When I first read about the Legendary Performances series to be produced by a joint venture between the Country Music Hall of Fame and Shout! Factory, I mentally assembled a want list. One of the top five of that list turns out to be the third release in this excellent series. Merle Haggard’s story has been told many times over in numerous articles and a few books. Born in Bakersfield, a child in trouble leading to incarceration, turns his life around through music and becomes one of the most influential singers and songwriters of our time. Following the format of the previous two volumes, this DVD contains 15 performances by Haggard on a variety of programs beginning in 1968 through 1983. The first three performances come from the syndicated 1968 program Country Music Holiday, hosted by longtime Grand Ole Opry performer Wally Fowler. Joined by The Strangers, Haggard runs through three of his top five hits from the previous three years, “Branded Man,” “The Bottle Let Me Down” and “Swinging Doors.” Strangers Telecaster master Roy Nichols shows why he has been an influence to most country guitarists as he trades licks with steel guitar player Norm Hamlet. The late 1960s and early 1970s was a boom time for syndicated country music television. That year, in addition to appearing on Country Music Holiday, Haggard also appeared on Billy Walker’s Country Carnival. Here Haggard gives us three more of songs, “Mama Tried,” a No. 1 hit that year, “I Started Loving You Again,” a true Haggard classic that never charted for him and “I Take A Lot Of Pride In Who I Am,” which reached No. 3 the following year. In a rare event, he performs these with the house band made up of Nashville studio aces rather than the Strangers. Putting the tracks side by side with those cut by the Strangers it is easy to see why the Strangers became one of the most revered bands in country music. The band alone would record five albums for Capitol Records between 1969 and 1973. (Haggard would also appear on two episodes of the CBS summer replacement show Hee-Haw where he would lip-synch his hits in various settings like a front porch and a train yard.) The 1970s are represented on the DVD with a performance on the 1972 CMA Awards (“Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man),” which had reached No. 1 in 1971), two separate appearances on the Porter Wagoner Show (“The Fightin’ Side of Me” and “Okie From Muskogee,” both No. 1 hits, in 1970 and “The Roots Of My Raising,” a 1976 No. 1, in 1977). Three appearances on the Ralph Emery hosted Pop! Goes The Country show Haggard in good spirits. Although all are good, the best track of the three is the extended version of his 1969 No. 1 “Working Man Blues” from 1974 guest spot that features solos from Roy Nichols, Tiny Moore on electric five-string mandolin and piano player Mark Yeary.  Also included are a 1975 performance of “Movin’ On” and a 1977 rendition of “Ramblin’ Fever,” which reached No. 1 in 1975 and No. 2 in 1977, respectively. The two closing tracks come from 1983 where Haggard pays tribute to two of his heroes. He takes the CMA Awards show stage for a great rendition of Lefty Frizzells’ “That’s the Way Love Goes,” a song he took to No. 1. The final selection is taken from the 1983 Johnny Cash Christmas Special where Haggard and band, dressed in cowboy duds, run through Bob Wills’ “San Antonio Rose.” Haggard had recorded the excellent Bob Wills tribute album in 1970. Two bonus clips are included on the disc. The first is Haggard’s 1994 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, back when they still honored the legends during the awards show. The second clip is an interview conducted in 1981 on Hags tour bus as he is accompanied by then wife Leona Williams as he talks about family, touring and recording. This is another great addition to the Legendary Performances series and offers fans a rare glimpse at live footage of a true living legend that wouldn’t be seen without the efforts of the people at the Hall of Fame.

