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Saturday Night Classics (Mother’s Day Edition): “Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard
Ronald Reagan pardoned two country singers while governor of California. Spade Cooley probably should’ve stayed behind bars, and Merle Haggard got a pardon twelve years after getting out.
While an inmate at San Quentin, in 1960, Merle saw Johnny Cash perform and knew he had the goods to change his life too.
“Mama Tried” is mostly autobiographical, save the part about “life without parole.” Merle had a great mom. A mom who reared him without a husband. His siblings turned out okay while he went astray, leaving no-one else to blame, because Mama tried.
From 1968, here’s Merle, with the immortal James Burton, Glen Campbell, Jim Gordon, Bonnie Owens et al, going for a sound he described as, “somewhere in-between Peter, Paul & Mary and Johnny Cash.” They nailed it on the first take, and yep, it hit #1 on the Billboard Country Charts.
It was true for Merle and it’s probably true for most of us. Mama tried to raise us right, but we refused. Hope you all got there eventually. Thanks, Mama.
Published in General
Haggard held the world record for over thirty years for the largest bar tab when He announced a “round for the house” of C.C. Waterbacks during His concert totaling 5095 of ’em back in 1983 at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, TEXAS.
They do not make ’em like this anymore.
Glen Campbell is definitely in there. Probably James Burton.
One of those songs that I sing with Merle and have for 50 years. Great choice.
Boy, You ain’t whistling Dixie.
…… and BEER.
One of my favorites. I actually heard it first as a Grateful Dead cover, but there’s nothing like the original!
Fine post, Andrew.
Burton does the lick.
Credit where credit is due. Where, Andrew Troutman, does your session information come from? Far as I know, back then Hag was recording exclusively with his group The Strangers. I don’t think they needed help from The Wrecking Crew. They were a crack band. The name came from his breakthrough early hit “All My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers”. On the original LP back cover of Mama Tried, which I just fished out of my stacks, the members of the band are credited: Eddie Burris, drums; George French, piano; Norm Hamlett, steel guitar; Ray Nichols, lead guitar; and Jerry Ward, bass.
Hag’s greatest Mama song–the greatest of them all–is “Hungry Eyes”. One of those rare, very pure songs whose lyrics work as poetry. Here’s a live version from the old man. In his prime, when he recorded the song, he had the perfect country voice; here his voice, a bit frayed, really gets to me. I’m an old man myself now; always more grateful for my own Mama. . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDYVjdWATFc
I was surprised to read this too, supposedly in his own words: