just now getting around to reading the Bill German book which I find quite interesting thus far.

Question: on page 45, Bill writes regarding a tape from the "Svi" collection:

"One was a homemade tape from Keith called "Somewhere Over the Counter" featuring Keith's renditions of Hoagy Carmichael and Merle Haggard songs."

Do these exist anywhere today?

Would love to hear his Merle covers. Merle, of course, is big in Montana as we are quite the country and western state. I do find it a bit of an odd pairing assuming, that is, that Keith and Merle are friends. Then again, I don't think Merle is as redneck as his image may make him out to be. He has had run ins with the law as Keith has.

As I recall, Merle was to open for the Stones in Dallas on the Bang tour, but he took sick and never did.


p

The recordings of Nearness of You (Carmichael) and Sing Me Back Home (Haggard) exist on several boots.
Merle Haggard was to open at the Dallas 2005 show, but cancelled due to illnes. He did open in Little Rock a few months later.

any other Haggard tunes besides that one?


p

Keith only recently recorded with Merle but as yet nothing released from session.....



ROCKMAN

Merle is DEFINITELY not the redneck moron a song like Okie From Muskogee (which I happen to like quite a bit) would lead you to believe. I seem to recall there's a story behind why he wrote that song, and if my vague memory serves me right, his feelings on things, and the point of view suggested by the lyrics of that song, were not the same.