“The Spirit of Merle Haggard or Nashville’s Last Attempt at Redemption? Why Friends of the Country Legend Say the New Award in His Name Doesn’t Ring True — and What That Reveals About the Complicated Relationship Between the Outlaw Poet and Music Row”
Introduction: When the Academy of Country Music announced the creation of the “Merle Haggard Spirit Award,” it was intended as a tribute to one of the genre’s most iconic and…