Author: Raymond H. McDonald
Publisher: Bookbaby
ISBN: 9781098353070
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 326
Book Description
This book is dedicated to the memory of my life long friend Merle Haggard. Merle had millions of fans passionate about his music. He was a humble man from humble beginnings in California. His legacy is well chronicled in hundreds of articles written about him in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine, USA Today Newspaper, The Los Angeles Times, and dozens of others. His 50 plus year career garnered Merle the highest awards that are given to an artist, ie; Lifetime Grammy, Country Music Hall of Fame, Kennedy Center Honors, Songwriters Hall of Fame. I was 14 when I met Merle and his wife to be Bonnie Owens, at this writing I'm still just a kid of 70 years old. This book traces the beginning of my observations of this uniquely talented man. It's a positive book that I hope his fans will enjoy. He was a kind and onery man, very funny and very serious. He was a proud American and loved every State and the people in it.
Merle Haggard Was a Friend of Mine
Author: Raymond H. McDonald
Publisher: Bookbaby
ISBN: 9781098353070
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 326
Book Description
This book is dedicated to the memory of my life long friend Merle Haggard. Merle had millions of fans passionate about his music. He was a humble man from humble beginnings in California. His legacy is well chronicled in hundreds of articles written about him in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine, USA Today Newspaper, The Los Angeles Times, and dozens of others. His 50 plus year career garnered Merle the highest awards that are given to an artist, ie; Lifetime Grammy, Country Music Hall of Fame, Kennedy Center Honors, Songwriters Hall of Fame. I was 14 when I met Merle and his wife to be Bonnie Owens, at this writing I'm still just a kid of 70 years old. This book traces the beginning of my observations of this uniquely talented man. It's a positive book that I hope his fans will enjoy. He was a kind and onery man, very funny and very serious. He was a proud American and loved every State and the people in it.
Publisher: Bookbaby
ISBN: 9781098353070
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 326
Book Description
This book is dedicated to the memory of my life long friend Merle Haggard. Merle had millions of fans passionate about his music. He was a humble man from humble beginnings in California. His legacy is well chronicled in hundreds of articles written about him in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine, USA Today Newspaper, The Los Angeles Times, and dozens of others. His 50 plus year career garnered Merle the highest awards that are given to an artist, ie; Lifetime Grammy, Country Music Hall of Fame, Kennedy Center Honors, Songwriters Hall of Fame. I was 14 when I met Merle and his wife to be Bonnie Owens, at this writing I'm still just a kid of 70 years old. This book traces the beginning of my observations of this uniquely talented man. It's a positive book that I hope his fans will enjoy. He was a kind and onery man, very funny and very serious. He was a proud American and loved every State and the people in it.
Merle Haggard, Bonnie Owens, & Me
Author: Phil Neighbors
Publisher: Fuzzy Owen Publications
ISBN: 9781733388108
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
Fuzzy Owen and Merle Haggard worked together for over 50 years, yet they never had a contract. Fuzzy was Merle's steel guitar player, recording engineer, producer, promoter, booking agent, accountant, bus driver, mechanic and always Merle's friend. Fuzzy, of course, did not write "Mama Tried" or sing "Silver Wings", but he was the man behind the music for one of the greatest county artists of all time. Fuzzy now tells his story of working with Merle Haggard in his new book "Merle Haggard, Bonnie and Me"
Publisher: Fuzzy Owen Publications
ISBN: 9781733388108
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
Fuzzy Owen and Merle Haggard worked together for over 50 years, yet they never had a contract. Fuzzy was Merle's steel guitar player, recording engineer, producer, promoter, booking agent, accountant, bus driver, mechanic and always Merle's friend. Fuzzy, of course, did not write "Mama Tried" or sing "Silver Wings", but he was the man behind the music for one of the greatest county artists of all time. Fuzzy now tells his story of working with Merle Haggard in his new book "Merle Haggard, Bonnie and Me"
Merle Haggard
Author: David Cantwell
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292754175
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
