The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards shared a video on his official Twitter account in which he reflected on meeting Merle Haggard for the first time. The guitarist revealed he was so excited that he ‘almost lost it.’
Merle Haggard was one of the most critical country artists to emerge in American music during the 1960s. He created a distinctive style by incorporating traditional elements into his music. He was also known for his signature guitar playing and incredible songwriting skills. He was pretty productive until his death on April 6, 2016, and had released many albums throughout his career.
Keith Richards is publicly known to be a massive fan of country music and Merle Haggard, with whom he had a personal connection. He even took part in the ‘Sing Me Back Home’ event, a tribute concert to Haggard on the first anniversary of his death. Richards performed the event’s title song at the special show. The tribute also featured performances by Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Willie Nelson, and many others.
In his recent Twitter post, the guitarist shared a short clip where he talks about how he first met Merle Haggard. When they met, they were working on a song, and then Richards realized that he was in the same room with one of the most influential country artists of all time. It was such an exciting moment that he admitted to almost losing it. Haggard had to warn him to continue playing the song. He somehow managed to handle the track, but it was undoubtedly a dream-come-true moment for him.
Keith Richards reflecting on his first encounter with Merle Haggard:
“I turned round to my right. There’s another person next to me. He looks at me and gives me a grin and I give him a grin. I get two more bars through the song, and suddenly I realize it is Merle Haggard. I almost lost it, sitting next to one of the greatest. He turns around because we are not holding, and says ‘Can we carry on?’ I managed to get through the song.”
Richards’ Twitter post read:
“‘Sing Me Back Home!’ Remembering the day I met Merle!”
You can check out the tweet below.
Sing Me Back Home! Remembering the day I met Merle!@merlehaggard pic.twitter.com/uUUgI4nGVa
— Keith Richards (@officialKeef) April 7, 2022
