The world of music lost a true Icon today, as on his 79th birthday, Merle haggard, one of the true legends of country music has passed away.

Via The Tennessean:

Merle Haggard, the working man’s poet, an architect of the Bakersfield Sound and a fiercely independent artist who influenced country music like few others, died Wednesday in California, surrounded by friends and family.

He had just turned 79 and had been in failing health for some time, leading to the diagnosis of double pneumonia and subsequent cancellation of several concert dates, including two nights at the Ryman Auditorium that were originally scheduled for March.

Over the course of his half-century career, Mr. Haggard recorded 38 No. 1 country singles and wrote some of the genre’s most revered classics, which have been recorded by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, The Byrds, Vince Gill, The Grateful Dead and countless others.

“Merle Haggard’s reach knew no bounds,” said Jay Orr, a historian at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Orr also noted that Mr. Haggard so embodied country music that the museum’s core exhibit, “Sing Me Back Home,” takes its title from a chart-topping song he released in 1968.

Mr. Haggard’s life, which took him from a San Quentin prison cell to the Country Music Hall of Fame, was a truly American success story. Read More…

Its not often that I use the word hero, but Merle Haggard is a country music hero of mine. I didn’t listen to or even understand country music as a teenager and it was not until my mid twenties that I got turned on to the music of Haggard.

In David Allan Coe’s “The Ride,” a song about encountering the ghost of the late great Hank Williams Sr, there is a verse that goes like this:

“Drifter can ya make folks cry when you play and sing?
Have you paid your dues, can you moan the blues?
Can you bend them, guitar strings?”
He said, “Boy can you make folks feel what you feel inside?
‘Cause if you’re big star bound let me warn ya, it’s a long, hard ride”

That truly defines Merle Haggard, when he sang you could feel it inside.

I posted this rant on Instagram while listening to this great album from two Country Music legends and then seeing a post on Facebook about Luke Bryan. It’s fueled by a couple glassed of sweet tea & bourbon, but the sentiments are true.

There is a reason that Django and Jimmie debuted at no. 1 on the billboard charts — fans are dying for authentic and true country music. If you’re a fan crying out for the country music of yesterday and missing the spirit of outlaw country. We need to hold on to albums and moments like this, because sadly we don’t have much more time with the Willie Nelson’s and Merle Haggard’s of the world. The thing is, real country music is not dead, it just doesn’t get played on the radio these days. As the so-called “country music” radio stations are focusing on garbage like Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and a whole host of garbage… You just need to know where to find it. While George Jones lamented “Whose Gonna Fill There Shoes?” REAL country music is still out there. Dale Watson, Whitey Morgan, Sturgill Simpson, Cody Jinks, Lydia Loveless, Robbie Fulks, Jason Isbell, Hank III and a whole host of others I didn’t mention are still carrying the torch. They all sound different too. It’s out there — radio programmers just don’t seem to care Turn off CMT and “Country Music Radio” and go look for the real thing… It’s out there. #MerleHaggard #WillieNelson #DjangoandJimmie #RealCountryMusic #CountryMusic #OutlawCountry #PopCountrySucks #FuckPopCountry #Ameripolitan #AmeripolitanMusic #DaleWatson #WhiteMorgan #SturgillSimpson #CodyJinks #shooterjennings #brocountry #fuckbrocountry #brocountrysucks

A photo posted by Joecephus (@joecephus2000) on Jul 19, 2015 at 5:00pm PDT

From Austin City Limits…

Country music lives!

David Allan Coe’s daughter, Tanya Montana Coe has released the official music video for her debut single, “Silver Bullet” from her upcoming album. Thankfully it is not the type of garbage you would hear on what passes for “country radio” these days.

This is the Buckeye State’s own Lydia Loveless, performing “Back On The Bottle” from her debut album during 2012’s South by Southwest Festival.

She gets labeled as “alternative” country, but as far as I’m concerned with a voice like that, she’s the read deal.

From her Bloodshot Records profile:

Blessed with a commanding, blast-it-to-the-back-of-theroom voice, the 23-year-old Lydia Loveless was raised on a family farm in Coshocton, Ohio—a small weird town with nothing to do but make music. With a dad who owned a country music bar, Loveless often woke up with a house full of touring musicians scattered on couches and floors.

When she got older, in the time-honored traditions of teenage rebellion, she turned her back on these roots, moved to the city (Columbus, OH) and immersed herself in the punk scene, soaking up the musical and attitudinal influences of everyone from Charles Bukowski to Richard Hell to Hank III.

I am a country music fan, for the most part outlaw & traditional country. However I do have to admit that I have seen Toby Keith in concert (twice) and Kenny Chesney as well (also twice.) So while I love Hank III and am still pissed off at Blake Shelton for his idiotic ‘old farts and jackasses’ comment — I am not the biggest anti-pop country guy out there.

Alan Jackson, who throughout his career has walked that line between honky tonk and mainstream country, without ever going full on “pop,” had this to say recently in an interview with the Baltimore Sun.

“It’s always been that constant pop-country battle. I don’t think it’s ever going to change,” Jackson said. “What makes me sad today is that I think the real country, real roots-y traditional stuff, may be gone. I don’t know if it’ll ever be back on mainstream radio. You can’t get it played anymore.”

I have to take exception to that statement, at least to a part of it. I don’t believe that real country music is gone at all, its alive and well and living on in artists like Hank III, Wayne Hancock, Dale Watson, Justin Townes Earl, Whitey Morgan and others. It’s the second part of what Jackson said is where sadly he’s right, you can’t hear traditional country music on the radio anymore — but who still listens to regular over-the-air radio?

Here’s just a snippet of some of the great country music you can find out there:

Luke the Drifter, born Hiram King Williams on September 17th 1923, better known to the world as Hank Williams Sr. would be 90 years old today.

Scott H Biram from the album “Something’s Wrong / Lost Forever” available at Bloodshot Records