Merle Haggard Birthday Broadcast

Thursday, April 6, 2017 - 12:00am to 11:59pm

Tune in to WKCR on Thursday, April 6 as we celebrate country music legend Merle Haggard with a 24-hour birthday broadcast. Active since the early 1960s, Haggard was a pioneer of the 'Bakersfield' country sound, breaking into stardom in 1966 with the release of "Swinging Doors." This broadcast also marks a year since Haggard's passing in 2016, and will explore the breadth and depth of his musical influence. Beginning with Haggard's own heroes -- Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, and Lefty Frizzell -- WKCR will then take listeners through each decade of Haggard's career, with additional programs dedicated to duets and live recordings. WKCR is also excited to present two new, exclusive interviews with musician Will Oldham (11:30 am EST) and music critic Peter Guralnick (7:00 PM EST) as part the Merle Haggard broadcast. So tune in on WKCR 89.9 FM as we broadcast Merle Haggard for 24 hours, beginning Thursday, April 6th at 12:00 am EST.

The schedule for the broadcast is as follows:
12:00 am - 2:00 am: Influences ~ Jimmie Rodgers
2:00 am- 4:00 am: Influences ~ Bob Wills
4:00 am - 6:00 am: Influences ~ Lefty Frizzell
6:00 am - 8:00 am: Before 'Okie from Muskogee'
8:00 am - 10:00 am: Greatest Hits ~ #1 Country
10:00 am - 11:30 am: Greatest Hits ~ Top Tens
11:30 - 12:00 pm: Exclusive Interview with Will Oldham
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Megastar Years (70s and 80s)
4:00 - 7:00 pm: Duets
7:00 - 7:30 pm: Exclusive Interview with Peter Guralnick
7:30 - 10:00 pm: Later Years (90s and 00s)
10:00 pm - 12:00 am: Live Recordings