THIS CONCERT, originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 28, has been rescheduled for Monday, May 3rd. All tickets for the original April 28th date will be honored on May 3rd.
The Shedd Institute is proud to present country music legend Merle Haggard at the Hult Center’s Silva Concert Hall, Wednesday, April 28th. Haggard is on tour in support of his new CD, I Am What I Am (Vanguard), which will be released April 20th.
The man behind country music’s working man’s anthems, Merle Haggard has hung his soul on the line with dozens of songs that bring a lyrical depth to tales of hard living. Ever the lonesome fugitive, outlaw and flesh-and-bones performer, Haggard weaves his one-of-a-kind vocal textures, lead guitar and fiddle to reveal the heart and soul of a musician who may be the most well-rounded country talent ever to take the stage.
With the arguable exception of Hank Williams, Haggard is the single most influential singer-songwriter in country music history. His acolytes are legion and include many of country music’s brightest and lesser lights, as well as thousands of nightclub musicians. As fiddler Jimmy Belken, a longtime member of The Strangers, Haggard’s exemplary touring band, once told The New Yorker, “If someone out there workin’ music doesn’t bow deep to Merle, don’t trust him about much anything else.” Haggard was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994.