@@DJK-cq2uy I never got the chance to meet him but really wish I would have. Some people say he was a little bit standoffish, but he was absolutely one of my favorite players.
WOW !!!!!! NOTHING AND I MEAN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN BEAT A FENDER TELECASTER IN THE HANDS OF THE RIGHT PICKER !!!!!!!!!!! U NAILED THAT ROY !!!!!!!!!!
Rumor has it that Jimmy Page used a Telecaster in the studio to play the lead to Stairway To Heaven. As a 71 year old working man - still working - I have a special reverence for Merle Haggard - the working man's poet. RIP Merle.
@@1guitar12 I've also heard a few other Led Zepplin solos, none of which come to mind right now, which sound like they were done on a Telecaster through the bridge pickup.
I am at a loss for words...that is one of the best live video recordings of Merle Haggard and The Strangers just killing it! All the while making it look effortlessly. Roy Nicholas takes the lead ride out of this world, and as someone commented, Roy played that lead, closed it and smoothly tucked his guitar. That's real, that's unbelievable talent, chemistry, and being f#*%&+* great!
People often forget, or never knew, how great a guitar player Hag was. He always gave Roy Nichols his well deserved credit but seems to have never sought it for himself as good as he was at it.
True - but that solo by Roy here, though. What a ripper!!! Jimmy Page would tip his hat to that one! Roy always had the most perfect country string-bends. This rendition would've still gone damn over well with just Merle's solo, but I'm glad Roy's is there too.
There’s a ton of classic country stations that stream. I listen to 99.7 The Legend out of somewhere in north Louisiana. I believe it’s around Monroe going by the advertisements.
Roy Nichols- wow that was so special. Digs right in deep and drives light at the same time. One of my top 5 solo's of all time. The irony- ask 99.9 % of the people in the world, and no one will know who he is. Sad. And Merle- need we say more. That's the way I'll always remember him.
Roy only drove on stage. I've read that he contractually specified that he would not drive at all, between shows. He carried his own amps too. I agree with you 100%. Easy top five, and in my ears, puts him right alongside Jimmy Page, and perhaps even Jimi Hendrix. Another thing 'they' never mention is how if Hendrix had never played a guitar, he could've easily made it on, and been widely loved and renowned for, his highly soulful singing! His singing was as right as his playing.
There will always be another great singer or songwriter or success story from depths of poverty, but there will NEVER be another Merle Haggard....a man that wrote and sang from his giving heart to sooooo many.
It never gets old. A friend of mine approached Merle as he was getting on his bus one time and asked.. "Do you have any advice for a young musician?" And Merel says. . "Yeah..Don't do it!" And them slammed the bus door. .lol!
I was born in 1965, grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and my late mother grew up in Nashville. She taught me about Hank, Johnny, Waylon, Loretta, and Merle. THIS is country. I don't dog people who listen to the new country, but I just can't get into it. I play a more classic rock and improve style music on my guitars, but can't tell you how many times in a solo I use the hammer-ons and bends that Merle and Roy use in their solos. Hope you all will check out this entire show (just wonderful!) and other stuff by Merle. Amazing!
I know that this is a James Burton lick, but Roy Nichols lays it down really hard and then just stops. You got to be pretty badass to drop a hot lick at the drop of a hat. Country Pickers!!
Now this is a real singer. The clarity of the words and spirit is fabulous. Great (first) Tele Solo Ronnie, Blows some of the greatest Blues players out of the water...
May Merle R.I.P. He was one of the very best singers/performers this country has every produced. We have lost all the greats. The younger generations have no idea what real music is.
See and heard just for happyness remember my ”monument countryblues ’ Merle perfect unforgettable countryman and very beautifull man ❤❤❤ RIP sweetly with my heartache forever and admiration in the eternity ❤❤❤👍😭🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻you will be always my heartloving ❤thoughts sincerely respectueuses to merveilleuse Haggardfamily 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉(2023/06/28) 😭❤️
I always loved Roy's playing. However, when Merle recorded the song, he used James Burton, so that phenomenal solo on the Record is James. I have played it many many times over the years but never quite as good as James. Listen to the recording to hear James.
The guitar Merle is playing in this video is now the guitar that his son Ben repurposed and now plays regularly with Merle’s name carved into the top along with Kris Kristofferson’s.
