When you think about the people Kris Kristofferson loved in the music industry, it's typically the Highwaymen. He usually surrounded himself with them whenever he decided to deal in the music industry. Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings most accurately reflected his personal values and kept close with them accordingly. However, Kris could call one other musical icon a close friend of his: Merle Haggard.
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In a 2013 interview, Kristofferson mulled over the various connections he made over the decades, from the Greenwich Village music scene to the boxing world. Later on in the conversation, he talked about country artists that more accurately reflected his tastes. One person in particular was Merle Haggard, who Kris deeply loved and respected. However, he did note a pretty silly reason why people thought they wouldn't like each other: their beards.
Kris Kristofferson Opens Up About His Relationship With Merle Haggard
"Listen, Merle is his own man. I remember back when I first met him, everybody expected us to be at odds because I was the only guy in the business back then that had a beard. That was before Willie and Waylon or anybody else did. And I was looked at as a long haired hippy or something," Kristofferson recalls.
"And Nashville, when we were at this big hangout — it was a hotel that Roger Miller had up on the top floor, there was a piano and people used to do shows up there — I met Merle and everybody expected me and Merle to be at odds or something. We sat at this table together and from the first hand shake we were best friends," Kristofferson adds. "And we didn't give a shit what anybody else thought or said. It's pretty incredible and we've always been great friends since then. I got nothin' but the greatest respect and affection for Merle Haggard. Getting to work with Merle is like getting to work with Hank Williams."
