On June 7, 2016, Ben Haggard shared a video of an acoustic performance of “Silver Wings.” Two months earlier, on April 6, Merle Haggard had died on Merle Haggard’s 79th birthday.
The performance brought a familiar song into a deeply personal setting. Ben Haggard had spent years playing lead guitar alongside Merle Haggard. Now listeners could hear the youngest Haggard son singing a song that generations of country fans associated with Merle Haggard’s voice.
There was also a connection many viewers might not have known: Merle Haggard had specifically chosen “Silver Wings” to be sung at Merle Haggard’s funeral.
Years Spent Playing Beside Merle Haggard
Ben Haggard joined The Strangers at 15. Playing lead guitar in Merle Haggard’s band meant learning through actual performances, surrounded by experienced musicians and an audience that knew the songs well.
Those years gave Ben Haggard a particular relationship with the music. The songs were part of a working life shared with Merle Haggard: traveling, listening, playing, and learning how a performance could reach a room full of people.
In a later interview with Stomp and Stammer, Ben Haggard described music as a way of connecting with Merle Haggard. Playing together allowed a kind of understanding that did not always require conversation.
After Merle Haggard’s death, Ben Haggard also faced a new responsibility. Playing a part within a band and leading a performance demanded different skills. Ben Haggard spoke openly about learning to sing for audiences and learning to help the musicians work together.
A Familiar Song With a Personal Connection
“Silver Wings” appeared on the 1969 album A Portrait of Merle Haggard. The song describes an airplane carrying someone away while the person left behind struggles with the departure.
The language is direct, and the situation is easy to understand. That simplicity leaves room for listeners to bring personal memories to the song. A recording about romantic separation can also remind someone of another kind of absence.
That is one way to hear Ben Haggard’s performance in the weeks following Merle Haggard’s death. The circumstances add meaning without requiring a change to the song itself.
By June 9, 2016, The Boot reported that the video had attracted more than 34,000 views. The acoustic performance was finding listeners while the loss of Merle Haggard was still recent.
The Song Merle Haggard Chose for a Farewell
Merle Haggard’s private funeral took place on April 9, 2016, at Merle Haggard’s property in Palo Cedro, California. Merle Haggard had made arrangements for the service in advance, including requests for particular music.
Marty Stuart explained that Merle Haggard had asked Connie Smith to sing “Precious Memories,” requested that Marty Stuart and Connie Smith sing “Silver Wings,” and asked Marty Stuart to officiate.
The family also participated through music. Marty Haggard, Noel Haggard, and Ben Haggard closed the service with “Today I Started Loving You Again.” Songs that audiences knew from records became part of a family’s farewell.
That history gives the June video another layer. “Silver Wings” belonged to Merle Haggard’s recording career, to the farewell Merle Haggard had planned, and now to a performance shared by Ben Haggard.
Ben Haggard continued performing with Noel Haggard and The Strangers after Merle Haggard’s death. The June upload captured one small part of that continuing work: a son, an acoustic guitar, and a song learned through years of living close to the music.
For longtime listeners, “Silver Wings” already held memories. Ben Haggard’s voice gave those listeners another performance to keep.