Even though this is just playing around, it shows you what an amazing vocalist Merle is. It also demonstrates that he does not (under usual circumstances) try to sing like anyone else, even though he CAN sing like anyone else.
Right… I had never heard him do that before I saw this video. He is good at it though… He probably did it at home sometimes just for kicks and perfected it.
When he first tried breaking into music, Fuzzy Owens turned Merle away because he sounded too much like Lefty Frizzell, which was Merle’s biggest musical influence at the time. Then once Merle went to San Quentin, and saw Cash perform, he picked the guitar back up to give other prisoners lessons. By the time he got out, he had his own sound. Learned all this from Merle’s first autobiography, “Sing Me Back Home.”
I agree, his Hank Snow was right on the money... His JC was was good until the real JC came out and sang with him. Just something about the deep projection of JC's voice that's hard to replicate.
I really can’t stand the “over the top southern twang” some “county singers” have today! I don’t believe you need to exaggerate the twang unless the songs you sing are really weak imitations of country songs. Merl, Johnny and the rest grew up hard, and sang about it! Having some late teen or early twenties chick sing about her broken heart is pure marketing BS. Loretta Lynn, and Dolly sang about real hard lives! That’s also why the blues was so good. It was about real life and struggles. Today singers may sing about what they think is life, but the passion and heartache and desperation is not there. When Merl sings “Momma Tried,” or when Loretta Lynn sings “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” it comes across as authentic. When Taylor sings about being heat broken at 16 doesn’t have soul. That is my rant for the day.
If you weren't a teen in the 60's or 70's, then you missed a very precious time in history. This folks, is how you define country music. I lived in the era when this was prime time. Thanks.
Wow, I never knew that Merle Haggard could do impersonations - and he did them pretty good too. Country music icons Buck Owens & Johnny Cash just made this segment sooooo much better. There will (never) be another singer to replace them, especially "The Man In Black".
There has been imho 3 singers who "filled shoes". Toby Keith, Brad paisley. And Alan Jackson -- " where were you when the wold stopped turning" -- thats right up there with a ring if fire, or even he stopped loving her today.
I've watched this clip at least 20 times, and it makes me smile every time! What a talent Merle is. Its also nice to see Johnny and Buck on stage with him.
Awesome, Merle Haggard, endorsed by Buck and Johnny himself. They are having a ball. having a laugh. I just can't comprehend the minds of the 400+ people who gave this a thumbs down.
Well you know Johnny is the reason Merle even pursued a career in music. Merle was in prison at San Quentin when Johnny played there and it inspired him to turn his life around.
I genuinely believe that Merle was not told they'd be on the show prior to filming. If he was "in" in the bit, he'd have stuck around, but his legitimate reaction to when Buck Owens comes on and then he tries to sneak away when Johnny comes on..... I really don't think he was in on it. I betcha he had words for Glen after the show!
Haggard put his last album, cd out in ,, 2011 . Its called Workin in Tennesee , Its Great . Packed full of Merle , he does some old n new songs on it . Jackson , too much boogie woogie , workinmans blues { with willie n his son ben haggard} n the title song ., which he plays in on a twin fiddle romp. Its Classic MERLE , Pick it up .
Holy shit, im so glad we have you tube. We will never see this good music and singers ever again. this is it nothing left but good folks postin old videos and I love it.
When did Glen not do great picking? The guy was an incredible guitarist. Him, Roy Clark, and Jerry Reed were better than about anyone you can hear today, country or rock.
Never heard anyone impersonate like Merle Haggard is the greatest singers of real country and doing any music and very best to ever impersonate just like the other singer sings and plays
Helle!!! How are you doing today, please pardon me for intruding into your privacy but I just wanted to know if you’re a fan ? Have a great day… Stay Safe!
Don't worry, there's still plenty of us younger generations that love and prefer this. It's actually the ONLY kind of music I listen to out side older/real rock. I was a 90's baby and with parents that were older than most along with military parents where Momma being from Texas and Daddy from Arkansas it was just what I grew up with. Now, my husband was a 70's baby (yeah...yeah...I get it, everyone is a mathematician) and so he loves the same music as I.... And I... Actually, we both, absolutely despise this new "country music" that's nothing more than a bunch of sissys popping and rapping sounding exactly the same as eachother all about how country they want people to think they are. It's terrible. The only person still putting out albums that is any good is kick-butt Dwight Yoakum. I don't know what's wrong with the older ones that still produce but who've just seemed to just .... I donno, given up. No one is good any more.
As good as they were, impersonations were just one small part of Merle's great musical talent. Song writing, arranging, and singing were his big contributions and they were truly legendary. If you don't know him well spend some time listening to his many compositions, you'll probably recognize some you forgot about. Altho he was appreciated by many later in life, I still don't think this guy received the notoriety he deserved. Talent-wise he was really one of the top guys in all of country music!
The best county artist of all time, not only is he in the country music hall of fame he's in the song writers hall of fame. Nobody could do it all like Merle.
@@tkinney80 I don't like to get too specific in ranking musicians (in art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder) but Merle definitely should be in the top tier of Country! Jimmie Rogers, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash deserve credit too. Another amazing musician, in the related field of bluegrass, who like Merle didn't get full recognition for his great talent (except maybe at the very end of his life) was Doc Watson. Check him out if you haven't already.
