"Kern River" | ||||
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Single by Merle Haggard | ||||
from the album Kern River | ||||
B-side | "Old Watermill" | |||
Released | July 1, 1985 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:23 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Merle Haggard | |||
Producer(s) | Grady Martin | |||
Merle Haggard singles chronology | ||||
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"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. [1]
The song grimly recounts the story of the singer's girlfriend drowning in the Kern River, California. [2] In the 2013 biography Merle Haggard: The Running Kind writer David Cantwell calls the track "a scary record" that "screamed quiet and startled you alive." [3]
Chart (1985) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [4] | 10 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 10 |
"Kern River" was covered by Emmylou Harris on her album All I Intended to Be and by Dave Alvin on his album West of the West .
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.
The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde is the sixth studio album by Merle Haggard and The Strangers released on Capitol Records in 1968. It rose to number 6 on the Billboard country albums chart.
Hag is the twelfth studio album by 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.
If We Make It Through December is the sixteenth studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1974. It reached number 4 on the Billboard country album charts. The title track was previously released on Haggard's Christmas release of 1973, A Christmas Present. The single spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in December 1973 and January 1974, and cracked the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100. "If We Make It Through December" was the No. 2 song of the year on Billboard's Hot Country Singles 1974 year-end chart.
Merle Haggard Presents His 30th Album is the seventeenth studio album by American country 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.
Ramblin' Fever is the 22nd studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard, released in 1977. It was his first on the MCA label after recording for Capitol Records since 1965. It was also his first album without crediting The Strangers. It reached Number 5 on the Country album chart. Ramblin' Fever was reissued on CD in 2002.
My Farewell to Elvis is the 27th studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard, released in 1977 and his second release for MCA Records. It reached Number 6 on the Country album chart. The single "From Graceland to the Promised Land" reached number 4 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. The album is a tribute to the music of the late Elvis Presley, who died on August 16, 1977. He is backed by Roy Nichols, Ronnie Reno, and Mark Yeary of The Strangers.
Songs for the Mama That Tried is the 32nd studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard with backing by The Strangers, released in 1981. A Gospel album, it reached Number 46 on the Billboard country albums chart.
If I Could Only Fly is the fiftieth studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard, released in 2000. The album reached number 26 on the Billboard Country albums chart. The title song is a cover of a 1979 song written and recorded by Texas songwriter Blaze Foley. Haggard had previously recorded the song as a duet with American country singer Willie Nelson on their 1987 album, Seashores of Old Mexico, peaking at number 58 on the 1987 Billboard Hot Country Songs singles chart.
"I Had a Beautiful Time" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers. It was released in January 1986 as the first single from the album A Friend in California. The song reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"A Friend in California" is a song written by Freddy Powers, and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers. It was released in May 1986 as the second single and title track from the album A Friend in California. The song reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"A Better Love Next Time" is a song written by Johnny Christopher and Bobby Wood, and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers. It was released in July 1989 as the second single from the album 5:01 Blues. The song reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was Haggard's last Top Ten hit. It was co-produced by Mark Yeary, keyboardist of The Strangers.
"Running Kind" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released in January 1978 as the second and final single from the album, A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today. The song peaked at number 12 on the U.S. country singles chart and at number 10 on the Canadian country singles chart. The song was later covered by Radney Foster for the Haggard tribute album Mama's Hungry Eyes: A Tribute to Merle Haggard. Foster's version was released as a single in 1994 and peaked at number 64 on the U.S. country singles chart. Johnny Cash also covered the song with Tom Petty on the Unearthed box set.
"If You Want to Be My Woman" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers. It was released in December 1989 as the third single from his album 5:01 Blues. The song peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and reached number 15 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.
Strangers is the debut studio album by 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.
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.
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.
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