The Strangers (country band)
Encyclopedia
The Strangers were the back-up band for Merle Haggard
, country music
singer and guitarist in the Bakersfield sound
.
The group mainly served as the backup band for Haggard. However, 1969 to 1973, it issued several records independent of Haggard.
While most of the performers were contemporaries of Haggard in age or younger, some performers, notably Tiny Moore
, were older performers in the country or western swing
genres. Glen Campbell
, who had a solo career as a singer and a short career leading a television variety show
, began with the group. Pianist Mark Yeary penned many songs for Haggard. Horns joined the group for the first time in 1969, yet instrumentation mainly consisted of guitars, bass guitar, keyboard and drums.
Prominent members of the group included:
Scott Joss, fiddle, mandolin
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,...
, country music
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 and guitarist in the Bakersfield sound
Bakersfield sound
The Bakersfield sound was a genre of country music developed in the mid- to late 1950s in and around Bakersfield, California. The many hit singles were largely produced by Capitol Records country music head, Ken Nelson. Bakersfield country was a reaction against the slickly produced, string...
.
The group mainly served as the backup band for Haggard. However, 1969 to 1973, it issued several records independent of Haggard.
While most of the performers were contemporaries of Haggard in age or younger, some performers, notably Tiny Moore
Tiny Moore
Billie "Tiny" Moore was a Western swing musician who played the electric mandolin and fiddle with Western swing legend Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in the 1940s....
, were older performers in the country or western swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
genres. Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
, who had a solo career as a singer and a short career leading a television variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
, began with the group. Pianist Mark Yeary penned many songs for Haggard. Horns joined the group for the first time in 1969, yet instrumentation mainly consisted of guitars, bass guitar, keyboard and drums.
Prominent members of the group included:
- Merle HaggardMerle HaggardMerle 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,...
, lead vocals, lead and rhythm electric and acoustic guitar - Bonnie OwensBonnie OwensBonnie Owens , born Bonnie Campbell, was an American country music singer who was married to Buck Owens and later Merle Haggard.-Biography:...
, singer, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all.... - Roy NicholsRoy NicholsRoy Nichols was an American country music guitarist best known as the lead guitarist for Merle Haggard for more than two decades. He was known for his guitar technique, a mix of fingerpicking and pedal steel-like bends, usually played on a Telecaster.-Biography:Roy Ernest Nichols was born in...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Clint Strong, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Redd Volkaert, electric guitar
- Marcia Nichols, electric guitar
- Glen CampbellGlen CampbellGlen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
, guitar - Joe Manuel, electric guitar
- Abe Manuel, acoustic guitar, fiddle, accordion, harmonica, mandolin
Scott Joss, fiddle, mandolin
- Norman Hamlet, pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, dobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar... - Fuzzy Owens, pedal steel guitar
- Ralph MooneyRalph MooneyRalph Mooney was a well known steel guitar player. He played with many country and western artists, including Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and played in Waylon Jennings' band for two decades....
, pedal steel guitar - Gordon TerryGordon TerryGordon Terry was an adept American bluegrass and country music fiddler and guitarist. He was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Fiddlers Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello.... - Tiny MooreTiny MooreBillie "Tiny" Moore was a Western swing musician who played the electric mandolin and fiddle with Western swing legend Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in the 1940s....
, violin - Jimmy Belkin, violin
- Don Markham, trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - Mark Yeary, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organ - Iris DeMentIris DeMentIris DeMent is an American singer and songwriter. DeMent's musical style encompasses the genres country and folk music.-Early life:...
, piano - Doug Colosio, piano
- Dennis Hromek, bass guitar
- Eddie Curtis, bass guitar
- Biff Adam, drums
- Randy Mason, drums
- Terry Domingue, drums
- Johnny Barber, drums
- Ben Haggard, Electric Guitar
Discography
- The Instrumental Sounds of Merle Haggard's Strangers, 1969 Capitol RecordsCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
- Introducing My Friends the Strangers, 1970 (Capitol)
- Getting to Know Merle Haggard's Strangers, 1970 (Capitol)
- Honky Tonkin', 1971 (Capitol)
- Totally Instrumental with One Exception, 1973 (Capitol)
External links
- [ allmusic.com entry]
- band personnel reference
- Brochure, ca. 1970