Mr. Hag Told My Story

Mr. Hag Told My Story
Studio album by Johnny Paycheck
Released	March 1981 (1981-03)
Studio	Columbia Recording Studio (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Country
Length	30:41 (original) 34:19 (reissue)
Label	Epic Records
Producer	Billy Sherrill
Johnny Paycheck chronology
New York Town (1980) Mr. Hag Told My Story (1981) Encore (1981)
Singles from Mr. Hag Told My Story
"I Can't Hold Myself in Line" Released: March 28, 1981 "Yesterday's News (Just Hit Home Today)" Released: July 4, 1981

Mr. Hag Told My Story is the twenty-first studio album by American country music artist Johnny Paycheck. The album was released in March 1981, via Epic Records. It was produced by Billy Sherrill.

The album is a tribute to Merle Haggard, with Paycheck covering ten of Haggard's songs, nine of which were written or co-written by Haggard himself, and performing three duets with the country legend. The Strangers, Haggard's longtime backing band, provided the instrumental support for the album. Though it only barely cracked the top 40 of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, Mr. Hag Told My Story has since been recognized as one of Paycheck's most heartfelt and critically acclaimed recordings.

The album was conceived by Paycheck as a deeply personal tribute to Merle Haggard, whom he considered one of his biggest influences. Paycheck stated in the liner notes, "For 15 years I've been listening to songs Merle Haggard wrote. They've helped me make it through many a night."^[1] The selections on Mr. Hag Told My Story intentionally bypass many of Haggard's most commercially successful songs in favor of lesser-known tracks that held more personal resonance for Paycheck and his subject.^[2][3] The record features Paycheck performing three duets with Haggard on "Turnin' Off a Memory," "I Can't Hold Myself in Line," and "Carolyn," with the remaining tracks being solo Paycheck interpretations of Haggard's material, backed by The Strangers, with occasional contributions from Paycheck's steel guitarist Jim Murphy.^[3]

Rather than delivering a rote selection of hits, Paycheck compiled a set of "barroom ballads" drawn largely from Haggard's early to mid-career output.^[2] The songs chosen include "You Don't Have Very Far to Go," "I'll Leave the Bottle on the Bar," "No More You and Me," and the prison-themed ballad "All Night Lady."^{[1][3][4][5][6]} Haggard himself sings with Paycheck on three tracks, most notably "Carolyn," which, though not written by Haggard, was one of his major hits.^[3] Despite the album's heavy emotional weight, it avoids being maudlin, instead offering a "living tribute" in which both artists benefit: Haggard appears "less intense, less alone," and Paycheck gains "a touch of sophistication" from the collaboration.^[4][5]

One idiosyncratic element is Paycheck's spoken-word introductions to each song, in which he explains their significance. These spoken intros were met with mixed reactions. Critics noted they were well-meaning but unnecessary, distracting from the otherwise strong emotional and musical content.^[3][4][5]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

Although it failed to make a commercial impact upon release, Mr. Hag Told My Story has since been reappraised as one of Paycheck's finest records and a high watermark for tribute albums in country music. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine described it as a "sterling example of what a tribute album can be," and praised its emotional authenticity, saying it stands among "the great late-night honky tonk records in the country.^[2] The Richmond Times-Dispatch called the duets with Haggard "fine performances" and predicted strong appeal to fans of Paycheck's previous work with George Jones.^[1] Roberta Penn of The Rocket hailed the record as a "living tribute" that elevated both performers, despite noting Paycheck's spoken intros as a minor flaw.^[4][5]

In Bob Claypool's review for the Houston Post, he emphasized the historical and emotional resonance of the project, noting that it was "altogether fitting" that the artist who had performed the tribute album form, Haggard himself, should be honored in such a thoughtful and respectful way.^[3]

The North Bay Nugget echoed these sentiments, praising the "heart-breaking, tear jerking" qualities of Paycheck's delivery and concluding that the album "reflects Paycheck's whole purpose" as a deeply autobiographical musical statement.^[6]

All tracks written by Merle Haggard except where noted. Track lengths from the original release in 1981, the album was reissued and featured slightly different track lengths and listed every track as being sung alongside Haggard, despite only three tracks featuring his vocals.

• Johnny Paycheck – vocals
• Merle Haggard – vocals, electric guitar
• Biff Adams – drums
• Jim Murphy – steel guitar
• Billy Sherrill – producer
• M. C. Rather – mastering
• Jim Williamson – engineer
• Ken Suesov – engineer
• Ron Reynolds – engineer
• Ronnie Dean – engineer
• Russ Bracher – engineer
• Steve Pouliot – engineer
• Slick Lawson – photography

The Strangers

• Ronnie Reno – acoustic guitar
• Dennis Hromek – electric bass
• Roy Nichols – electric guitar
• Gordon Terry – fiddle
• Don Markham – horn, saxophone, trumpet
• Mark Yeary – piano
• Norm Hamlet – steel guitar