Merle Haggard died on his 79th birthday (April 6, 2016). He left behind decades of great music and inspired generations of artists. Just days after his passing, many of those artists gathered for the annual All for the Hall benefit concert. Vince Gill, who helped organize the event, was among those who acutely felt the pain of Haggard’s death.
Before the event, Gill took some time to share his thoughts about Haggard. “He was my number one inspiration in my life. The way he led a band, the way he played, the way he sang, the way he wrote songs was just the pinnacle at every level,” he said. “Nobody equals Merle in my eyes. So, that was tough,” he said of the “Mama Tried” singer’s death. Gill went on to say that several artists on the All for the Hall lineup planned to play one of Haggard’s songs to honor the late legend. “I was already going to do one of Merle’s songs, anyway, just because I like doing them every night,” he said.
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[RELATED: Vince Gill Reveals His Pick for Greatest Country Artist of All Time]
“I don’t know anybody who doesn’t feel the way I do about Merle Haggard,” Gill said. “He’s like Arnold Palmer. He’s the most beloved guy our music has ever put out there,” he added.
Merle Haggard Was Vince Gill’s Favorite Artist
Vince Gill revealed his feelings about Merle Haggard during an early episode of The Big Interview with Dan Rather. During their conversation, Rather asked him his pick for the greatest country artist of all time. “That’s a great question because you would probabl get just a handfule of people that would be on that list,” Gill began.
“A lot of people would say Hank Williams Sr. A lot of people would say Jimmie Rodgers. Some might say the Carter Family. Some might say Roy Acuff,” Gill said, laying out the most likely answers. “I missed Hank Sr. He died in ’52. For me, it’s Merle Haggard,” he revealed. “He epitomized everything I wanted to try to be. He was a great singer, an amazing guitar player–people don’t understand how good of a musician Merle is–and a songwriter of the greatest order,” Gill explained. “He’s always been at the top of my list.”
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