Merle Haggard has enjoyed artistic and professional triumphs few can match. He’s charted more than a hundred country hits, including thirty-eight number ones. He’s released dozens of studio albums and another half dozen or more live ones, performed upwards of ten thousand concerts, been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and seen his songs performed by artists as diverse as Lynryd Skynyrd, Elvis Costello, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, the Grateful Dead, and Bob Dylan. In 2011 he was feted as a Kennedy Center Honoree. But until now, no one has taken an in-depth look at his career and body of work. In Merle Haggard: The Running Kind, David Cantwell takes us on a revelatory journey through Haggard’s music and the life and times out of which it came. Covering the entire breadth of his career, Cantwell focuses especially on the 1960s and 1970s, when Haggard created some of his best-known and most influential music, which helped invent the America we live in today. Listening closely to a masterpiece-crowded catalogue (including songs such as “Okie from Muskogee,” “Sing Me Back Home,” “Mama Tried,” “Working Man Blues,” “Kern River,” “White Line Fever,” “Today I Started Loving You Again,” and “If We Make It through December,” among many more), Cantwell explores the fascinating contradictions—most of all, the desire for freedom in the face of limits set by the world or self-imposed—that define not only Haggard’s music and public persona but the very heart of American culture.
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292754175
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
Merle Haggard has enjoyed artistic and professional triumphs few can match. He’s charted more than a hundred country hits, including thirty-eight number ones. He’s released dozens of studio albums and another half dozen or more live ones, performed upwards of ten thousand concerts, been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and seen his songs performed by artists as diverse as Lynryd Skynyrd, Elvis Costello, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, the Grateful Dead, and Bob Dylan. In 2011 he was feted as a Kennedy Center Honoree. But until now, no one has taken an in-depth look at his career and body of work. In Merle Haggard: The Running Kind, David Cantwell takes us on a revelatory journey through Haggard’s music and the life and times out of which it came. Covering the entire breadth of his career, Cantwell focuses especially on the 1960s and 1970s, when Haggard created some of his best-known and most influential music, which helped invent the America we live in today. Listening closely to a masterpiece-crowded catalogue (including songs such as “Okie from Muskogee,” “Sing Me Back Home,” “Mama Tried,” “Working Man Blues,” “Kern River,” “White Line Fever,” “Today I Started Loving You Again,” and “If We Make It through December,” among many more), Cantwell explores the fascinating contradictions—most of all, the desire for freedom in the face of limits set by the world or self-imposed—that define not only Haggard’s music and public persona but the very heart of American culture.
They Came to Nashville
Author: Marshall Chapman
Publisher: Vanderbilt University Press
ISBN: 0826517358
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 298
Book Description
Marshall Chapman knows Nashville. A musician, songwriter, and author with nearly a dozen albums and a bestselling memoir under her belt, Chapman has lived and breathed Music City for over forty years. Her friendships with those who helped make Nashville one of the major forces in American music culture is unsurpassed. And in her new book, They Came to Nashville, the reader is invited to see Marshall Chapman as never before--as music journalist extraordinaire. In They Came to Nashville, Chapman records the personal stories of musicians shaping the modern history of music in Nashville, from the mouths of the musicians themselves. The trials, tribulations, and evolution of Music City are on display, as she sits down with influential figures like Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, and Miranda Lambert, and a dozen other top names, to record what brought each of them to Nashville and what inspired them to persevere. The book culminates in a hilarious and heroic attempt to find enough free time with Willie Nelson to get a proper interview. Instead, she's brought along on his raucous 2008 tour and winds up onstage in Beaumont, Texas singing "Good-Hearted Woman" with Willie. They Came to Nashville reveals the daily struggle facing newcomers to the music business, and the promise awaiting those willing to fight for the dream. Co-published with the Country Music Foundation Press
Publisher: Vanderbilt University Press
ISBN: 0826517358
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 298
Book Description
