Merle Haggard on his Tourbus with Guitar, 1977

"I don't remember why I was there, but Merle and I were on his bus listening to the first playback of the song "I'm Always on the Mountain When I Fall," which Merle recorded with Bonnie Owens. It's a beautiful song. Merle used one of these shots on his album called From Graceland to the Promised Land: My Tribute to Elvis Presley.

Now, that afternoon I was going to a concert that Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson were doing at Stanford, and Merle asked if he could come along. Later that night we arrived backstage, with Merle carrying his guitar without a case, were some security asshole wouldn't let Merle in because he didn't have a pass. Finally one of Willie's hands showed up to let Merle in and said to the security guy, "Hey, the man's FACE is his pass." Once we were backstage, Merle sat in with Kris and Willie and played backup. All three of those guys are real gentlemen." -- Jim Marshall 

Collector's Note:
This is a signed photograph. Jim Marshall’s iconic photographs are now extraordinarily rare, as very few were printed and signed at the time of his passing. A small inventory is still held by the estate. Please contact us for pricing and availability.