Introduction
Why Alan Jackson Called Merle Haggard ‘Crazy’
Hey everyone, welcome back to CountryCast! Today we’ve got an incredible story straight from Alan Jackson himself—a run-in with one of country music’s most legendary icons: the man, the myth, the legend, Merle Haggard. Make no mistake, Merle Haggard is one of Alan Jackson’s biggest heroes, but as always, AJ calls it like he sees it—and that’s exactly what he did when talking about Haggard after a hilarious, unintentional jab at Alan’s mother.
Here’s how it all went down. A couple of years ago, on May 14, 2021, Alan Jackson released his 18th studio album, Where Have You Gone. Like any artist promoting a new album, Jackson went on a media tour. In one particular interview with The Tennessean, he shared a classic story involving him and Merle Haggard.
The story came up while discussing the last song on his album, a cover titled That’s the Way Love Goes. Originally performed by country legend Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard later covered it in the early ’80s, even naming his 1983 studio album after the song. Naturally, Alan decided to cover it on his album as a tribute to Merle. He told The Tennessean:
“I’ve been wanting to do something for Merle ever since he passed. I think it had been cut by a bunch of people, but I always heard Merle did That’s the Way Love Goes as a tribute to Lefty. I did it kind of the same way, as a tribute to Merle.”
But here’s where it gets funny. Jackson also shared a story from the road when he toured with Merle. Back in the day, Alan made sure to have the best backstage catering to satisfy his “country appetite.” One night, during their run of shows together, Merle tried one of Alan’s favorite dishes—but it wasn’t exactly his favorite.
Alan recalled to The Tennessean:
“My mama made this old lemon pie—a lemon icebox pie. It was one of my favorites, but not everybody likes it. I just remember one time we came into catering and Merle’s sitting there. The guy said, ‘Merle, how’s the food today?’ He said, ‘Oh, it’s pretty good, but don’t eat that goddamn yellow pie!’”
Alan laughed and added, “I never did tell him that was my mama’s pie. He was just that way—he was crazy, but funny. There are just so many great tales from the road in country music, and this is definitely one to add to the list.”
No day goes by that we don’t miss the Hag. That’s it for today’s video on CountryCast. If you’re new here, be sure to hit that subscribe button. And if you love stories about country music and its history, come back often—we’ve got plenty more to share. Thanks for tuning in!