One day on a local TV station a new guest singer appeared on it's live country music show. He was really good. My mom, a devoted country music fan, and I were impressed. About fifteen minutes after the show ended, a car pulled up in front of the home where Flossie Haggard , Merle's mother, lived. My mother had become acquainted with Flossie when our family moved across the street in 1964. A man got out and the car pulled away, I yelled, "Mom! That new guest singer is walking up to Flossie's house!" "No he's not!", she said, then peering over my shoulder exclaimed, "Well, it sure is him and I know his mother!" And that is when it began... Raymond H. McDonald lived in Bakersfield, CA for thirty years and was and was a part of Merle Haggard's household from 1965-1966. He later worked as Merle's personal assistant , eventually becoming his tour bus driver from 2009-2016. This book was written as a tribute to the legacy of Merle Haggard my friend-Raymond.
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