Merle Haggard’s Two Sons Honor Him With Remarkable Tribute Performance
on Mar 27, 2017 • Updated Jul 31, 2019
When Merle Haggard passed away on April 6, 2016, he left his legacy in good hands. His three sons, Marty, Noel, and Ben are all country singers, and they’ve made it their mission to keep his legacy alive.
Since Merle died, his three sons have joined together on numerous occasions to pay tribute to him through music. Sometimes they cover his songs in pairs, or will perform them at their individual shows. No matter what, they’re making sure that Merle’s memory and music always has a place in the hearts of country fans.
Noel and Ben have been working together the most, along with Merle’s famous band The Strangers. They all had a performance in Indiana in March 2017, and ended up delivering one memorable show.
A short clip from Ben’s friend Chad Bushnell shows the two Haggard brothers performing one of Merle’s biggest hits together on stage. Called “It’s Been a Great Afternoon,” Merle released the song in 1978 as a single off of his album I’m Always On A Mountain When I Fall. It hit number one in Canada and fell just short of the top spot in the U.S., peaking at the second position.
Ben was the one who sang lead when he covered the song with Noel. Tapping his toe and strumming along on the guitar, Ben crooned into the microphone with his pure country voice. If you’ve never heard Ben sing before, you’ll be blown away by just how much he sounds like his dad!
Noel was right there by his younger brother’s side the entire time. He played guitar for him as he sang, and looked over at him with a slight smile on his face. We’re sure they’re both so proud of each other, and we think Merle would be awfully proud of them both.
Tune in below to watch these two talented brothers honor their legendary father in this remarkable performance. We’re so glad that they’re continuing to share Merle’s music with the world.