Marshall Chapman knows Nashville. A musician, songwriter, and author with nearly a dozen albums and a bestselling memoir under her belt, Chapman has lived and breathed Music City for over forty years. Her friendships with those who helped make Nashville one of the major forces in American music culture is unsurpassed. And in her new book, They Came to Nashville, the reader is invited to see Marshall Chapman as never before--as music journalist extraordinaire. In They Came to Nashville, Chapman records the personal stories of musicians shaping the modern history of music in Nashville, from the mouths of the musicians themselves. The trials, tribulations, and evolution of Music City are on display, as she sits down with influential figures like Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, and Miranda Lambert, and a dozen other top names, to record what brought each of them to Nashville and what inspired them to persevere. The book culminates in a hilarious and heroic attempt to find enough free time with Willie Nelson to get a proper interview. Instead, she's brought along on his raucous 2008 tour and winds up onstage in Beaumont, Texas singing "Good-Hearted Woman" with Willie. They Came to Nashville reveals the daily struggle facing newcomers to the music business, and the promise awaiting those willing to fight for the dream. Co-published with the Country Music Foundation Press
Dolly Parton, Gender, and Country Music
Author: Leigh H. Edwards
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253031567
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 282
Book Description
Introduction: Dolly mythology -- "Backwoods Barbie": Dolly Parton's gender performance -- My Tennessee mountain home: early Parton and authenticity narratives -- Parton's crossover and film stardom: the "hillbilly Mae West"--Hungry again: reclaiming country authenticity narratives -- "Digital Dolly" and new media fandoms -- Conclusion: brand evolution and Dollywood
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253031567
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 282
Book Description
Introduction: Dolly mythology -- "Backwoods Barbie": Dolly Parton's gender performance -- My Tennessee mountain home: early Parton and authenticity narratives -- Parton's crossover and film stardom: the "hillbilly Mae West"--Hungry again: reclaiming country authenticity narratives -- "Digital Dolly" and new media fandoms -- Conclusion: brand evolution and Dollywood
The Camper Book
Author: Dave Hoekstra
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613738234
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 466
Book Description
The Camper Book will captivate all those who dream of waving good-bye to the rat race from the window of their own moveable home, be it a camper, RV, travel trailer, camper van, or tiny camper. Not just for placid retirees anymore, camper culture has sprung up among simplicity-seeking millennials, retro-loving "glampers," sports and movie stars, aging hippies, contract workers, "road-schoolers," and others. Award-winning journalist Dave Hoekstra hit the road in his own custom camper van, named Bluebird, to explore the history, culture, subcultures, and future of camper life. Traveling and talking his way through US campsites, RV parks, landmarks, and communities, Hoekstra draws out revealing stories from all walks of life—from Americans who are downsizing material goods while upsizing spiritual pursuits to RV enthusiasts such as Grammy-winning singer-songwriter John Prine and Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon. A modern-day Studs Terkel, Hoekstra provides a delightful mix of oral history, in-depth reporting, and practical information, while photographer Jon Sall's beautiful color photographs illuminate the unique people, places, and rigs that typify camper life.
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613738234
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 466
Book Description
The Camper Book will captivate all those who dream of waving good-bye to the rat race from the window of their own moveable home, be it a camper, RV, travel trailer, camper van, or tiny camper. Not just for placid retirees anymore, camper culture has sprung up among simplicity-seeking millennials, retro-loving "glampers," sports and movie stars, aging hippies, contract workers, "road-schoolers," and others. Award-winning journalist Dave Hoekstra hit the road in his own custom camper van, named Bluebird, to explore the history, culture, subcultures, and future of camper life. Traveling and talking his way through US campsites, RV parks, landmarks, and communities, Hoekstra draws out revealing stories from all walks of life—from Americans who are downsizing material goods while upsizing spiritual pursuits to RV enthusiasts such as Grammy-winning singer-songwriter John Prine and Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon. A modern-day Studs Terkel, Hoekstra provides a delightful mix of oral history, in-depth reporting, and practical information, while photographer Jon Sall's beautiful color photographs illuminate the unique people, places, and rigs that typify camper life.