Matt Beeman - Roy wouldn't do that, tho he could, he was very improvisational and spontaneous, great musician as well as great guitar player - unique musical fingerprints.
![Merle Haggard - "Ramblin' Fever" [Live from Austin, TX]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YA91SDWjrwM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Merle Haggard - "Ramblin' Fever" [Live from Austin, TX]](/img/tr.png)
Roy Nichols lays down a face melting Tele solo and then tucks his guitar away like it was nothing. Amazing talent on display.
Roy finishes burning that solo and then immediately stops playing, and tucks his guitar under his arm with absolutely no emotion. Classic Roy.
Who the gell is Roy
@@DJK-cq2uy just go on somewhere else if you can’t figure that one out
I saw him 3 times live ,he always seemed all business ❤
Like you know him personally? 1st name basis...gths
@@DJK-cq2uy I never got the chance to meet him but really wish I would have. Some people say he was a little bit standoffish, but he was absolutely one of my favorite players.
WOW !!!!!! NOTHING AND I MEAN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN BEAT A FENDER TELECASTER IN THE HANDS OF THE RIGHT PICKER !!!!!!!!!!! U NAILED THAT ROY !!!!!!!!!!
I like the Strat better!
truer words have never been spoken friend
Rumor has it that Jimmy Page used a Telecaster in the studio to play the lead to Stairway To Heaven. As a 71 year old working man - still working - I have a special reverence for Merle Haggard - the working man's poet. RIP Merle.
@@123Goldhunter11 It’s no rumor…it’s fact.
@@1guitar12 I've also heard a few other Led Zepplin solos, none of which come to mind right now, which sound like they were done on a Telecaster through the bridge pickup.
I am at a loss for words...that is one of the best live video recordings of Merle Haggard and The Strangers just killing it! All the while making it look effortlessly. Roy Nicholas takes the lead ride out of this world, and as someone commented, Roy played that lead, closed it and smoothly tucked his guitar. That's real, that's unbelievable talent, chemistry, and being f#*%&+* great!
and it was fabulous when Merle took the last solo!
He always gave his band their solo time. Very respectful.
That is so true!! No, steel player blaring away either
So glad I took the time to learn Roy’s solo by ear! Very satisfying to play at tempo.
Musicians were less over the top and more humble back then.
and they didn’t need to stand half naked on stage
Roy Nichols...one of the greats! He always delivered.
Merle Haggard playing the second solo while holding a pick and a cigarette is badass! Cool as a cucumber.
At least he didn't get burn marks in the head stock like Clapton..lol
@@georgewirick6105 ciao George!🙋😍😘💘🍀
Hag was a darn good guitarist himself!
That guitar solo is otherworldly
People often forget, or never knew, how great a guitar player Hag was. He always gave Roy Nichols his well deserved credit but seems to have never sought it for himself as good as he was at it.
He could saw a fiddle too
True - but that solo by Roy here, though. What a ripper!!! Jimmy Page would tip his hat to that one!
Roy always had the most perfect country string-bends.
This rendition would've still gone damn over well with just Merle's solo, but I'm glad Roy's is there too.
@@DanEBoyd I can't figure out how Roy's name got left off the credits at the end.
@@DanEBoyd shreds
True American talent right here
I love watching Bonnie enjoying the piano players' turn at soloing.
Meryle and Roy some bad dudes . Rest in peace you both . No one can hold a candle.
Wish they still did songs like this on the radio
They don't have artist like this on the radio anymore 💯
There’s a ton of classic country stations that stream. I listen to 99.7 The Legend out of somewhere in north Louisiana. I believe it’s around Monroe going by the advertisements.
Yep most country stations play this red dirt fake country crap...I hate it.
I'd love to see Roy rip it for several minutes. What a player!
Roy Nichols- wow that was so special. Digs right in deep and drives light at the same time. One of my top 5 solo's of all time. The irony- ask 99.9 % of the people in the world, and no one will know who he is. Sad. And Merle- need we say more. That's the way I'll always remember him.
I know who he is . . . . brilliant!!!
Roy only drove on stage. I've read that he contractually specified that he would not drive at all, between shows. He carried his own amps too.
