In The Studio (And Exclusive Tracks): Merle Haggard

Rolling Stone recently got the scoop on Merle Haggard's The Bluegrass Sessions, which comes out October 2nd. "I've got to where, a hundred albums later, I can't tell how good they are anymore," Haggard says of his first disc of bluegrass songs. "I know we had fun doing it — we didn't sweat too hard." The disc — recorded in Nashville with a group of top-shelf pickers — features bluegrass traditionals and reworked versions of Haggard's own tunes. But the best tracks are the new ones, like "What Happened?" which surveys the damage of the Bush era. "I hope it's not too late to fix things, Haggard says. "But I don't think it's going to happen in our lifetime." Sample three songs from the LP (including single "Wouldn't That Be Something" and two exclusive tracks) right here:

LISTEN Sample "Run Away Momma" from The Bluegrass Session:

LISTEN Sample "Wouldn't That Be Something" from The Bluegrass Sessions:

LISTEN Sample "Mama's Hungry Eyes" from The Bluegrass Sessions:

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Song Stories

“Is It True”

Brenda Lee | 1964

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."

More Song Stories entries »

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