Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert and More to Play Merle Haggard Tribute Concert
Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney and an all-star list of country and rock artists will pay tribute to Merle Haggard in early April, honoring the late country icon on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard is set to take place on April 6 at 7PM at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena; April 6 also would have been Haggard's 80th birthday. The event is being organized by Haggard's family, Blackbird Presents and Nelson, and Don Was, Ben Haggard and Buddy Cannon are serving as its musical directors. The tribute show will be taped for multi-platform distribution, a press release reports, and some of the proceeds will benefit the TJ Martell Foundation.
"I am so very thankful for this tribute to my husband, Merle Haggard," Theresa Haggard says in the release. "Please come join me and my family at this fantastic show that Merle would be so proud of."
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In addition to Nelson, Lambert and Chesney, Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard will feature performances from John Mellencamp, Dierks Bentley, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams Jr., the Avett Brothers, Alison Krauss, Ronnie Dunn, Warren Haynes, Jamey Johnson, Kacey Musgraves, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lucinda Williams, Ben Haggard, John Anderson, Connie Smith and Bobby Bare. Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks.
“I am honored to produce a show that celebrates the life and music of Merle Haggard,” says Keith Wortman, who created and is executive producing Sing Me Back Home with Mark Rothbaum and Theresa Haggard. “His music and lyrics continue to shape the lives of musicians and millions of fans. I can't think of any better way to celebrate his 80th birthday than to honor his legacy with this extraordinary event."
Tickets for Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard will go on sale on March 3 at 11AM CT through Ticketmaster. Further information is available on MusicOfMerle.com.
Merle Haggard passed away on April 6, 2016, his 79th birthday, following a bout of pneumonia.
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