Merle Haggard - The Way It Was In '51

When I decided to post an album of Merle Haggard previously, I was so indecisive on whether to post “The Best of Merle Haggard” or “The Way It Was In ‘51”. After I posted the former, I then thought something would be missing if I did post the later. So here is Merle Haggard’s “The Way It Was In ‘51”.

I found that many country singers were influenced by 2 great country and western music legends, Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933) and Hank Williams (1923-1953). Hank Williams wrote so many great songs that many singers included Hank Williams’ songs in their albums. On side 1 of this album, Haggard sang 5 songs of Hank Williams and a song written by him, “The Way It Was In ‘51”.

Merle Haggard’s also idolized Lefty Frizzell. As a rebelious teenager, Merle Haggard landed in and out of reform schools many times. At the age of 14, he attended a Lefty Frizzell’s concert when he was out of the reform school. That concert left a great influence on Merle Haggard. Subsequently, Haggard followed Frizzell’s singing style very closely. I found both of them sounded very similar. In fact, I come to know Lefty Frizzell after searching for Merle Haggard’s information on Internet. On side 2 of this album, Haggard sang 4 songs of Lefty Frizzell and a song written by him, “Goodbye Lefty”.
I love the 2 songs written by Merle Haggard “The Way It Was In ‘51” and “Goodbye Lefty”. The 2 songs reflect the typical style of Merle Haggard. The rest of the songs are well known songs of Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell. They were simply superb.

Besides singing very well, Merle Haggard is also a very talented song writer. He has won countless music awards as a singers and song writer, including Grammy Awards for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, in 1984 and Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. He was also inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 1994.

This album was released in 1978.

Song List:

Hank’s Side : The Way It Was In '51, Moanin' The Blues, My Heart Would Know, Lovesick Blues, I Saw The Light

Lefty’s Side : Mom And Dad's Waltz, It Meant Goodbye To Me, I'm An Old Old Man Tryin' To Live While I Can, I Never Go Around Mirrors, Goodbye Lefty

Merle Haggard - The Very Best of Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard was born in 1937. Merle and his parents lived in an old boxcar that they converted into a home.

After his father passed away in 1946, Haggard’s world turned upside down and he turned rebellious. He also started to commit petty crimes. At the age of 13, he was caught shoplifting and was sent to a reform school. For the next few years, Merle would find himself in reform schools, sometimes making an escape, only to get thrown back in again.

In 1957, Haggard was sent to San Quentin Prison for 3 years after he was found involved in a robbery case. According to Wikipedia, “Merle attended three of Johnny Cash's concerts at San Quentin. Seeing Cash perform inspired Haggard to straighten up and pursue his singing. Several years later, at another Cash concert, Haggard came up to Johnny and told him ‘I certainly enjoyed your show at San Quentin.’ Cash said ‘Merle, I don't remember you bein' in that show.’ Merle Haggard said, ‘Johnny, I wasn't in that show, I was in the audience.’"

Merle Haggard released his first single in 1963. His singing style was very similar to his idol Lefty Frizzell. In fact, I admire Merle Haggard very much because of his vast talent, no just only in singing, but also in writing many of the songs that he sang. In this album, he wrote/co-wrote 13 out of the16 songs!

There is no released date stated in this album. However, I believe it was released around 1972 because the songs in this album were released between 1969 and 1972.

Song List:

Side A: Okie From Muskogee#, Hungry Eyes*, Workin’ Man Blues*, Swinging Doors*, Someday We’ll Look Back*, Branded Man*, I’m a Lonesome Fugitive, The Bottle Let Me Down*

Side B: Silver Wings*, I Wonder What She’ll Think About Me Leaving*, Today I Started Loving You Again#, Mama Tried*, No Reason to Quit, Every6 Fool Has a Rainbow*, The Fightin’ Side of Me*, It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad)

* Songs written by Merle Haggard

# Songs co-written by Merle Haggard

Bobby Bare - This is Bare Country

During the initial period of my vinyl record collecting hobby, I bought different genres of music to listen. However, after 3 to 4 months of crazy buying, I found that I inclined to listen to classic country and western music most of the time and left other records behind to collect dust.

As my knowledge on country and western music was limited then, I started to search the Internet to find more about classic country singers (and yodelers). I also became a good friend of a vinyl record vendor whom always kept country and western records aside and gave me priority to select. Through these years, some of the singers recommended by him have become my favourite singers. Bobby Bare is one of the singers recommended by him.

Bobby Bare is quite a unique singer because he adds narration in between his songs quite often and I find the narration enhances what he tries to express in the songs.

Song List:

Side 1 : When I Want to Love a Lady, A Million Miles to the City, Darby's Castle, Jesus Christ What a Man, Just in Case (A Night Like This One Comes Again), City Boy Country Born

Side 2 : Roses Are Red, Lorena, After The Divorce, Lonely Street, Short And Sweet

Anne Murray - New Kind of Feeling

I first heard Anne Murray’s songs on radio in the late 70s. Songs like ‘Snow Bird’, ‘You Needed Me”, “I Just Fall in Love Again” and “Walk Right Back” were broadcasted on air quite frequently.
I only bought my first Anne Murray CD, “Anne Murray Greatest Hits”, after I started working. The year should be 1987 or 1988. I loved all the songs in that CD so much because it contained most of her chart toppers.