My House of Memories
Author: Merle Haggard
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062023217
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 274
Book Description
In this riveting personal story, award-winning, bestselling country music recording artist Merle Haggard takes you on a tour through his house of memories, offering a fascinating look inside his turbulent yet successful life. Merle reveals the true stories about his birth and troubled upbringing in a converted railroad boxcar. He recalls the loss of his father when he was nine, after which his childhood disobedience transformed into full-blown delinquency that eventually landed him behind the cold walls of San Quentin. He gives tribute to his mother and relives the painful memory of her death. He shares the lessons he learned from a life shaped by violence, gambling, and drugs, never shying away from the fact that he continues to pay for decades of reckless living. And he talks about the music he loves—how, ultimately, it has defined the man he is.
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062023217
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 274
Book Description
In this riveting personal story, award-winning, bestselling country music recording artist Merle Haggard takes you on a tour through his house of memories, offering a fascinating look inside his turbulent yet successful life. Merle reveals the true stories about his birth and troubled upbringing in a converted railroad boxcar. He recalls the loss of his father when he was nine, after which his childhood disobedience transformed into full-blown delinquency that eventually landed him behind the cold walls of San Quentin. He gives tribute to his mother and relives the painful memory of her death. He shares the lessons he learned from a life shaped by violence, gambling, and drugs, never shying away from the fact that he continues to pay for decades of reckless living. And he talks about the music he loves—how, ultimately, it has defined the man he is.
Living in the Woods in a Tree
Author: Sybil Rosen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781574416763
Category : Singers
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This is an intimate glimpse into the turbulent life of Texas music legend Blaze Foley (1949-1989), seen through the eyes of Sybil Rosen, the woman for whom he wrote his most widely known song, "If I Could Only Fly." It captures the exuberance of their fleeting idyll in a tree house in the Georgia woods during the countercultural 1970s. Rosen offers a firsthand witnessing of Foley's transformation from a reticent hippie musician to the enigmatic singer/songwriter in the Austin, Texas, music scene. His songs have been covered by Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett, and John Prine. "Thumbs up!"--Merle Haggard "There are no books that compete with Rosen's, and it's quite unlikely that any ever will. Rosen's time with him (and her deft telling of that time) reveals so much about the man and the music."--Peter Cooper, The Tennessean "Poetic and gripping, this beautifully written book ends up being about Blaze, the author, the times, and the creative journey. An impressive work in every way!"--Louis Black, editor, Austin Chronicle and executive producer of Be Here to Love Me: A Film about Townes Van Zandt "Romantic without being cloying, Living in the Woods in a Tree is perhaps the most complete vision of the Duct Tape Messiah as we're likely to get, and Rosen portrays a complex, confounding subject with a simplicity and seductiveness that's all too rare."--Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle "Though [Foley's] recorded output is scarce, his influence remains large."--New York Post Number 2: North Texas Lives of Musicians Series SYBIL ROSEN was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, and holds a BFA from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She recently published a collection of Blaze Foley-inspired short stories called Riding the Dog, which won the Gold Medal for Fiction/Short Story in the Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest. A screenwriter and playwright, she has won many awards. A short documentary for which she wrote the narration was nominated for an Academy Award in that category, and while she wrote for the TV show Guiding Light, it won an Emmy for best writing. She currently lives in Whitesburg, Georgia.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781574416763
Category : Singers
