‘Catch of the Day’ – Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson [AUDIO]

To say that today's catch of the day comes from a pair of gentlemen who know each other, would be quite an understatement. Let's just say they've met.

Along with Buck Owens, Merle Haggard helped create the "Bakersfield" sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster and the unique mix with the traditional country steel guitar sound, new vocal harmony styles in which the words are minimal, and a rough edge not heard on the more polished Nashville Sound recordings of the same era.

By the 1970s, Haggard had re-aligned himself and his sound with the growing outlaw country movement, and has continued to release successful albums through the 1990s and into the 2000s. In 1994, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1997, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

Born during the Great Depression, Willie Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. After graduating from high school, in 1950, Nelson joined the Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, he attended Baylor University for two years, dropping out to concentrate on music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and sang in honky tonks. In 1958, he moved to Houston signing a contract with D Records and writing songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy".

In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album, Red Headed Stranger. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, Wanted! The Outlaws, along with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. He later joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.

The pair have teamed up before, producing the blockbuster album, Pancho & Lefty, which  dominated country music after its release in 1983. Nelson and Haggard were two of Nashville's biggest artists of the time, the former at his creative peak and the latter having just released a successful comeback two years previously.

The title track, written by Townes Van Zandt, was recorded towards the end of the recording sessions. The song tells the story of a Mexican bandit named Pancho and a more mysterious character, Lefty, and implies that Pancho was killed after he was betrayed by his associate Lefty, who was paid off by the Mexican federales. The song topped the Billboard country music singles chart, while a second single, the sombre "Reasons to Quit", was another Top 10 hit.

Today's Catch of the Day is from a project the pair are currently rapping up. From the forthcoming album Django & Jimmie, your Catch of the Day is Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson with "It's All Going To Pot", new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.