 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2015) |
| Pride in What I Am | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 3, 1969 | |||
| Recorded | June and August 1968 | |||
| Studio | Capitol (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | Capitol ST-168 | |||
| Producer | Ken Nelson | |||
| Merle Haggard and The Strangers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pride in What I Am | ||||
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Pride in What I Am is the eighth studio album by Merle Haggard and The Strangers released in 1969 on Capitol Records.
After scoring four number-one hits in a row, the single "I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am" peaked at number 3 on the Billboard country singles chart. The song is a first person narration by a homeless drifter who laments his lonely, rootless existence but at the same time celebrates "living off the side of our great land..." as he defiantly proclaims, "Things I learned in a hobo jungle are things they never taught me in a classroom." Aside from the jaunty "I'm Bringing Home Good News," the album is largely a stripped down affair with arrangements and instrumentation that reveal a pop and folk music influence, such as on the title track.[ citation needed ]Pride in What I Am also showcases Haggard's affection for the blues on the comically self-loathing "I Can't Hold Myself In Line" and the Jimmie Rodgers classic "California Blues (Blue Yodel #4)" (Haggard's next studio album would be a tribute to Rodgers, released three months after this one).
Haggard was beginning to attract attention from artists outside the country field, such as crooner Dean Martin, who recorded "I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am" for his album of the same name in 1969. In addition, the Gram Parsons incarnation of the Byrds had performed "Sing Me Back Home" on the Grand Ole Opry and had recorded Haggard's "Life in Prison" for their album Sweetheart of the Rodeo the same year. Part of Haggard's strong appeal during this period was the high quality and of his albums in an industry that saw the LP as a dumping ground for leftover studio cuts and a cash cow for music publishing companies. As Daniel Cooper notes in his essay for the 1994 retrospective Down Every Road, "...at a time when country albums were notorious for consisting of two or three hit singles and a load of filler, Haggard, in the same amount of studio time, would produce LPs consisting of two or three #1 smashes and a series of album tracks any one of which would have been someone else's career record."[ citation needed ]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Pitchfork Media | link |
| Rolling Stone | Not rated link |
Pride In What I Am peaked at number 11 on the Billboard country albums chart and remains a critical favorite. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic states that the collection "gains considerable strength from a diversity of material, where the rolling, folk-tinged sound epitomized by the title song is balanced by twangy, spare country and bits of hard honky tonk, blues..." [1] In the book Merle Haggard: The Running Kind, David Cantwell calls it "an album that stands with Haggard's best," calling "The Day the Rains Came" "wondrous, weird, and lovely."[ citation needed ]
In 2002, Pride in What I Am was reissued by BGO Records along with The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde . [2] In 2006, Pride in What I Am was reissued by Capitol Nashville along with Mama Tried with five bonus tracks and 24-bit digital remastering. [3]
All songs by Merle Haggard unless otherwise noted.
with
and
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Country albums | 11 |
| Billboard Pop albums | 189 |
Merle Ronald Haggard was an American country singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Same Train, A Different Time is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers, released in 1969, featuring covers of songs by legendary country music songwriter Jimmie Rodgers. It was originally released as a 2 LP set on Capitol (SWBB-223).
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.
Branded Man is the fourth studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released on Capitol Records in 1967.
Okie from Muskogee is the first live album by Merle Haggard and the Strangers released in October 1969 on Capitol Records.
The Bluegrass Sessions is the sixty-first studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Merle Haggard. This album was released on October 2, 2007, on the McCoury Music and Hag Records.
I'm a Lonesome Fugitive is the third studio album by Merle Haggard and The Strangers released on Capitol Records in 1967.
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.
Mama Tried is the seventh studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released on Capitol Records in 1968. It reached number 4 on Billboard's country albums chart. The title song was one of Haggard's biggest hit singles and won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.
A Portrait of Merle Haggard is the tenth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released September 2, 1969.
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.
The Fightin' Side of Me is the second live album by Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1970. Like the song "Okie from Muskogee" led to a quickly released album, The Fightin' Side of Me was also quickly released because of the run of success of Haggard's patriotic hit single "The Fightin' Side of Me".
It's Not Love is the fifteenth studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1972. It reached number one on the Billboard country albums chart. The lead off single was "It's Not Love " which also reached No. 1 on the charts.
I Love Dixie Blues is a live album by American country singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1973.
The Roots of My Raising is the 21st studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1976. It was his third release in 1976 and his last on the Capitol label until his return in 2004. It reached number 8 on the Billboard country albums chart.
Songs I'll Always Sing is a two-record compilation album by American country music singer and songwriter Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1977. It reached #15 in the US Country Charts. The album collects many of Haggard's best known recordings during his successful run at the label, including nine of his twenty-four #1 hits dating back to 1966.
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.
The Epic Collection is a live album by Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers released on Epic Records in November 1983.
Blue Jungle is the forty-seventh studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard, with backing by his band, The Strangers, released in 1990. The album peaked at number 47 on the Billboard country albums chart. It was co-produced by Mark Yeary, the honky tonk piano player of Merle Haggard's band, 13 years in a row awarded the ACM Band of the Year, The Strangers.
The Peer Sessions is the fifty-fourth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard released on the Audium label in 2002.
