A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World (Or, My Salute to Bob Wills)

Merle Haggard, one of the foremost exponents of the Bakersfield sound, was deeply influenced by Western swing — and particularly by its most famous ambassador, Bob Wills (the “best damn fiddle player” of the album title). For this album Haggard enriches his own band with the talents of Wills alumni Johnny Gimble (fiddle) and Tiny Moore (electric mandolin), and sings in a style that marries his own whiskey-toned voice to the phrasing of legendary Wills singer Tommy Duncan to create a warm and hard-swinging tribute that is hard to resist.