Bert Dodson

Although Merle Haggard's early hits are widely available on a number of anthologies, for years his original albums have been out of print. Koch Records has begun to rectify this situation by rereleasing a number of Haggard's early Capitol albums. All are worth owning, but the best of them, „Swinging Doors And The Bottle Let Me Down“, may be the best place to start. Haggard's early albums bear the mark of an artist working out his public persona. He did not arrive as a fully formed star; even after his first hits, it took him a while to find his niche as the voice of blue-collar down-and-outers.