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The Hag still has a lot left in his playlist

BY matt munoz Bakotopia.com editor
mmunoz@bakersfield.com | Friday, Dec 02 2011 12:08 PM

Last Updated Friday, Dec 02 2011 12:10 PM

Though he was born and raised in Oildale and has drawn inspiration from growing up in the valley for some of his most enduring classics, Merle Haggard was a big of a stranger to local stages for a while there in the 1990s.

But for the last six years or so, fans have grown accustomed to his frequent concert appearances -- sometimes two or more a year -- not to mention an occasional sighting of him strolling around downtown and shooting pool at the Padre Hotel.

So why, all of the sudden, is Bakersfield beckoning him home?

"It's about public demand," he said during a recent phone interview with The Californian of his upcoming show. "Bakersfield's a big part of my life. I have relatives there. They come to me and say, 'The folks wanna have you back, so when can we have you back?' We were playing two days in Las Vegas, and so it was natural to go down and play Bakersfield."

Haggard returns to what has become his venue of choice lately, the Fox Theater, on Dec. 10 after a powerhouse stint with Kris Kristofferson at the Los Angeles Greek Theater. Haggard is coming off a series of tour dates in support of his latest record, "Working in Tennessee," which enlisted the musical talents of several members of his family, including wife Theresa and daughter Jenessa, who co-wrote one of the album's songs.

"Well, if my wife chooses to sing, she'll be a star. It's just a matter of what they wanna do," the proud patriarch said. "How much they wanna contribute to the whole picture is what they'll receive. And they can do whatever they want to, I think. I think they've got the talent to do it."

As for son Ben, who's been getting raves for his guitar playing and soulful singing as a member of his father's band, Haggard is equally proud and supportive.

"It's real rewarding to look around the bandstand and have a couple people onstage that's qualified, and not just there because they're part of my family. I wouldn't rather have any other guitar player in the United States than my son."

And what kind of advice does he offer his kin?

"Study really hard. Study music and the times in which we live. The electronic effect of it all, as good as it may be, we may wanna shy away from it so as to give the people a selection that includes reality."

Sounding not the least bit curmudgeonly when pressed about the state of his health, a topic that seems to dog his every move, the 74-year old Haggard shrugs off any such concerns, offering a view on modern medicine.

"The stem cell thing they got going on -- that's gonna make the heart last longer, and I think longevity as a whole in the human race has increased a great deal in my lifetime."

And with a busy schedule ahead that includes more touring and recording, he wants fans to know the Hag will be sticking around for quite a while.

"I've got a wife that keeps me real healthy, making sure that I'm doing the right thing and I try to get exercise. And so, at the moment, I'm in top shape."

And he's looking forward to another round of new recordings scheduled for next year, including a record recalling his early years.

"We're working on an album called 'Influence,' and it's gonna be the music that I used prior to the time that I came into the business. It'll be a lot of Marty Robbins, Lefty Frizzell stuff, some Elvis. Different things that I did on the bandstand before I had music of my own."

If you needed any more convincing that Haggard is still sharp as a knife, you can always ask him if he ever has trouble picking show selections.

"Man, I haven't used a set list since 1969."