| Kern River | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Recorded | Eleven Eleven Studio, Nashville | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 30:08 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Merle Haggard (all tracks), Ray Baker (tracks 5 & 8), Grady Martin (all tracks except 5 & 8) | |||
| Merle Haggard chronology | ||||
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Kern River is the fortieth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers, released in 1985. It reached number 8 on the Billboard country albums chart.
The album is best remembered for its title track, which hit the Top 10 in the summer of 1985. The song also played a part in Haggard's souring relationship with his record label. In his 1999 memoir My House of Memories, the singer recalls being summoned to CBS in Nashville with Ray Benson in tow where an executive casually remarked, "Well, I still don't like 'Kern River,'" and suggested, despite Haggard's run of hits in the first half of the decade, that he listen to songs by a group of assembled young songwriters [1] Haggard exploded, saying to the executive, "Go over there and pick up one of those guitars. Show me a chicken claw D. Sing me your latest song," and later recalled, "To this day, my blood pressure rises when I tell the story." [1] The LP alternates between smooth, country/pop melancholy, such as "You Don't Love Me Anymore" and "There's Somebody Else On Your Mind," and nostalgic nods to big band western swing like "Old Watermill" and his cover of Louis Armstrong's "Big Butter and Egg Man." The LP also contains a rendition of the 1980 Dolly Parton #1 "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You." The version of "Natural High" found on this album differs from the one on Haggard's previous album It's All in the Game in that it features Janie Fricke on background vocals. Haggard had originally recorded "I Wonder Where I'll Find You at Tonight" on his 1972 album It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad) .
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [2] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic states that while the LP "isn't his best record of the '80s, it's possibly the best example of Haggard's far-reaching, varied tastes as he settled into his veteran status." [2] In the 2013 book Merle Haggard: The Running Kind, biographer David Cantwell calls the title track "a scary record" that "screamed quiet and startled you alive." [3]
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A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World is the eleventh studio album by Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers, released in 1970.
Jane Marie Fricke, known professionally as Janie Fricke, is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and clothing designer. She has placed seventeen singles in the top ten of the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Eight of these songs reached the number one spot on the Country music chart. She has also won accolades from the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association and has been nominated four times from the Grammy Awards.
Okie from Muskogee is the first live album by Merle Haggard and the Strangers released in October 1969 on Capitol Records.
Big City is the thirty-third studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by the Strangers, released in 1981. It was his debut on the Epic label after ending his association with MCA. Big City peaked at number three on the Billboard Country Album charts and number 161 on the Pop Album charts. It is an RIAA-certified Gold album.
Hag is the twelfth studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers released on Capitol Records in 1971. It became his fifth album to top the Billboard country album charts. It also reached number 66 on the pop albums chart.
I Love Dixie Blues is a live album by American country singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1973.
Merle Haggard Presents His 30th Album is the seventeenth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1974. Contrary to the album's title, this was his 17th studio album; however, the number 30 included his six collaborative albums, three live albums, one 'live' gospel album, one Christmas album, and two greatest hits compilations up to that point.
"A Place to Fall Apart" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard as a duet with Janie Fricke and backed by The Strangers. It was released in October 1984 as the second single from the album It's All in the Game. The song was the first single where Haggard and Fricke worked together. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the country chart. Haggard wrote the song with Willie Nelson and Freddy Powers.
"Natural High" is a song written by Freddy Powers, and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers. It was released in March 1985 as the third single from the album It's All in the Game. The song was Haggard's thirty-third number one single on the country chart as a solo artist. The single featuring harmony vocals by Janie Fricke went to number one for one week and spent a total of twelve weeks on the country chart.
It's All in the Game is the thirty-ninth studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by the Strangers, released in 1984 by Epic Records. The album peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
I Am What I Am is the sixty-second studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard. It was released on April 20, 2010 by Vanguard Records. The album peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
"Kern River" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers. It was released in July 1985 as the only single and title track from his album Kern River. The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
Strangers is the debut studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard. It was released on September 27, 1965, by Capitol Records.
Rainbow Stew Live at Anaheim Stadium is a live album by American country music artist Merle Haggard with backing by The Strangers. It was recorded in October 1980 and released in July 1981 on MCA Records.
Heart to Heart is a duet album by Merle Haggard and Leona Williams with backing by the Strangers, released in June 1983 on Mercury Records. It reached number 44 on the Billboard Country music chart.
The Epic Collection (Recorded Live) is a live album by Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers released on Epic Records in November 1983.
Amber Waves of Grain is a live album by American country music artist Merle Haggard with backing by The Strangers, released in 1985. It was Haggard's third live album in four years and was recorded at the Hollywood Star Theater. It features a mix of Haggard's big hits and other, more obscure tracks. The title cut, written by Freddy Powers, is a paean to the American farmer, in keeping with the spirit of the Willie Nelson-spearheaded Farm Aid benefit, as does "Tulare Dust" and "The Farmer's Daughter." The LP peaked at number 25 on the Billboard country albums chart.
Chill Factor is the forty-fourth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard, with backing by the Strangers, released on the Epic label in 1987.
Seashores of Old Mexico is a studio album by Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. It is a sequel to their enormously successful 1983 duet album Pancho and Lefty and was released in 1987. They are backed by The Strangers. The only charting single was a cover of a 1979 Blaze Foley song, "If I Could Only Fly", which peaked at number 58 on the 1987 Billboard Hot Country Songs singles chart.
Unforgettable is the fifty-seventh studio album by American country singer and songwriter Merle Haggard, released in 2004.