I agree with you 100%. Easy top five, and in my ears, puts him right alongside Jimmy Page, and perhaps even Jimi Hendrix. Another thing 'they' never mention is how if Hendrix had never played a guitar, he could've easily made it on, and been widely loved and renowned for, his highly soulful singing! His singing was as right as his playing.
@@DanEBoyd thanks for your insight. Agree 100%
There will always be another great singer or songwriter or success story from depths of poverty, but there will NEVER be another Merle Haggard....a man that wrote and sang from his giving heart to sooooo many.
R.I.P
Merle Hag
Miss Bonnie
Roy
Tiny
AND
all the rest of
The Strangers
that gave us so many years of great music.
🎶🎻🎸🎶
That solo by Roy Nichols is hotter than a bladder infection.
One of my favorite solos of all time. Incredible.
O.K. Walters Awesome tone. Pretty sure it’s just guitar- cord- amp. Raw.
Do it right and that's all you need.
David - unique tone and phrasing by Roy!
I would love to know what amp the lead guitarist is using??? Thats pure tube perfection and the way over drive should sound.
It never gets old. A friend of mine approached Merle as he was getting on his bus one time and asked.. "Do you have any advice for a young musician?" And Merel says. . "Yeah..Don't do it!" And them slammed the bus door. .lol!
There's a whole bunch of musicians that know their s*** they don't have to answer to nobody one of the greatest country songs ever made
What a piano player Mark Yeary was, phenomenal.
He taught me how to play a sows ear on a slice of rye
Yes... Very over looked keyboard/piano man for Haggard. A longstay band member and producer too. He passed a while back.
The one and only Merle Haggard with his band the Strangers. Damn they could all play especially Roy Nichols on lead guitar!
Love me some tasty Tele licks. Roy is one of the all time greats.
Merle at the top of his game. Love it.
Roy was hands down the best guitar picker
That is very good music the best i grew up listening to all this music
I was born in 1965, grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and my late mother grew up in Nashville. She taught me about Hank, Johnny, Waylon, Loretta, and Merle. THIS is country. I don't dog people who listen to the new country, but I just can't get into it. I play a more classic rock and improve style music on my guitars, but can't tell you how many times in a solo I use the hammer-ons and bends that Merle and Roy use in their solos. Hope you all will check out this entire show (just wonderful!) and other stuff by Merle. Amazing!
You can't go wrong with Merle one of the best singer songwriter performer of all time.
It was nice to read all of the replies.
All the while with a smoke in his hand! What a guy!
and play his guitar😁
Man, holding that cigarette with style while he playing what a badass🤠
That's awesome! Didn't even notice at first.
Best guitar solo in rock and roll, PERIOD!
Yes, I know this is country...
Classic - I love how they showcase all the artists' talents!
Notice they don’t have a dance team to perform? Their talent is the entertainment. Today’s artists would fold if they tried it this way.
I have loved this song and Merle Haggard for only about 12 yrs. Just love no ads and some real talent !!!
You're not going to see that in today's society, holding a cigarette on stage playing guitar. That's awesome. RIP MIGHTY MERLE
Today they probably pay someone to pre-wear the pattern of a Skoal tin into the pockets of their wardrobe...🙄
I am surprised the fire dept didn t show up this band was smoking hot 😎🇺🇸🎸👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
An Incredible Version of this Great Song of The Working Man all over the world!!
One of the greatest voices
It DON'T get no better.
Never thought i would see the day The Workin Man would be under attack like we are.
Thank God for The Hagg. He wrote the best ones.
I know that this is a James Burton lick, but Roy Nichols lays it down really hard and then just stops. You got to be pretty badass to drop a hot lick at the drop of a hat. Country Pickers!!
And he goes right back to doing nothing, as if he didn’t just do all of that
Now this is a real singer. The clarity of the words and spirit is fabulous. Great (first) Tele Solo Ronnie, Blows some of the greatest Blues players out of the water...
May Merle R.I.P. He was one of the very best singers/performers this country has every produced. We have lost all the greats. The younger generations have no idea what real music is.
Great lyrics, And hot guitar solo.
merle i listening you from france!!!! RIP man!!!
The best. No one even close. Miss you, Merle.
The credits say Ronnie Reno on guitar but it's obviously Roy Nichols.
