Country singer Merle Haggard was born and died on the same day: 6 April. It's convenient, as it means we can commemorate his birth (in 1937) and his passing (in 2016) at the same time. Which is exactly what an impressive assembly of musicians came together to do in 2017, on the stage of the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. To name but a few: Willie Nelson, Keith Richards, John Mellencamp, Sheryl Crow, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams Jr., The Avett Brothers, Alison Krauss, Alabama, Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes, Rodney Crowell, Lucinda Williams, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Buddy Miller, Bobby Bare, Tanya Tucker and Ben Haggard, his son. As we can see, this representative sample ranges from purely country musicians to other very rock'n'roll (Keith Richards) via the midpoint of country-rock and Southern rock. This panoramic panel illustrates the importance of Merle Haggard to the United States: a unifying musician, a blue-collar man of the people, but enough of an outlaw and a beast of the borderline to fascinate the rock world, as well as being a tough guy with a tender heart. The 29 songs on this album respect the spirit of the original versions and of country at its best: the story-telling, the emotion and a certain musical simplicity all make themselves felt. It's a festival of big sentimental cowboys, chiselled voices and crying steel-guitars. To say nothing of the cowgirls: venerable Loretta Lynn's version of Today I Started Loving You Again is frankly jaw-dropping. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz