earlier than stepping out on our personal. We’d each been married for the final 20 years. We each had our sons taking part in guitar with us. Over time, we performed numerous dates, numerous poker.
He was a fantastic viewers for my jokes. I informed him not too long ago, ‘You already know what you name a guitar participant with no girlfriend? Homeless,’ and he laughed.”
Willie recalled recording Pancho and Lefty in 1983, when Merle visited Austin, and so they recorded their iconic tune. There’s a fantastic story behind it, which you’ll be able to examine HERE, however presumably essentially the most attention-grabbing a part of the article is Willie speaking about how they tried to be wholesome within the midst of all of the consuming, smoking and debauchery.
The truth is, they might “burn one down” and run two miles of their cowboy boots, and in addition did a “10-day cayenne-pepper juice cleanse,” which Willie referred to as “horrible,” clearly:
“Within the early Eighties, he got here to stick with me in Texas to document. We had been dwelling fairly onerous again then, however we’d additionally attempt to be somewhat wholesome. We used to go jogging rather a lot. We’d burn one down and run two miles in cowboy boots.
In Texas, we went on a 10-day cayenne-pepper juice cleanse. It was horrible. Someday after we’d been up all night time, Merle went to the condominium to get some relaxation. Round 4 a.m., we woke him as much as sing his half on ‘Pancho and Lefty.’ He sang it half in his sleep, however Hag sings fairly good in his sleep.”
Solely these two…
I’m really impressed they made it by way of all ten days doing that, although, and would completely LOVED to have seen them working these two miles by way of Texas of their cowboy boots… what a visible.
Willie additionally went onto say that he deeply admired Merle, and the truth that he scored so many “Quantity One songs.”
“I at all times had numerous admiration for him. He got here onto the scene with a bang. He wrote extra Quantity One songs than me, Kris [Kristofferson], anyone. He was a fantastic one to observe. He was in a position to speak about his life in his songs intelligently and ingeniously, actually.”
Whereas it’s unhappy Merle is now not round to listen to Willie’s tackle his traditional music, it’s so cool to see how a lot he nonetheless means to Willie so a few years after his passing.
They lived a ton of life collectively, and achieved greater than both of them had probably ever dreamed of, and I’ll by no means get bored with listening to them inform tales about every part they did collectively exterior of music (particularly the not-so-legal stuff).
They had been two peas in a pod, and two absolute legends, who will each go down as two of the very best to ever do it.
You possibly can hearken to “Someplace Between” right here:
“Someplace Between”
“Workin’ Man Blues”
Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle Tracklist:
1. Workin’ Man Blues
2. Silver Wings
3. Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down
4. Right this moment I Began Loving You Once more
5. Swinging Doorways
6. Okie From Muskogee
7. Mama Tried
8. I Assume I’ll Simply Keep Right here And Drink
9. Someplace Between
10. If We Make It Via December
11. Ramblin’ Fever
