Roots, Volume 1 is an album by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 country

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 singer Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard

Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...

, released in 2001. It reached Number 47 on the Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Country Albums chart.

History

After the success of Haggard's If I Could Only Fly

If I Could Only Fly

If I Could Only Fly is an album by American country singer Merle Haggard, released in 2000. It reached Number 26 on the Billboard Country album chart.- Track listing :All songs by Merle Haggard unless otherwise noted....

, his first album for the independent label ANTI-

ANTI-

ANTI- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label of Epitaph Records.While Epitaph's focus has shifted over the last decade from mostly punk rock, nowadays ANTI- has a more diverse roster, ranging from country , hip hop , reggae , Soul , folk , rap-rock , indie rock...

, he followed with another successful recording with Norman Stephens, the guitarist for Lefty Frizzell

Lefty Frizzell

Lefty Frizzell , born William Orville Frizzell, was an American country music singer and songwriter of the 1950s, and a proponent of honky tonk music. His relaxed style of singing was an influence on later stars Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, George Jones and John Fogerty...

, one of Haggard's major influences. Five of the albums tracks were written by Frizzell.

Reception

In his Allmusic review, critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Roots, Volume 1 an "unexpected return to how country records used to be made" and "an album filled with small gems, but they add up to a large triumph–a rich, masterful album that's not just the best country album of 2001, but one of Haggard's finest moments."

Track listing

1. "Always Late with Your Kisses
   Always Late with Your Kisses
   "Always Late " is a song co-written and recorded by country music artist Lefty Frizzell. It was the fifth single released from his 1951/1952 album Listen to Lefty. It peaked at number one in 1951 and became his fourth release to hit the top...
   
   " (Lefty Frizzell
   Lefty Frizzell
   Lefty Frizzell , born William Orville Frizzell, was an American country music singer and songwriter of the 1950s, and a proponent of honky tonk music. His relaxed style of singing was an influence on later stars Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, George Jones and John Fogerty...
   
   , Blackie Crawford) – 3:14
2. "More Than My Old Guitar" (Merle Haggard) – 3:28
3. "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time
   If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time
   "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time" is a 1950 song by Lefty Frizzell, who co-wrote the song with Jim Beck, and it was his debut single. The single stayed at No. 1 for three weeks on the Most Played C&W Jukebox Records and peaked at number two on the C&W Best Seller list. The Frizell...
   
   " (Frizzell, Jim Beck) – 3:02
4. "Look What Thoughts Will Do" (Jim Beck, Little Jimmy Dickens
   Little Jimmy Dickens
   James Cecil Dickens , better known as Little Jimmy Dickens, is an American country music singer famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size, 4'11" , and his rhinestone-studded outfits...
   
   , Dub Dickerson, Frizzell, Richard Duncan James) – 2:28
5. "My Baby's Just Like Money" (Frizzell) – 2:27
6. "Honky Tonkin'
   Honky Tonkin'
   "Honky Tonkin" is a 1982 single by Hank Williams Jr. "Honky Tonkin'" would be the sixth number one on the country chart. The single stayed at number one for one week and spent a total of twelve weeks on the country chart. "Honky Tonkin'" was written and originally recorded by his father Hank...
   
   " (Hank Williams) – 2:51
7. "Runaway Mama" (Haggard) – 4:08
8. "I'll Sign My Heart Away" (Hank Thompson) – 2:29
9. "I've Got a Tender Heart" (Haggard) – 2:21
10. "The Wild Side of Life
    The Wild Side of Life
    "The Wild Side of Life" is a song made famous by country music singer Hank Thompson. Originally released in 1952, the song became one of the most popular recordings in the genre's history, spending 15 weeks at No...
    
    " (Arlie Carter, William Warren) – 2:42
11. "Take These Chains from My Heart
    Take These Chains from My Heart
    "Take These Chains from My Heart" is a 1953 single by Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys, written by Fred Rose and Hy Heath. The song was the last of Hank Williams' country number-one hits. The song reached Number One on the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart.Cover versions of...
    
    " (Fred Rose
    Fred Rose (musician)
    Fred Rose was an American Hall of Fame songwriter and music publishing executive.-Biography:Born in Evansville, Indiana, Fred Rose started playing piano and singing as a small boy. In his teens, he moved to Chicago, Illinois where he worked in bars busking for tips, and finally vaudeville...
    
    , Hy Heath
    Hy Heath
    Songwriter, composer and author Hy Heath was educated in public schools and then became a comedian in musical comedy, vaudeville, minstrel and burlesque shows. His chief musical collaborators included Johnny Lange and Fred Rose. His most successful composition was 'Mule Train' which earned him an...
    
    ) – 2:42
12. "I Want to Be With You Always" (Frizzell, Beck) – 3:00

Personnel

• Merle Haggard
  Merle Haggard
  Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
  
   – vocals, guitar
• Theresa Lane Haggard – background vocals, percussion
• Norm Hamlet
  Norm Hamlet
  Norm Hamlet is an American steel guitarist best known as a member of Merle Haggard's Stranger's group. In 2005 Hamlet had quadruple heart bypass surgery and recovered well at his home in Bakersfield, California. In April 2006 while on tour with Merle Haggard Hamlet's Dobro was stolen and a reward...
  
  – steel guitar
• Abe Manuel, Jr. – fiddle, mandolin, background vocals
• Billy McGill – guitar
• Chester Smith – guitar
• Norman Stevens – guitar
• Redd Volkaert – guitar
• Doug Colosio – piano
• Eddie Curtis – bass
• Johnnie Barber – drums
• Brooks Liggatt – drums

Production notes:

• Merle Haggard – producer
• Lou Bradley – engineer
• Bob McGill – engineer
• Doug Sax – mastering
• Robert Hadley – mastering
• Jesse Fischer – art direction, design
• Piper Ferguson – photography
• Johnny Whiteside – liner notes

Chart performance

Chart (2001)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	47
U.S. Billboard Independent Albums	26