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April 6
Why today? It was on this date in 1958 that Merle Haggard turned 21 in prison. (He wasn’t, however, doing life without parole.)
About the record: Capitol 2219, recorded on May 9, 1968, in the Capitol Tower’s studio in Hollywood. Released the following month, eventually topping the Billboard country chart. Also appeared on Mama Tried, Capitol ST 2972, released Oct. 3, 1968. It reached No. 4 on Billboard‘s country album chart.
In the first few years of his career, Merle Haggard made no mention of his record of arrests and, in 1957, a sentence to San Quentin prison on a robbery conviction. But in the mid-’60s, he started writing songs about it — “Branded Man,” “I’m A Lonesome Fugitive,” “Sing Me Back Home,” and “Mama Tried.” On this great record, I think it’s Roy Nichols, longtime axeman for the Hag, providing the nimble acoustic picking, and James Burton on the brief but piercingly effective electric lead licks. (Anyone with info to the contrary, please advise.) And, as always in those days, then-wife Bonnie Owens provided the harmony voice.
About the artist: If you’d rather not do the math, today is mighty Merle’s 73rd birthday. He’s been a force in country music for close to a half-century. Check out this bio and see what I mean.
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April 6, 2010 at 10:14 AM
Ken Johnson
According to Dale Vinicur who wrote the essay for the first Merle Haggard Bear Family Box set (Untamed Hawk – The Early Recordings Of Merle Haggard BCD-15744) Roy Nichols played lead guitar on “Mama Tried” and James Burton picked the dobro.
The Bear Family sessionography for “Mama Tried” on May 8, 1968 lists Nichols as playing electric guitar . The subsequent May 9, 1968 “Mama Tried” overdub session credits BOTH Roy Nichols AND James Burton with playing electric guitar. There is no mention of the dobro.
However, later that year, Burton is credited with playing dobro on the sessions for Haggard’s tribute album to Jimmie Rodgers, “Same Train – A Different Time,” so Vinicur’s comment is possibly accurate.
“Mama Tried” was also featured in the 1968 motion picture “Killer’s Three” and included on the “Killer’s Three Soundtrack” album (Tower ST 5141) along with songs by Bonnie Owens, Dick Curless , Kay Adams and Don Epperson.
I always thought that this song was perhaps the best of Merle’s recordings. After 42 years I never tire of hearing it and am still amazed at the superb tight arrangement, excellent harmony and Haggard’s pure, emotional vocal.
Happy Birthday Hag!
April 6, 2010 at 10:36 AM
Paul W Dennis
I’m with Ken – this is my favorite Hag song, followed, in order by
“I Can’t be Myself”
“Sing Me Back Home”
“Sidewalks of Chicago”
Truthfully, there isn’t anything on Hag’s Capital albums that I don’t love. After the switch to MCA there were a few (very few) stumbles and since leaving MCA the quotient of less than great recordings has increased but, even so, there is very little Haggard material that I actually dislike and there is still a bucnh that I consider great