Personnel includes: Merle Haggard (vocals, guitar); Roy Nichols (guitar); Norm Hamlet (steel guitar); Don Markham (saxophone, trumpet); Mark Yeary (piano); Dennis Hromek (bass); Biff Adam (drums).
Producers include: Hank Cochran, Jimmy Bowen, Fuzzy Owen, Ken Nelson, Merle Haggard.
Compilation producer: Andy McKaie.
Recorded between 1975 & 1981. Includes liner notes by Todd Everett.
Digitally remastered by Jim Phillips (MCA Music Media Studios, North Hollywood, California).
The late 1970s were a productive time for Merle Haggard. A change of record labels in 1977--he terminated his long relationship with Capitol Records to sign with MCA--coincided with a change in his sound, as Haggard added horns and fiddle players to his band in an effort to expand his musical palate. The changes freed Haggard to thoroughly incorporate blues, Western swing, and even Cajun influences into his work.
THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION gathers 12 of Haggard's best and biggest hits from his five-year stay at MCA. Instantly recognizable classics like "Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink," "The Way I Am," "Misery and Gin," and "Ramblin' Fever" all testify to the creative outpouring generated by the changes in Haggard's career. This disc, which includes every top 10 hit from the period except "Red Bandana," is a solid introduction to Haggard's often-overlooked MCA recordings. minimize