The best friends are the kind who will keep you humble when you need to be, and in the music industry, that sort of guidance and accountability can go a long way. As flashy as fame and fortune may be, at the end of the day, musicians are still people. And sometimes, people need to be reminded by their people how to be a good person.
At least, that’s what Willie Nelson was trying to do when Merle Haggard attempted to brag about his industry successes to Nelson and fellow country star Johnny Cash.
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Willie Nelson Shot Down Merle Haggard’s Bragging
On August 19, 1985, Merle Haggard appeared on Nashville Now alongside the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Rosie Carter, and hosts Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. This is the same year Haggard released Kern River, which featured songs like the title track, “Big Butter And Egg Man”, “Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You”, and others. The first single, “Kern River”, came out just under two months before Haggard appeared on the show. The song broke into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
Still, Cash wasn’t about to let Haggard’s head get too terribly big. While discussing Haggard’s successes, Cash got an impish grin and said, “I got to tell this on Merle. Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and I were in a hotel room in California just about the time [“The Highwayman”] was released. We were talking about the potential of it, you know. The four of us singing together, Willie, Waylon [Jennings], Kris [Kristofferson], and I.”
“Merle said, ‘My record’s No. 1 this week,’” Cash continued. “Me and Willie looked at each other, and Willie said, ‘Merle, me and Johnny don’t care.’” The story caused Haggard and the rest of the folks on set to crack up laughing, proving that there were no hard feelings about Nelson’s statement. It was just a fact. Everyone in that hotel room was a major country star. Haggard just needed to be reminded of it.
Haggard ribbed Cash himself, too. When discussing “The Highwaymen”, Haggard said it was his favorite track that Cash performed with Jennings, Kristofferson, and Nelson. And of course it was. It was the only single the quartet had put out thus far.
Nothing like a good friend to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.
Photo by CBS via Getty Images