George Jones, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and the statue designer, Bill Raines, pose for photos inside the Crystal Palace in 2005.
Photo by John Harte
For Haggard, who was born in Bakersfield in 1937, the summer of 2012 will hardly be different from the previous 55: He’ll appear on a different stage almost nightly. The last few days of July will see Haggard in Virginia and Ohio. By early August, he’ll make his way to Illinois, Indiana and North Carolina, then down into Kentucky and Georgia. Between now and Aug. 11, Haggard has scheduled himself exactly two nights off. That’s not the pace a man in his eighth decade is supposed to want, much less endure. But Haggard has always had exceptional stamina — for work and especially for play. These days work dominates. Good thing, too, because demand for Haggard’s services seems to have hardly abated over the years. He and this current edition of the Strangers (which includes his son Ben on guitar) is booked out into December. Haggard has long complained that country radio ignores stars of the past like himself, while the Eric Claptons of the world still demand rock-format airplay, but Haggard can’t deny that when it comes to live performance, he still commands respect — and a paycheck. That’s especially true in his old hometown. Despite having moved to Lake Shasta a quarter-century ago, Haggard still merits a hero’s welcome in Bakersfield, where his shows remain hot tickets. Perhaps it’s true that a prophet
hath no honour in his own country, but Haggard has been around long enough to have earned an exemption. Haggard has no intention of retiring. “I’ve thought Continued on page 148
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