On April 6, 2017, Willie Nelson released “He Won’t Ever Be Gone,” a song for his old friend Merle Haggard. The date was chosen with care. It was exactly one year since Merle had died, and it was the day he would have turned 80. The electric guitar on the record belongs to Ben Haggard, Merle’s youngest son.
The Day Merle Said He Would Go
Merle Haggard died at his home in Palo Cedro, California, on the morning of April 6, 2016. It was his 79th birthday. He had been fighting pneumonia for months and had canceled his April shows on doctor’s orders.
A few hours later, Ben Haggard posted a message on Facebook that stopped a lot of country fans cold:
“A week ago dad told us he was gonna pass on his birthday, and he wasn’t wrong. A hour ago he took his last breath surrounded by family and friends.”
Ben was not just a son in mourning. He had played lead guitar in his father’s band, The Strangers. The music was something the two of them shared on stage.
Willie Nelson’s own words that day were short. Under a photo of the two men, he wrote:
“He was my brother, my friend. I will miss him.”
A Song Written the Morning He Died
Willie did not write “He Won’t Ever Be Gone.” It came from Nashville songwriter Gary Nicholson. According to producer Buddy Cannon, Nicholson wrote it on the morning Merle died. The song walks through the friendship between the two men and nods to Merle’s own classics along the way. Willie recorded it for his album God’s Problem Child and placed it as the closing track.
The Phone Call to Ben
When it came time to record, Buddy Cannon had a specific sound in mind. He wanted the Bakersfield guitar style that defined Merle’s records, the twangy lead lines Roy Nichols made famous in The Strangers. Cannon knew who could play it.
Speaking at a SiriusXM event in Nashville two days before the release, Cannon explained:
“Ben plays that Bakersfield guitar thing just like Roy Nichols and those guys.”
So he called Ben and asked if he wanted to play on the track. By Cannon’s account, Ben’s answer was “heck yeah.” The album credits list Ben Haggard on electric guitar.
That detail is the heart of the record. The friend sings the goodbye. The son plays the sound his father carried around the country for half a century.
The Video
The music video is simple and shot in black and white. It shows Willie and Ben recording the song. Cut in between are clips of Willie and Merle working together in the studio on Django & Jimmie, their 2015 duet album. That record went to No. 1 on the country albums chart, and it turned out to be the last album Merle ever released.
Willie talked about those final years with real pride. Merle, he said, was out there doing a great tour with his band and having a No. 1 album at that stage of his career. “So I was really proud for Merle,” Willie said.
According to Jambands, the video closes on a final shot of Merle in the studio, smiling as he records his vocals.
Why It Still Hits Home
There were plenty of tributes after Merle Haggard died. This one is different because of who is in the room. Willie Nelson, who had known Merle for decades and made several albums with him. Ben Haggard, who stood beside his father on stage and was there at the end. And Merle himself, still smiling on film, one year after he was gone.
The title says what the song is about. Every time that Bakersfield guitar rings out on a Merle record, or on his son’s, the man is still in the music.