I own 7 LPs, including “Greatest Hits” of Anne Murray to-date. However my first Anne Murray’s LP that I bought was “New Kind of Feeling” in January 2007.

Song List:
Side 1 : Shadows In The Moonlight, You've Got What It Takes, I Just Fall In Love Again, Take This Heart, Yucatan Cafe

Side 2 : For No Reason At All, Raining In My Heart, That's Why I Love You, He's Not You, Heaven Is Here

Song - My Old Pal

I'm thinking of you tonight old pal
And wishing that you were here
I'm dreaming of the times and the days gone by
When you filled my heart with cheer.

I remember the night when all alone
We sang Sweet Adeline
No other face can take your place
In my heart old pal of mine.

The old pals are always the best you see
New friends you can find every day
But they can't fill the places or ever be
Like the old pals of yesterday.

I'm wondering where you are tonight
And if you ever think of me
It would make my weary heart
So light sweetheart
Your face again to see.

But in this checkered life I find
Nothing comes right it seems
Still you'll always be a pal of mine
Though it may be only in dreams.

The old pals are always the best you see
New friends you can find every day
But they can't fill the places or ever be
Like the old pals of yesterday.

* * *

My Old Pal is a song collected in "Jimmie Rodgers - This is Jimmie Rodgers" album.

In this early Saturday morning, I am sitting in the living hall alone listening from one LP to another. When this song comes out from the speakers, my memory also races back to those passing days. I don't feel like writing much. I just want to listen to the song.

To all my pals out there - all the best to you.

Here’s the link to this song on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQsNIvAgF-Y

Jimmie Rodgers - This is Jimmie Rodgers

Jimmie Rodgers (1897 – 1933) was the first inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961. The other 2 inductees in 1961 were Hank Williams (singer and song writer) and Fred Rose (song writer).

At the age of 13, Jimmie Rodgers had already organized and begun his traveling show. As Jimmie’s father was a railroad foreman, he brought back Jimmie Rodgers from the road and sent Jimmie to his work place to work as a waterboy. As few years later, he became a brakeman.

In 1924, at the age of 27, Jimmie contracted tuberculosis. The disease forced him to stop working and began his traveling road shows. He returned to work as a brakeman once but his tuberculosis finally ended his working career in 1927.

Jimmie first singles was released on Oct 1927 with just modest success. He achieved great success when he released his second singles on Feb 1928. That singles that contained “T for Texas” and “Away Out on the Mountain” sold nearly half a million copies.

With his new found fame, Jimmie Rodger was so busy touring and recording. However, he body got weaker and weaker. In May 1933, he passed away. His singing career lasted just 7 short years.

I came to know Jimmie Rodgers from the LP “Wagon Wheels. Legendary Songs of the Old West” in Nov 2006. However, my search for his LPs yielded no results until Feb 2008. I found an LP with the album cover of “Tex Ritter – Just Beyond the Moon”. After I checked the LP’s conditions, I decided to buy the record. After I cleaned the LP at home and played, I was so surprised to hear anything but the macho voice of Text Ritter. I checked the LP immediately and to my pleasant surprise, the title of the LP was “This is Jimmie Rodgers Side3 and Side 4” It must be from a double-LP album. Anyway, I didn’t mind at all!

My favourite songs in this album are My Old Pal and Waiting For A Train.

Song List:
Side 3 - In The Jailhouse Now No 2, My Carolina Sunshine Girl, My Old Pal, My Rough And Rowdy Ways, Never No Mo' Blues.

Side 4 - Peach Picking Time Down In Georgia, Treasures Untold, Waiting For A Train, Pistol Packin' Mama

Slim Dusty - Aussie Sing Song

Slim Dusty (1927-2003) was Australia’s foremost and most famous country singer-song writer. He spent his entire life promoting Australian country music to the world.

Wikipedia lists these achievements of Slim Dusty:
1. His 1957 hit “A Pub with No Beer” was the first Australian single to go gold.
2. Over the course of his career, he collected more gold and platinum albums than any other Australian artists.
3. In 2000, he became the first music artist in the world to release 100 albums
4. In 2000 Slim Dusty was given the honour of singing Waltzing Matilda in the closing ceremony of Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
5. He sold more than seven million albums and single.

I came to know about Slim Dusty when I saw him performing in Sydney Olympic Games. During that emotional moment, I resolved that I would find and buy his CDs. Perhaps due to my slackness and forgetfulness, I forgot about Slim Dusty totally just several months later.

In mid-September this year, I went for my usual round for LP hunting in Petaling Jaya. After found and bought” Tammy Wynette – Stand By Your Man” LP, I hopped over to another store to continue my hunt. From a stack of cheap and junk LPs, I pulled out this LP. According to the sayings, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure”, I quickly paid the man an amount equivalent to half a piece of McChicken and went home with this piece of “junk”.

This LP was released in 1962. It could be the earliest LP released by Slim Dusty. It contains mostly Australian folk and country songs and some European folk/marching songs. Most of the songs were with simple melody and were so catchy. I could not help but to download their lyrics from Internet so that I could sing along.

Do I like any song in this album in particular? No. Nothing in particular. I just like them all. Great album!!!

Song List: