Sing Me Back Home!! Merle Haggard's Boys Brings A TRIBUTE TO MERLE HAGGARD To The McCallum

The McCallum Theatre presents Ben and Noel Haggard in "Tribute to Merle Haggard" on Tuesday, January 22, at 8:00pm. The Haggard legacy lives on as Merle's sons, Ben and Noel Haggard, pay tribute to their father and play some of their own songs, too.

BEN HAGGARD
For fans of his late father Merle Haggard, his youngest son Ben is no stranger; he was the lead guitarist in Hag's band The Strangers since he was 15. Ben was a regular on Merle Haggard's recordings, took the stage with him and the Highwaymen (Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson), as well as Blake Shelton for a performance at the 2014 Grammys, and for 2012's "All for the Hall" show alongside Vince Gill and Keith Urban. Ben was featured with the Strangers backing Toby Keith for a Merle tribute on American Country Countdown Awards. He contributed versions of "Mama Tried" and "Sing Me Back Home" to 2014's Working Man's Poet: Tribute to Merle Haggard, featuring Toby Keith, Jason Aldean, Jake Owen, Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley.

For anyone who heard Ben play guitar with his father, that talent is undeniable. He has a singing voice that, while borrowing genetically from dad's gravitas, adds its own take on songs like "Sing Me Back Home," "Heaven Was a Drink Of Wine," and "Workin' Man Blues"

When asked about his own musical personality, Ben admits, like his father, he feels like a bit of an outsider when it comes to contemporary country music. He admits feeling a creative kinship with Americana artists like Sturgill Simpson, whose Metamodern Sounds in Country Music album proved a throwback to the music his father made. The two have struck up a friendship, with Simpson agreeing to produce Ben's album when he's ready to record.

For now, Ben's content burnishing his father's legacy, playing his songs, and pleasing Merle's fans. Ben recalls Merle telling him, "You'd be an idiot not to take my guitar and my bus, not to sing my songs for as long as you can. Go out there and play until there's nobody to play to." And that is precisely what Ben has done and will continue to do.

NOEL HAGGARD
Though Noel left Bakersfield at age 14, that country music mecca's essence permeated his soul. The youngest son of Merle Haggard and his first wife, the freewheeling honky tonk spirit and beauty of the Kern River defined Noel's outlook on both the world and music.

And it's in being the son of a legend that Noel came to realize how important it is to seek his own path. From the beginning, Noel Haggard's life has been different. Raised by his grandmother in Oildale, California, he lived in the same boxcar his father grew up in. When Merle married Bonnie Owens, the family reunited. As the children were growing up, they were exposed to the amazing music of the time. Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys dropped by the house to pick. Glen Campbell visited to go hunting. And there was no shortage of first-rate players hanging around in the musical environment.
Noel learned his father's songs and fell in with a group of players who played for beer and tips. Eventually the group broke up and Noel joined his father's band and graduated to opening Merle's shows.

When he struck out on his own, things fell into place. After arriving in Nashville, he met manager Estill Sowers and the wheels began turning. A deal with Atlantic was forthcoming and Noel released his debut album One Lifetime (1997). With One Lifetime, Noel began embracing his birthright. One Lifetime explored love's possibilities, shortfalls, pains and regrets - and it does so with the same natural phrasing and richly sonorous baritone that one would expect from someone with such a loaded last name as Haggard. Growing up with the man who defined country's possibilities, Noel has enough life experiences to more than completely inhabit the things he sings about

Tickets for this performance are priced at $65, $55, $45 and $25. Tickets are available at the Theatre's website at www.mccallumtheatre.com or by calling the McCallum Theatre Box Office at (760) 340-2787.

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