Surrounding himself with some of the best musicians in the business (Marty Stuart on mandolin, Carl Jackson on guitar, Rob Ickes on resophonic guitar, Charlie Cushman on banjo, Aubrey Haynie fiddle and Ben Isaacs on bass) as he runs through 12 songs � three new songs, two covers and seven Haggard classics receiving the bluegrass treatment. The first new song on the album, �Pray,� finds Haggard in a contemplative mood as he exhorts us all to drop our guard a little and pray for those around us so that the world might be a little better place.  �What Happened� follows that theme closely, but takes a more observational stance on what is going on in the culture that surrounds us.  �Learning to Live with Myself� revisits the past as Haggard learns to live without several of the things he let define him in the past. Haggard, as he is prone to do, offers up two tributes of sorts to heroes of the past - the medley �Jimmie Rodgers Blues� and the Delmore Brothers classic �Blues Stay Away From Me.�  Both find Haggard reveling in the classic melodies and you can hear the sense of comfort he takes in these songs. The remaining eight songs are classic Haggard tunes reworked in a bluegrass style.  Whenever artists redo their own material, it begs the question, why? Often they don�t add anything to the original and are simply throwaway versions.  Throughout his career, Haggard has made the habit of covering himself when he moves from label to label, which is perhaps a more pragmatic exercise to keep some hold over the masters of his classic hits, but here the goal is more to rework the songs a bit for a different, although related, genre. It�s a good news/bad news proposition, really.  The songs he has chosen to cover can really be broken down into two divisions. The first is the deep catalog cuts that, while written and previously recorded by Haggard, are probably not that well known to anyone other than the biggest fans.  �Runaway Mama� appears on Haggards� 2001 Roots album while �I Wonder Where I�ll Find You� digs deeper into Haggards catalog to his 1972 It�s Not Love (But It�s Not Bad).  �Momma�s Prayer� and �Wouldn�t That Be Something� round out this division with versions that stand on their own. Haggard�s recognizable hits make up the second division, which includes the classics �Mama�s Hungry Eyes� (with harmony by Alison Krauss), �Holding Things Together� and �Big City.�  All of these songs fit comfortably into the bluegrass treatment they are given, but that treatment, while entertaining, do little to replace the original versions. In all the album is entertaining and Haggard�s first foray into bluegrass is a successful one.

In the recent past there have been relevant and excellent albums from Bobby Bare, Kris Kristofferson and Charlie Louvin.  Willie Nelson had two albums out last year and Merle Haggard one.  This year they team up with long time pal Ray Price to produce a fantastic 2-disc set covering a wide breadth of Country Music.Last of the Breed (Lost Highway) is the first album to team up all three Country legends and also the first to team Haggard and Price.Ray Price began his career in 1946 in the Dallas area with appearances on the Big D Jamboree radio barn dance.  He soon moved to Nashville to pursue a major label contract, finally signing to Columbia in 1951.  A year after signing, Price had his first top ten hit with “Talk To Your Heart” and soon after met his hero, Hank Williams.Hank took a liking to young Price and soon gave him a song to sing (“Weary Blues”) and took Price on the road.  One of Price’s duties turned out to be standing in for Williams when he was too incapacitated to perform.  In 1953, Williams died and Price inherited his backing band, The Drifting Cowboys.With the Drifting Cowboys backing him, and the ghost of his hero guiding him, Price continued to tour and hone his sound.  In late 1954 he realized that to forge his own place in Country Music, he would have to assemble his own band and concentrate on his own sound.In 1956, Price continued in the hard country, honky-tonk vein Williams first mined, but added his own distinctive style, scoring chart hits with “Run Boy” and “Crazy Arms.” He also traded out the Drifting Cowboys for a new band, the Cherokee Cowboys, made up predominately of ex-band members of another of his heroes, Lefty Frizzell.Meanwhile on the other side of the country, in California, another Frizzell fan was on his way to realizing his dreams of becoming a musician.  Merle Haggard had been playing music only for a short time when a man approached him in a club in 1956 and asked him to appear on a television show in Missouri.  The experience wasn’t a great one for Haggard and he decided to move back to Bakersfield.At the same time, a young songwriter and disc jockey decided to make a run at a recording career and went to Vancouver, Washington to record a song written by Leon Payne the writer of one of Hank Williams’ best known songs “Lost Highway.”  Nelson played the song on his radio shows stimulating sales and gaining encouragment to continue.As the Fifties gave way to the Sixties, Price continued his hit making streak, while different fortunes struck his peers, Haggard and Nelson.After returning to Bakersfield, Haggard, having a hard time finding work, ran afoul of the law and was soon arrested after trying to break into a restaurant that was, unfortunately for Haggard and his accomplice, still open for business.  Having a long juvenile record, he was sentenced to San Quentin prison.Nelson, who had continued to write songs after the encouragement of Leon Payne and others, also was in need of cash and sold an early song, “Family Bible,” for $50.  Hearing the song on the radio in 1960, he decided to make an attempt at getting a contract in Nashville.  Unfortunately at that time, if they ever were, Nashville wasn’t ready for the offbeat sound of Nelson’s voice.  