Back in 2007 he wrote a song supporting Hillary Clinton for her presidential bid. (See below for the lyrics) He was a SMART southern Democrat. All the more reason to love him. He will be missed, but his music is eternal.
It wasn't until the mid-80s that I became aware of classic country music (Because I grew up in Boston and they never had a country music station until the late 1990s). I was introduced to a catalog of Merle's songs when he appeared on the Dolly show in 1987 and he did a duet with Dolly covering many of his hits. I was immediately a fan. Here's that video:https://youtu.be/x0AQ4rZlFeU
THE STORY: Merle Haggard Passes
Source: Huffington Post
Merle Haggard died Wednesday after battling double pneumonia, his manager confirmed to TMZ. The country singer died at his home in California on his 79th birthday.
The famous country singer recently canceled a series of shows, citing health problems, but had plans for upcoming performances with Willie Nelson.
Haggard was born in 1937 in Bakersfield, California. Known for his songs like “The Bottle Let Me Down,” “Okie from Muskogee,” “Sing Me Back Home” and “Mama Tried” among countless others, the singer earned 38 No. 1 hits over the course of his career. Haggard was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and is considered “the single most influential singer-songwriter in country music history.”
From MySanAntonio.com, Here are the lyrics to “Hillary.”
“If we don’t elect Hillary, then we’ll never know.
“She is the right lady, and her husband’s a pro.
“Eight years in the White House with the know-how we need.
“When you walk with a leader, you learn how to lead.
“And who kept her head high when it could have been down?
“And who ran the show when the scandal hit town?
“This country needs to be honest. Our changes need to be large.
“What we need is a big switch of gender. Let’s put a woman in charge.
“A woman in charge of the Army, put a woman in charge of the wheel.
“The country owes it to Hillary, and Hillary owes it to Bill.
“This country needs to be honest. Our changes need to be large.
“What we need is a big switch of gender. Let’s put a woman in charge.”