Real country there ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Yep he was for the working man for sure, I love this man..may he be RIP
I think he was an electrician n trucker in Bakersfield when he got released.
You're my hero Roy! I've been trying to figure out your stuff for years!
Thank You BAND for your Country BLUES..
Why do I like this so much? I’m 57
See and heard just for happyness remember my ”monument countryblues ’ Merle perfect unforgettable countryman and very beautifull man ❤❤❤ RIP sweetly with my heartache forever and admiration in the eternity ❤❤❤👍😭🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻you will be always my heartloving ❤thoughts sincerely respectueuses to merveilleuse Haggardfamily 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉(2023/06/28) 😭❤️
Lord have Mercy, I Love me Some Merle!
all you have to do is just open the app and listen and enjoy!!
2024 & still miss Merle
Th’ Hag Was The Man!!!!!
Geez the band was tight that night. Full of world class musicians so not surprising I guess.
Roy is the man !!
Are you kidding me Roy on fire
The guy just melted the floor 360
that lead guitar solo LOVELY!!
Go Roy, go!
I didn't realize Merle was such a good picker himself.
Always love you Sir, LEGEND ❤️❤️❤️ REAL COUNTRY HERE LADIES AND GENTLEMAN
1:58 Ralph Mooney style steel lick is awesome.
In my book thats about a good a lead telecaster sound as there ever was! Red Hot.
Getting Dickie Betts vibes from the lead guitar playing, love it!
and everybody got a spotlight moment.....love these guys..
Legend
I love it
Who came here for Roy Nichols' solo?
Right here!!!
Me!
best musicians ever!!!!😍
3:09.... Merle can play!
Great song and video!
Wouldn't you love to have that old telecaster Merles playin
Roy mak 3:17 es an amazing guitar solo look so easy. And Merle does s good job too !!
Mark Yeary laying down some chops on that piano as well.
I just saw Norm, the steel player, playing locally a few weekends ago...
Norm is still touring and playing with Mario Carboni, mostly West Coast, and in Alaska quite a bit. He just turned 89.
Hee haw ❤️
The Best.
I like you can see Gordon Terry's finger pointing at Roy during his solo so the audience will applaud.
Anyone else watching merle on Christmas Eve of 2022
What a soaring lead run by Roy at 1:47 for thirty amazing seconds!
Merle to cool for school, didn't even put down his smoke.
I always loved Roy's playing. However, when Merle recorded the song, he used James Burton, so that phenomenal solo on the Record is James. I have played it many many times over the years but never quite as good as James. Listen to the recording to hear James.
Not surprising. James is one of the best.
Just ask Elvis or Ricky Nelson.
Jerry Lee Lewis had the good sense to snag James Burton for his band too.
@@christopherchubb954ciao Christopher!🙋😍😘💘🍀
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
The guitar Merle is playing in this video is now the guitar that his son Ben repurposed and now plays regularly with Merle’s name carved into the top along with Kris Kristofferson’s.
Ii was so glad to see this. I have been upset with Ben for not using His Dad's Guitar. Thank You..
Look's like totally different wood grain on Ben's but he still has several of their old tele's including one of Roy's.
@@chrishestermagic that’d be a collection to see…
god this is good
Gorden Terry from Moulton Alabama
Today the song would be, I'll sip my latte at Starbucks and commiserate with my fellow working persons.
Who is the piano player...no slouch!!!
💓
Can you pick a country solo and hold a cig with your picking hand at the same time??!
only MERLE CAN DO.
Fiddle player was fn jacked on something. He was fucking jazzed. Watch it again. Weirdo with his blue violin.
I like it.
very bneautiful
You may be cool, you’ll never be Merle Haggard holding a cigarette while playing guitar cool.
Check out Hags blackgaurd! Damn that's cool as it gets
Mister Roy Nichols
Matt Beeman - Roy wouldn't do that, tho he could, he was very improvisational and spontaneous, great musician as well as great guitar player - unique musical fingerprints.
Love how the leaf guitarist just ends it and looks up.
3:30 pickin' a guitar with a cigarette in the hand.
yeah😁
Real country! New artist maybe are Tyler Childers, sturgill Simpson, billy strings, and Zach Bryan. Let me know of more if you know.