But the power and beauty of his songwriting shone brightly through the rough demos.Fellow songwriter and recording artist Hank Cochran used his clout to help Nelson get signed to a publishing deal with Pamper music – co-owned by Ray Price.  Recognizing something special, Price recorded Nelson’s “Night Life” and invited him to join the Cherokee Cowboys as bass player.While playing with Price, Nelson watched his songs hit the top of the charts sung by stars he admired: Faron Young (“Hello Walls”), Patsy Cline (“Crazy”), Billy Walker (“Funny How Time Slips Away”).  During that time he also signed a recording contract with Liberty Records and in 1962 scored two top ten singles of his own.In California, Haggard himself was picking up the bass.  After being released from prison in early 1962, he made his way back to the Bakersfield clubs and was soon asked to join the band of early Bakersfield sound pioneer Wynn Stewart.  Haggard heard Stewart practicing a new song and asked his boss if he could record it himself.  Stewart obliged and “Sing a Sad Song” became a national hit sending Haggard on his own path to stardom.The late Sixties would see Haggard’s star rise high while Nelson’s began to fade and his dreams of being a recording star buried by his songwriting success.  The Nashville Sound was taking shape and the sales of hard-country music began to wane.  In response, Price began to record a more crooning style more acquainted with singers like Eddy Arnold and drew sharp criticism from his many fans.As the Seventies bloomed, Haggard was one of the hottest stars in Country Music.  Nelson, on the other hand, left Nashville in discouragement and returned to Austin, Tx. Where his career exploded.  For Price, hits were becoming hard to come by and the lush sounds he had adopted in the ‘60s were losing favor.Even as these stars continued their separate careers, their paths would cross from time to time.  Nelson invited Price to record an album of duets in 1980 and San Antonio Rose featured Price returning to a Western Swing sound he had moved on from in the early ‘60s as he and Nelson ran through an inspired set of old favorites and songs Price had made famous.In 1983, Nelson and Haggard teamed up to produce the No. 1 album (and No. 1 single) Pancho and Lefty.  The duo came together again in 1987 for Seashores of Old Mexico, while the re-teaming of Nelson and Price would be 23 years after the San Antonio Rose with 2003’s Run That By Me One More Time.Now, in 2007, these three superstars combine their still incredible talents on Last of the Breed.The song list runs from the ‘40s to the ‘70s, with two new songs put into the mix.  The album kicks off with “My Life’s Been A Pleasure,” a song from the Bob Wills repertoire that was covered by Nelson and Price on San Antonio Rose and Nelson and Haggard on Pancho & Lefty.  The song is the perfect kick-off.  Having been covered by various configurations of the artists, it shows the way they came up with the material to record, like an old-fashioned guitar pull where the artists sing whatever they know, sharing tunes that might not be as familiar with the others.  It also exhibits another factor in picking the material – to show the influences of these great artists.Throughout the 22 song set the enthusiasm and respect for the material is evident.  The backing band is made up of a mix of studio legends (Boots Randolph (saxophone), Buddy Emmons (pedal steel), Charlie McCoy (harmonica) and Johnny Gimble (fiddle) and newer hotshots (Aubrey Haynie (fiddle) and Brent Mason (guitar)).  Vince Gill guess to lend harmony to Ray Price as he sings the Harlan Howard classic “Heartaches by the Numbers” while Kris Kristofferson alternates verses with Nelson and Price on his classic “Why Me.”There are two originals on the album, “Sweet Jesus,” a modern hymn to the Savior by Haggard and “Back to Earth” by Nelson, which is originally found on last years Songbird.  While the song was a standout on that album, the production here brings a more classic quality to it as legendary producer Fred Foster (who produced Nelson’s other album from last year You Don’t Know Me:  Songs of Cindy Walker) brings his immense understanding of the artists and their talents to the table.Oral tradition has always played a part in folk music, even in early Country Music, as one generation passed important songs of the day on to younger generations.  In one sense this is exactly what N elson, Haggard and Price are doing here, passing on a wealth of classic songs, songs that shouldn’t be forgotten and that should be passed on for generations to enjoy.  As people lament the death of “real Country Music” legendary artists are still producing works of art such as Last of the Breed.

Two of the newest releases feature two Country legends: Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings.  Merle Haggards appearance is from October 1985 and features much of the classic lineup of the Strangers, with the edition of a larger horn section.  The album kicks off with a rousing Dixieland infused rendition of "Okie from Muskogee’s Coming Home" and follows with 14 more classic Merle numbers.  Merle was in great voice and the Strangers in fine form during this appearance.1989 marked Waylon’s second appearance on ACL, but this Waylon was a freshly clean and sober one and his exuberance and fun-loving spirit shine through in this performance.  Wife Jessi Colter is featured on two of the nineteen tracks, "Suspicious Minds" and "Honky Tonk Angels."  Many of Waylon’s classics are here including "Amanda, "Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys," and "Luckenbach, TX (Back To The Basics Of Love)."Both of these releases will make great additions to any collection showcasing two of Country’s greatest performers on one of the greatest music showcases around.http://www.newwestrecords.com