“ANOTHER TRUE STORY” – By Des Kelly

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This writer has done many a “cover” version of the songs of my favourite “Stars” of Country Music. In addition, I have actually sung “harmony” WITH some of these Icons simply because I have always loved & admired the fantastic backing bands in America, accompanying superb- singing, still, making the “vocals” sound even better than they already are.

The “Nashville Sound” is what I am talking about. Guitars, lead & rhythm, “Violins” or “Fiddles” as they are known in “Country” lingo, Percussion, perfectly played, Pedal-steel Guitars, enhancing an already perfect “sound”. Nashville comes into the picture because it always was, and always will be, the “Country Capital” of the World. A recent song, I’ve heard, tells us that “Someone killed “Country Music”, and murder was committed, etc., etc., but this is not so, folks. “Modern-Country” isn’t a patch on, & cannot even be compared to the Country Music recorded during the 80’s and the 1990’s. Just take a song “title” like “An empty bottle, a broken heart, and you’re still on my mind” now, THERE’S a song title for you.

Many of the “greats” have now “passed-on” but believe me, when I tell you that while singers of the capability of youngsters like Mo Pitney are still “recording” Country Music, this “Music” is very much “alive” and will go on forever in the hearts of millions of “like-minded” folk around this Planet of ours.

Now, here is “ANOTHER TRUE STORY”. Merle Haggard, one of the very best exponents of Country Music, was also a “rebel”, in life, an outlaw, in every sense of the word, who went to Prison several times, “breaking-out” several times, as well, and even penned the beautiful ballad titled “I’ll break out again, tonight”,(as was his practice), but then, on another occasion, when he was in the San Quinton jail, famed for being a gaol that was “break-out, proof, once again, he wanted to escape,this time with another older prisoner who advised “the Hag”, (Merle’s nickname), not to even think about it . He said to Merle, “Son, you have just a short time to go before you’ll be free. I’m an old man, not talented like you and it doesn’t matter what happens to me”. Merle took his advice and didn’t break out, on this occasion, but the older man did, and in so doing, killed a Prison Officer on his way out. He was recaptured, sentenced to death, and as he passed the cell which Merle occupied, stopped, and told the guards leading him to his execution, that before he went any further, he wanted Merle to sing him a song. Merle picked up his old guitar and sang the song he had already composed for this old convict when he heard that this man was going to die for killing that Prison Officer. The song was “Sing me back home before I die”, sung with such emotion, he had the guards & Padre accompanying this “dead man walking”, in tears.

Nearly a year later, Merle’s time in San Quinton was over and he was free to leave, but the wife he was referring to, in his song, “I’ll break out again, tonight” (also, while in prison),

had already left him, prompting him to write still another song entitled “Teach me to forget”, after which, Merle Haggard got out of jail, for the last time, married again!. and started another family. In total, he “married” five times.his is something else folks, where these “Country songs” always “tell a tale”. In THIS case, it is still “ANOTHER TRUE STORY”.