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This is an intimate glimpse into the turbulent life of Texas music legend Blaze Foley (1949-1989), seen through the eyes of Sybil Rosen, the woman for whom he wrote his most widely known song, "If I Could Only Fly." It captures the exuberance of their fleeting idyll in a tree house in the Georgia woods during the countercultural 1970s. Rosen offers a firsthand witnessing of Foley's transformation from a reticent hippie musician to the enigmatic singer/songwriter in the Austin, Texas, music scene. His songs have been covered by Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett, and John Prine. "Thumbs up!"--Merle Haggard "There are no books that compete with Rosen's, and it's quite unlikely that any ever will. Rosen's time with him (and her deft telling of that time) reveals so much about the man and the music."--Peter Cooper, The Tennessean "Poetic and gripping, this beautifully written book ends up being about Blaze, the author, the times, and the creative journey. An impressive work in every way!"--Louis Black, editor, Austin Chronicle and executive producer of Be Here to Love Me: A Film about Townes Van Zandt "Romantic without being cloying, Living in the Woods in a Tree is perhaps the most complete vision of the Duct Tape Messiah as we're likely to get, and Rosen portrays a complex, confounding subject with a simplicity and seductiveness that's all too rare."--Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle "Though [Foley's] recorded output is scarce, his influence remains large."--New York Post Number 2: North Texas Lives of Musicians Series SYBIL ROSEN was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, and holds a BFA from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She recently published a collection of Blaze Foley-inspired short stories called Riding the Dog, which won the Gold Medal for Fiction/Short Story in the Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest. A screenwriter and playwright, she has won many awards. A short documentary for which she wrote the narration was nominated for an Academy Award in that category, and while she wrote for the TV show Guiding Light, it won an Emmy for best writing. She currently lives in Whitesburg, Georgia.
The Bakersfield Sound
Author: Robert E. Price
Publisher: Heyday.ORIM
ISBN: 1597144371
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 309
Book Description
An immersive look at the country music sub-genre, from its 1950s origins to its heyday to the twenty-first century. In California’s Central Valley, two thousand miles away from Nashville’s country hit machine, the hard edge of the Bakersfield Sound transformed American music during the later half of the twentieth century. Fueled by the steel twang of electric guitars, explosive drumming, and powerfully aching lyrics, the Sound transformed hard times and desperation into chart-toppers. It vaulted displaced Oklahomans like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard to stardom, and even today the Sound’s influence on country music is still widely felt. In this fascinating book, veteran journalist Robert E. Prince traces the Bakersfield Sound’s roots from Dust Bowl and World War II migrations through the heyday of Owens, Haggard, and Hee Haw, and into the twenty-first century. Outlaw country demands good storytelling, and Price obliges; to fully understand the Sound and its musicians we dip into honky-tonks, dives, and radio stations playing the songs of sun-parched days spent on oil rigs and in cotton fields, the melodies of hardship and kinship, a soundtrack for dancing and brawling. In other words, The Bakersfield Sound immerses us in the unique cultural convergence that gave rise to a visceral and distinctly California country music. Praise for The Bakersfield Sound “A savvy blend of personal anecdotes and broader historical narrative.” —Kirkus Reviews “This book all but reads itself. Price’s sense of history, his command of facts, his sense of humor, his sensitivity to class and race, and a love of the music—it’s all here.” —Greil Marcus
Publisher: Heyday.ORIM
ISBN: 1597144371
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 309
Book Description
An immersive look at the country music sub-genre, from its 1950s origins to its heyday to the twenty-first century. In California’s Central Valley, two thousand miles away from Nashville’s country hit machine, the hard edge of the Bakersfield Sound transformed American music during the later half of the twentieth century. Fueled by the steel twang of electric guitars, explosive drumming, and powerfully aching lyrics, the Sound transformed hard times and desperation into chart-toppers. It vaulted displaced Oklahomans like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard to stardom, and even today the Sound’s influence on country music is still widely felt. In this fascinating book, veteran journalist Robert E. Prince traces the Bakersfield Sound’s roots from Dust Bowl and World War II migrations through the heyday of Owens, Haggard, and Hee Haw, and into the twenty-first century. Outlaw country demands good storytelling, and Price obliges; to fully understand the Sound and its musicians we dip into honky-tonks, dives, and radio stations playing the songs of sun-parched days spent on oil rigs and in cotton fields, the melodies of hardship and kinship, a soundtrack for dancing and brawling. In other words, The Bakersfield Sound immerses us in the unique cultural convergence that gave rise to a visceral and distinctly California country music. Praise for The Bakersfield Sound “A savvy blend of personal anecdotes and broader historical narrative.” —Kirkus Reviews “This book all but reads itself. Price’s sense of history, his command of facts, his sense of humor, his sensitivity to class and race, and a love of the music—it’s all here.” —Greil Marcus
