“I'm gonna ride this train, Lord, until I find out / What Jimmy Rodgers and the Hag was all about.”
- Lynyrd Skynyrd/Railroad Song
Today is the birthday of Johnny Cash. Born this day in 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas. Everything that could be said about him has already been said. When I was growing up we'd see him on TV, either in a guest appearance or on his own show which ran from 1969-1971. I couldn't have stated it then, but he had some kind of magnetism that demanded your attention.
I have this gauge that I use for rating the greatness of entertainers and athletes (in my opinion)…if I were walking through a restaurant, say, and they had a TV on and so and so was on the screen, would I stop and watch or would I keep on walking? For example, in current day baseball, I would definitely stop and watch Bryce Harper at the plate. He's compelling. Johnny Cash, same, same.
He was a cool guy in all that black and edgier than most of the standard country artists. On his own show he had interesting guests not often seen on network television: Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Louis Armstrong, Kris Kristofferson, Linda Ronstadt. Some of his guests were controversial and it made the network nervous but he refused to alter the vision he had. He was coloring outside the lines of what was typical for variety shows of that day.
And even though Mr. Cash had the “IT” factor, he wasn't my favorite country artist growing up. Mine was a man who had a direct connection with Johnny, however, Merle Haggard. Lots of people know the story; it's an interesting tale.
Haggard was born in 1937 in Bakersfield, CA, literally in a boxcar. His parents had moved to California after their farm in Oklahoma burned down. Someone gave his father, Jim, the use of the railroad car and he converted it into a living space. I think if you're born in a boxcar then your fate is sealed, you must become a country singer.
The father died of a brain hemorrhage when Merle was nine. His mother went to work as a bookkeeper and young Merle ran loose and began to get into trouble. At age 13 it started with petty larceny and writing bad checks and eventually progressed to armed robbery. He ended up in San Quentin Federal Prison. His brother had given him a guitar when he was 12 and he had learned to play and prior to his prison sentence he'd done some preforming in local bars. That was all over.
Haggard didn't start as a model prisoner but slowly began to reform his attitude and conduct. A real turning point came when he attended a concert at the prison on January 1, 1958 staring Johnny Cash. Cash's performance of Folsom Prison before the crowd of prisoners had a profound effect on Haggard. When he was released in 1960, he made it his mission to turn his life around and became a successful artist.
He did just that, becoming a major star as the 1960s moved a long. Although it wasn't a secret, Haggard never discussed his criminal past in public. It wasn't until he appeared on Johnny Cash's show on August 2nd, 1969 that he came clean. Cash had encouraged him to share with the world the truth. He said the fans would love him all the more for it. They did indeed, and it influenced his career for the better.
During his appearance Merle told Johnny, “The first time I ever saw you preform, it was at San Quintin.” Johnny replied, “I don't remember you being in that show, Merle.” “I was in the audience,” Haggard said.
In 1972, then California Governor Ronald Reagan gave a full and unconditional pardon to Merle Haggard.
My favorite Merle song is Mama Tried. But, I'll share this one so I can shine a light on the Skynyrd boys. They didn't cover many other people's songs. Like John Prine, why would they need to? But they had great reverence for Merle. Here we go.