Introduction:
Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, the air in November 2000 carried a rare sense of history. The Opry was celebrating its 75th anniversary—three quarters of a century as the spiritual home of country music—and standing quietly at the center of that celebration was one of its most authentic voices: Merle Haggard. For broadcaster Freddy Phillips, this was not merely an interview. It was an honor.
Phillips greeted Haggard with reverence, calling him his all-time favorite singer and placing him in the same breath as Porter Wagoner, another towering figure of country music. Haggard accepted the comparison humbly, even joking about it, before reflecting on a recent gospel project that reunited him with Wagoner. The album, released through Walmart as an exclusive at the time, featured Porter singing alongside Haggard on “The Cabin in the Hills.” For Haggard, the record carried special meaning—not only for the collaboration, but because it marked the launch of his own label, a personal milestone late in an already legendary career.
The gospel project also included a duet with Albert E. Brumley titled “Two Old Friends,” reinforcing Haggard’s lifelong connection to the spiritual roots of country music. Yet gospel was not his only creative focus. Haggard spoke with pride about a new commercial album, If I Could Only Fly, released on the Epitaph label. He described it as one of the most critically praised records of his life—raw, honest, and deeply personal. Despite decades in the industry, his creative fire clearly had not dimmed.
Conversation turned naturally to the past. Haggard recalled recording at Porter Wagoner’s Fireside Studios in the 1970s, a place where many songs that later became classics were born. He spoke warmly of collaborations with Jeannie C. Riley and Bonnie Owens, and of recording Ernest Tubb songs that drew the admiration of Tubb himself. One particularly vivid memory involved waking Ernest Tubb in the early hours of the morning so he could hear the recordings. Tubb’s reaction was simple and sincere—he loved them.
As Haggard prepared to step onto the Opry stage once again, he reflected on what the institution meant to him. He had listened to the Grand Ole Opry since childhood, long before fame ever found him. To be standing there, celebrating its 75th birthday, felt almost unreal. Yet his outlook remained forward-looking. At 63 years old, Haggard planned to continue touring and recording for as long as he could, following the path life laid before him.
Surrounded by his longtime band, The Strangers, Haggard remained proud of the musicians who stood beside him year after year. As the interview concluded, the sense was unmistakable: this was not just a weekend in Nashville, but a moment where country music’s past, present, and enduring soul met in one man. On that night, the Grand Ole Opry did not merely celebrate its legacy—it lived it.