The Hag
Author: Marc Eliot
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 030692319X
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 463
Book Description
The definitive biography of country legend Merle Haggard by the New York Times bestselling biographer of Clint Eastwood, Cary Grant, The Eagles, and more. Merle Haggard was one of the most important country music musicians who ever lived. His astonishing musical career stretched across the second half of the 20th Century and into the first two decades of the next, during which he released an extraordinary 63 albums, 38 that made it on to Billboard's Country Top Ten, 13 that went to #1, and 37 #1 hit singles. With his ample songbook, unique singing voice and brilliant phrasing that illuminated his uncompromising commitment to individual freedom, cut with the monkey of personal despair on his back and a chip the size of Monument Valley on his shoulder, Merle's music and his extraordinary charisma helped change the look, the sound, and the fury of American music. The Hag tells, without compromise, the extraordinary life of Merle Haggard, augmented by deep secondary research, sharp detail and ample anecdotal material that biographer Marc Eliot is known for, and enriched and deepened by over 100 new and far-ranging interviews. It explores the uniquely American life of an angry rebellious boy from the wrong side of the tracks bound for a life of crime and a permanent home in a penitentiary, who found redemption through the music of "the common man." Merle Haggard's story is a great American saga of a man who lifted himself out of poverty, oppression, loss and wanderlust, to catapult himself into the pantheon of American artists admired around the world. Eliot has interviewed more than 100 people who knew Haggard, worked with him, were influenced by him, loved him or hated him. The book celebrates the accomplishments and explore the singer's infamous dark side: the self-created turmoil that expressed itself through drugs, women, booze, and betrayal. The Hag offers a richly anecdotal narrative that will elevate the life and work of Merle Haggard to where both properly belong, in the pantheon of American music and letters. The Hag is the definitive account of this unique American original, and will speak to readers of country music and rock biographies alike.
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 030692319X
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 463
Book Description
The definitive biography of country legend Merle Haggard by the New York Times bestselling biographer of Clint Eastwood, Cary Grant, The Eagles, and more. Merle Haggard was one of the most important country music musicians who ever lived. His astonishing musical career stretched across the second half of the 20th Century and into the first two decades of the next, during which he released an extraordinary 63 albums, 38 that made it on to Billboard's Country Top Ten, 13 that went to #1, and 37 #1 hit singles. With his ample songbook, unique singing voice and brilliant phrasing that illuminated his uncompromising commitment to individual freedom, cut with the monkey of personal despair on his back and a chip the size of Monument Valley on his shoulder, Merle's music and his extraordinary charisma helped change the look, the sound, and the fury of American music. The Hag tells, without compromise, the extraordinary life of Merle Haggard, augmented by deep secondary research, sharp detail and ample anecdotal material that biographer Marc Eliot is known for, and enriched and deepened by over 100 new and far-ranging interviews. It explores the uniquely American life of an angry rebellious boy from the wrong side of the tracks bound for a life of crime and a permanent home in a penitentiary, who found redemption through the music of "the common man." Merle Haggard's story is a great American saga of a man who lifted himself out of poverty, oppression, loss and wanderlust, to catapult himself into the pantheon of American artists admired around the world. Eliot has interviewed more than 100 people who knew Haggard, worked with him, were influenced by him, loved him or hated him. The book celebrates the accomplishments and explore the singer's infamous dark side: the self-created turmoil that expressed itself through drugs, women, booze, and betrayal. The Hag offers a richly anecdotal narrative that will elevate the life and work of Merle Haggard to where both properly belong, in the pantheon of American music and letters. The Hag is the definitive account of this unique American original, and will speak to readers of country music and rock biographies alike.