Mike Killingsworth: Merle Haggard never forgot his roots or his friends

Re “Merle Haggard: Our Valley has lost its truest voice” (Page 2D, April 10): Great coverage of Merle Haggard’s passing. I grew up in Tehachapi, about 40 miles from Bakersfield. I know all of the places where Merle played. My dad told me stories about seeing and talking with him there. We loved Merle and his music. My dad used to tease him because he was a dust bowl Okie himself, just as is about a third of those Bakersfield from during that era.

Merle opened for Bob Dylan at the Paramount in Oakland some years ago, and I got a front-row seat. As Merle sang, I watched and sang along in my head. In the quiet periods between songs I would tease Merle by saying the names of some of the beer joints like the Lucky Spot, Barrel House, Blackboard and others he played in Bakersfield. After a few of those he responded, “I’ve played in a few juke joints in my life, but I think I’ve moved up a little since then,” then he smiled. I nodded and enjoyed the rest of the show.

Merle truly was, and his music still is, the voice of those hardscrabble Okies and their descendants.

This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 6:15 PM with the headline "Mike Killingsworth: Merle Haggard never forgot his roots or his friends."