Merle Haggard, who’s she?

I love it when people ask me who my favourite Singer is. Not that I actually have just one favourite singer, but because although that often changes from time to time depending on mood and who I have recently been listening to,* I often, for fun say either Merle Haggard or occasionally Gene Pitney, and invariably I get the response, “Who‘s she, never heard of her!”

Well for those of my generation I’m sure you know by now that Gene Pitney was a man and a very, very successful singer songwriter of the 50’ & 60’s.

For others of the same generation, but not into American Country Music, Merle is also a man and among the top half dozen recording stars of his Genre, and still touring in the States even as I write this.

I first heard Merle back in the late 60’s when my oldest brother encouraged me to listen to his then latest Album** which was getting played quite a bit on Commercial Radio in Melbourne at the time, and along with my brother have been a fan of his ever since, even if few others in this country have ever heard of him!

Three questions for you today. Have you heard of Merle? If you hadn’t what was your first reaction to the word “Merle”? And finally, do you often make assumptions or predictions based on just hearing a word or a name? Such as the assumption that “Merle” must be women, as you have never heard of another male with that name. Well not all female sounding names, are female are they?

As well as Gene Pitney (often heard as Jean), there is also that well known, but now late, manliest of all he-man actors Marion Morrison too, isn’t there? Well okay I have to admit here, that he changed that to something else didn’t He? Any one tell me who to?

Anyway don’t always jump to conclusions at first hearing. Allow people and facts to reveal themselves fully before making final conclusions.

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*I would probably have a dozen, maybe even 20, including Merle, I could name as among my best, without ever coming to a final, final decision. (Probably, no I most definitely have a bias towards singer/songwriters, even when their singing (Like Merle's) is not the purest I have heard.

** Merle Haggard, Live from Muskogee and Philadelphia. (Which in essence, was a greatest hits (till then) album.