Click here to watch Ben Haggard sing Silver Wings
Merle Haggard‘s son Ben Haggard recently revealed a video on his YouTube channel, of himself singing his late father’s classic song “Silver Wings,” made popular in 1969. Ben Haggard sings the hit tune accompanied by his acoustic guitar, and it’s a simple but extremely heartfelt performance.
“Silver Wings” is one of the elder Haggard’s greatest heartbreak songs: Its lyrics are mournful, with lines such as, “‘Don’t leave me,’ I cry / Don’t take that airplane ride / But you locked me out of your mind / Left me standing here behind.” The younger Haggard, who played guitar for his dad, published the video of his performance on Tuesday (June 7), and as of this article’s publication time, just two days later, it’s garnered more than 34,000 views.
Merle Haggard passed away on April 6, following a bout of pneumonia.
“He loved everything about life, and he loved that every one of you gave him a chance with his music,” his son writes. “He wasn’t just a country singer … He was the best country singer that ever lived.”
The country icon was laid to rest during a private funeral on his property in Palo Cedro, Calif., officiated by Marty Stuart and pre-planned by the artist himself. A recording of Lefty Frizzell’s “I Love You a Thousand Ways” played to begin the service; Connie Smith performed “Precious Memories;” and Smith and Stuart sang “Silver Wings.”
“We [were] honored to do it,” Stuart says.
Ben Haggard is Merle Haggard’s youngest son. He’s recently been sharing a number of performance videos on his YouTube channel, with an explanation of their significance: “Before Ben’s dad, Merle Haggard passed away, Merle told Ben that he’d be a fool to not take the Strangers, the bus and his guitar to finish Merle’s booked tour dates. Ben and Noel Haggard did just that, taking the stage to SING for the first time together in public and [give] the Strangers’ first performance since Merle’s passing.”