Merle had a very distinctive voice. I downloaded a song he sang from Amazon music . I found it on RU-vid , called “ I am an island”. But it says its Merle in HD and it doesn’t even sound like Merle. They have edited it till it sounds the same as all the rest of the “country “ singers . So I deleted it. I wanted to hear Merle not the generic singers today that all sound alike.
George Jones foretold us....."who's going to fill their shoes", before Almighty God took them home. George Strait & Allen Jackson capped it with "murder on Music Lane". They all paved their own paths, not beholden to the industry standards and that's what made them special..."the Highway Men & The Outlaws"!
Amazing that he could not only do spot on imitations of all of those great singers but still maintain a distinctive sound of his own. Merle was a gifted talent.
This is excellent. The impersonations were bang on. He even had the Johnny Cash method of guitar playing, off to a tee. What has happened to country music these days?. It is more rock and pop, than country. I wouldn't bother with the modern country singers. They are rubbish. Let's hope someone will carry the flag for old style country. Nothing is ever forgotten. There aren't many of the old style country singers left.
I wouldn't call new country rubbish, a rare few actually do as well as the greats.Times have changed each generation adds their own thing. I prefer Older country (like this) myself but I wouldn't blanket call all new stuff rubbish. Remember these guys like Willie, Merle, Kris, Johnny are different than Gene Autry, Roy Acuff, Jimmie Rodgers and etc..I'm sure people were saying the same thing then.
I knew Merle was a great singer and song-writer. I never knew he was so good with impressions. He nailed each one from voice to facial expression to guitar moves. And he looked genuinely surprised when Johnny Cash came out!
I agree with so many comments here - the good old days of country music, hard living and telling the world all about it. How could anyone "down-vote" this....
+John Abrams One of the greatest, no doubt. Jerry Reed too, Johnny, - some others, all from this same era (although many still alive and doing it today also)
+johnny07652 Yep bang on -Jerry Reed was an immense country artist, like Glen Campbell his sensational guitar skills rightly made him one of the most sought after session musicians around. Loved his US Male and Guitar Man vocals which the latter not surprisingly Elvis never missed doing on his tours.
No. absolutely not. The greatest country artist of "Gods" (atheist) earth was Hank Williams. He was the definition of country, and he formed it in inspired most - if not all of the country artist (directly or indirectly) that were/are out there today.
There is no way, Brooks could impersonate other country singers. If he could, then he'd be singing their songs the proper way. He'd be paying tribute to real country music.
The closest to an imitation Garth does is listen to Merle's song Gonna Break Every Heart I Can. Garth does a watered down version of that voice on EVERY song.
Garth Brooks is not even in the same class as Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens or Glen Campbell. He just wishes he could sing as good as they do.
Helle!!! How are you doing today, please pardon me for intruding into your privacy but I just wanted to know if you’re a fan ? Have a great day… Stay Safe!
I watched these great country entertainers growing up, that was by far a great era for country music. Sadly, today's new country singers just don't cut the mustard.
this sure makes me miss the days when country music was country! I grew up in the 70's listening to all of these great singers. The mess they have now is awful!
I am in my teens and I completely agree that country music isn’t the same and older (true) country is hands down way better, thanks to Merle and Johnny
I miss real country so badly...I fear that time is over. So glad we have our old albums, recordings, videos so we can still enjoy it even if they do not play it anymore on so called "country" radio...screw em!!
Hard to put it into words but I wouldn’t give you a bent penny for the new country music. Classic country is the real thing and these guys are wonderful representatives
i was lucky enough to see the Hag several times...he never did the same set of songs and he was always amazing...the last time i saw him,about a year and a half before he died,he came out on the stage moving slow and watching where he stepped,like old people do,but when he started to sing it was his same strong clear voice he always had....i love you Merle.
You'll never see that today. Musicians back then were genuine, not pretentious and idiotic like today. It's amazing the crap that they come out with today. I remember they had the Top 40 song countdown, then dwindled to Top 20. Now I don't think they have a song good enough to even rank. I'm not a huge country music fan but I'll listen to these guys any day!
I just discovered this video today. I never knew Merle did impressions. He was good too. Loved it when Buck and Johnny joined in too. Thank you for putting this video on RU-vid
Entertainers like this are here for such a short time, enjoy them or just leave them. I could not and they are a part of me. I have had wonderful times with all their songs, all are treasures of mine!
I thought Merle was the best at impersonations, but after hearing Jim Reeve's doing impersonation I am not so sure. The only one that they both had done was Johnny. To be honest, I like Jim Reeve's Johnny more than Merle's.
Now days if a singer impersonates another singer they would get sued. Great to see these guys having a great time doing this. Loved listening to all these guys growing up.
Merle Haggard's capture the voice, the guitar sound & playing style as well as the personality of the singer. He was as gifted a mimic as Peter Sellers.
Why are our lives so short.. These men deserved to live forever... Thank our lucky stars we have RU-vid and these men had TV shows.. Thank you so very much for sharing this.
Impressions aren’t easy and it’s hard to come across someone who can do them so well and I just watched him do 4 of the greatest country singers perfectly amazing
