by Bob Payne WWW.MYSPACE.COM/DAVRIK
posted July 24, 2008
 Bob Payne |
First, let me say that he is a very nice guy. Despite the obvious difference in importance to the music world, he made me feel very comfortable during our conversation. He makes you feel like you are talking with an old friend. I thanked him for picking Chattanooga as a stop on his 17-day tour, and he responded by saying he likes Chattanooga and that it’s a great town.
Merle released a new CD this past year and it was markedly different from his seventy other CD’s released over years past. He did a Bluegrass album this time, with the very best musicians from that genre. Allison Kraus, Marty Stewart, and others joined Merle at Ricky Skaggs’ studio in Hendersonville, Tn. At age 71, Merle Haggard proves again why he has been one of the hottest stars in music for five decades. The “Bluegrass Sessions” CD was submitted for a Grammy in the Bluegrass category, but the idiots at Grammy decided it wasn’t a bluegrass album, despite having bluegrass instruments, performed by established bluegrass players, in a bluegrass studio. Merle indicated he was disappointed, but he didn’t seem bitter.
I asked him if he was going to release a new CD anytime soon, and he said he had been in the studio recording that very morning and expected to have a new release soon. I told him I thought it would be cool if he would record a Blues CD and feature the guitar work of a blues great like Buddy Guy, BB King, or Eric Clapton. He could call this one “The Blues Sessions.” He said he liked the idea, so we will have to see! (And the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album goes to…The Hag!)
When I asked him my usual question inquiring whether or not there was one thing he wished he had been asked in hundreds of interviews over the years, he said he believed he had been asked just about everything imaginable. I then asked him if he turned the tables and become the interviewer, what would he ask. He said he would have asked Johnny Cash and Bob Wills why they didn’t like each other.
I asked about the rumor of a movie in the works based on the life of Merle Haggard, and he said the script is in its final stages of revision. No word on who will star in role of Merle Haggard, or expected filming dates.
To hear the entire interview in Merle’s own words, tune in to my radio show on WAWL FM 91.5 on Thursday at 6 p.m. (Or on www.davidwawl.org)
Tickets for Merle Haggard at the Memorial Auditorium are available at the box office or online at Merle Tickets.
I will be a judge at “Chattanooga Idol” to be held August 2 at The Colonnade in Ringgold, with the winner guaranteed a shot before American Idol producers in Jacksonville, Fl. Talent must be between 16 and 28 years old. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and is limited to 750 contestants. For details, go to Fox 61 website.
Live! In Chattanooga
Thursday, July 24
Rhythm & Brews – Local Strings, with Dana Rogers, Mike McDade, Charley Yates, and Tommy Davis
Midtown Music Hall – Oakhurst
T-Bones – Pee Wee Moore
The Palms at Hamilton – Crossfire Band
Dalton Depot – Bald Eddie
Chattanooga Live! – WAWL 91.5 local music show at 6 p.m.
Friday, July 25
Rhythm and Noon at Miller Plaza - County Line
Nightfall at Miller Plaza – Claire Lynch, The Bluegrass Pharaohs
T-Bones – Nathan Farrow
Midtown Music Hall – Davey Smith & Channing Wilson
Rhythm & Brews – Velcro Pygmies at First Tennessee Pavilion
Rhythm & Brews – Kneckdown with Buck & Duke at R & B
Uncle Stumpy’s at Deadwood Station – Roger Alan Wade and Shani Hedden
Buds – Convertibull
Table 2 – Ben Friberg Jazz Trio
Blues Train Café Dalton – The Groove Shakers
Market Street Tavern – Bluegrass Pharaohs
Dalton Block Party – Essential Mama @ 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 26
Rhythm & Brews – Dubconcious
Barking Legs Theater – Chistable and the Jons
Uncle Stumpy’s at Deadwood Station – East Bound String Machine
Dalton Depot – Bud Lightning (Formerly Live at 11)
Charles & Myrtles Coffee House – Robinella and Jay Clark
T-Bones – Bald Eddie
Blues Train Café Dalton – Tom Cordell Jazzy Blues Bands
Market Street Tavern – SkyHi and Brandy Robinson
Sunday, July 27
Chattanooga Market – Big Bluegrass day! Ross Moore, David Herring, and Tennessee County Line play starting at 12:30 p.m.
Monday, July 28
Rhythm & Brews – Monday Night Big Band
Midtown Music Hall – Hightide Blues and Benjy Davis Project
Tuesday, July 28
Table 2 – Ben Friberg Jazz Trio
Wednesday, July 29
Market Street Tavern – Ben Friberg Jazz Trio
To have your venue’s live event listed, just email us at davrik@aol.com
See You There!
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