Haggard Zings Ex-Label Chief
Posted by MerleHaggard.com on 04, March 2009
- Award From Country Radio Broadcasters
Gerry House, Chuck Collier, Bob McKay, Moon Mullins Are Hall of Famers
March 4, 2009;
Written by Edward Morris – CMT
Ed Salamon (left), Jack Ingram, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Carl Jackson and Becky Brenner Photo Credit: Bev Moser
Merle Haggard‘s ongoing clash with lung cancer hasn’t made him any less sharp-tongued than he was in his glory days.
In Nashville Tuesday night (March 3) to accept a career achievement
award from Country Radio Broadcasters, the feisty superstar used the
occasion to lash out at the former head of his one-time label, Epic
Records.
Prompting the outburst was
Emmylou Harris‘
wistful performance of Haggard’s self-penned 1985 hit, “Kern River,” a
tune she ranked as her Haggard favorite. “The first time I heard that
song,” she told the audience assembled in the Renaissance Hotel’s Grand
Ballroom, “I almost drove off the road because it’s just
so good.”
Her praise of “Kern River” evidently ignited Haggard’s memories of a
man who didn’t like the song at all. “I want to say that there was this
other guy — I can’t remember his name — he was head of CBS, and he made
fun of my song. He said, ‘Who in the hell knows where Kern River is
at?’”
Someone in the audience shouted out the name Haggard had apparently
forgotten — Rick Blackburn, who helmed CBS Records (of which Epic was a
division) from 1980 to 1988.
On another occasion, Haggard recalled that Blackburn said, “I’d like
to tell you one more time. I don’t like ‘Kern River.’” Haggard
continued, “And I said, ‘That’s about the third time you’ve told me
that.’ He said, ‘It’s more like five times.’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m
about five times short of telling you to go to hell.’”
By now, the crowd was roaring with laughter. But Haggard wasn’t through yet.
“I said, ‘Who do you think you are? You’re the son-of-a-bitch that sat at that desk over there and fired
Johnny Cash. Let it go down in history that you’re the dumbest son-of-a-bitch I’ve ever met.’”
(Blackburn, who dropped Cash from the label in 1986, the year after
“Kern River” came out, took Haggard’s tirade in stride. Reached
Wednesday (March 4) at his home in Nashville, Blackburn told
CMT.com, “He’ll get more pleasure out of that [comment] than I’ll get grief.”)
“I was supposed to sing tonight,” Haggard told the audience when he
first came onstage. “I didn’t know if I’d be able to do it or not
[because] I’m fighting pneumonia. I think I’m winning.” He thanked
everyone who had prayed for his recovery from cancer. “I certainly
needed it,” he said.
Prior to Harris’ performance,
Jack Ingram
saluted Haggard by singing his 1982 hit, “Are the Good Times Really
Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver).” Ingram accompanied himself on
guitar, while Harris was backed by Carl Jackson on guitar and Phil
Madeira on accordion.
In the opening segment of the evening, CRB honored Shelia
Shipley-Biddy with its president’s award. Then, after Haggard’s
appearance, the organization inducted Bob McKay and Moon Mullins into
the Radio Hall of Fame and Chuck Collier and Gerry House into the
Country Music DJ Hall of Fame.
Currently president of Stringtown Records,
John Michael Montgomery‘s
label, Shipley-Biddy was the first woman to head a major country music
label when she was appointed senior vice president and general manager
of Decca Records in the early 1990s. Earlier she had held a top
promotional post at MCA Records.
McKay now programs for WXTU in Philadelphia, after having spent more
than three decades as DJ and/or programmer at stations in Oklahoma,
Ohio, Florida, New Mexico, Kansas, Wisconsin, California and Florida.
Apart from his on-air work, Mullins has a long history of consulting
for radio stations via such organizations as the Pollack Media Group,
First Track and the Moon Mullins Company. He is now operations manager
for WBKR and WOMI in Owensboro, Ky., and host of a morning show on WBKR.
Early in his career, he worked at stations in Texas, Missouri, Kansas,
Kentucky and New York City.
Collier has been a DJ for WGAR in Cleveland for 37 years. Indeed,
most of his career has been spent at Ohio stations, including stints at
outlets in Hillsboro, Wilmington and Dayton. In 2007, the National
Association of Broadcasters named him its large-market personality of
the year.
A songwriter as well as a DJ, House has been most closely associated
with WSIX-FM, Nashville, where he continues to host the highly rated
House Foundation morning show, a mixture of music, comedy and in-studio and call-in guests (often top country stars).
House’s quick, sardonic wit is legendary, and he routinely supplies
jokes for the annual Country Music Association awards show. As a
songwriter, his hit songs include
Reba McEntire‘s “Little Rock” and
George Strait‘s “The Big One.”
While the other honorees focused on thanking the people who’d
encouraged and advised them, House played his induction for laughs.
After observing the reverential tones in which the others spoke of their
honor, House remarked, “I didn’t realize that this was such a big damn
deal. Actually, I have no one to thank.”
Mike Bohan, a member of House’s morning gang, introduced his boss, a
favor House found decidedly underwhelming. “I wanted Joaquin Phoenix [to
introduce me],” he said, “but he wasn’t available.”
Bohan noted that the Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb had called in that morning
to congratulate House. Conceding that the honoree’s achievements were
too numerous to recite, Bohan reached into his jacket pocket and held up
an object. “I have all Gerry’s accomplishments on this thumb drive,” he
said. “It’s four gigs.”
House had some warm words — kind of — for his daughter, Autumn, who,
he pointed out, heads Capitol Records’ A&R department, which screens
material for artists to record. “I have an appointment to play her
songs,” he said. “In April.”
Turning to his wife, Allyson, and speaking of their long marriage,
House said, “We were young when we started out. She was 13 … I was 27.
It was Kentucky.”
Erin Burr (NSAI) and Craig Campbell (Campbell Entertainment Group)
Seth Godin Photo Credit: Bev Moser/CRB
Tim McGraw Photo Credit: Bev Moser/CRB
Miranda Lambert Photo Credit: Bev Moser/CRB
Little Big Town Photo Credit: Bev Moser/CRB
New Faces Photo Credit: Bev Moser/CRB
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert Photo Credit: Bev Moser/CRB
