Country singer Merle Haggard, recently diagnosed with lung cancer, had part of a lung removed and is recovering at home, his spokeswoman said Sunday.
The 71-year-old singer-songwriter underwent surgery Monday in a Bakersfield, California, hospital.
"I'm feeling good ... better and better each day," Haggard was quoted as saying in a statement. "If not for the love and wisdom of my wife (Theresa), I might not be around today."
He has non-small cell lung cancer, which isn't as malignant as the small cell variety. However, Haggard will be lucky to see his 76th birthday.
Haggard was born in Bakersfield, Calif. His parents moved there from Oklahoma as part of the Dust Bowl diaspora.
A wild child, his early life was rough and hard, culminating with a stay in California's San Quentin prison, which undoubtedly informed songs like the semi-autobiographical Mamma tried:
And I turned 21 in prison
Doin' life without parole
No one could steer me right
But mamma tried, mamma triedMamma tried to teach me better
But her teachin's I denied
No one could steer me right
But mamma tried
Here's a YouTube clip of Haggard performing Mama Tried, I'm guessing on the sublime Austin City Limits:
While in San Quentin, Haggard saw a Johnny Cash concert. Wikipedia relays this anecdote:
Several years later, at another Cash concert, Haggard came up to Johnny and told him "I certainly enjoyed your show at San Quentin." Cash said "Merle, I don't remember you bein' in that show." Merle Haggard said, "Johnny, I wasn't in that show, I was in the audience."
Here's a YouTube clip of Cash and Haggard performing Sing Me Back Home, an Americana classic covered by other giants of the genre like the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Grateful Dead (who also covered Mama Tried) -- and one drawn directly from Haggard's life experience:
This version is a littler purer.
This quote about Haggard from Tom Russell, a great songwriter in his own right, always stuck with me:
"Anyone who does songwriting has to cite Merle Haggard," Russell said. "He's like Beethoven. He's probably written more songs, legendary songs, than anyone. There's nobody in that category today in country."