Listening to the wind

One of Joe’s most favorite artists was Merle Haggard. Merle was one of a kind. His music spoke to you. It was music for the everyday man, and it was lightening in a bottle. Never to be duplicated again.

My parents adored Merle as well and listened to him on every road trip. I remember Joe making them a mix tape of nothing but Merle for their long drives back and forth to Florida. We found that tape in my Dad’s car after he passed away, saved for posterity.

We saw Merle once. It was in Norman, Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center. We sat on the basketball court with the stage set up right in front of us. We weren’t more than 20 feet away from the band. They were all getting up there in age at that point and sat while they played and sang. It was probably the most intimate and beautiful concert I’d ever been to.

I’m not sure what Joe’s favorite Merle song was, but if I had to guess it would be this one.

Merle Haggard’s music was our favorite music to just sit out back and listen to on a warm summer evening. We’d sing along to every song. My Joe knew every word to all of them. There was even one that I didn’t like, Kern River, that he played on purpose just to irritate me. And he’d serenade me for the whole song.

I ran across a Merle Haggard song I’d never heard before just the other day. Again, Joe is orchestrating what I listen to from far beyond the clouds.

Thanks babe. I hope you’ve found Merle Haggard up there and he’s treating you to your own personal concert. And I hope you’re listening to the wind like I am.