1994 (album)

1994 is the forty-eighth studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard, released in 1994.

For the album by Alvin Lee, see Nineteen Ninety-Four (album).
1994
Studio album by
Merle Haggard
ReleasedMarch 22, 1994
Recorded1993-1994
StudioEleven-Eleven Sound Studios, Loud Recording Studios, Mesa Recording Studios, Nashville, TN
GenreCountry
Length34:24
LabelCurb
ProducerJames Stroud
Merle Haggard chronology
Blue Jungle
(1990)		 1994
(1994)		 1996
(1996)
Singles from 1994
  1. "In My Next Life"
    Released: February 7, 1994

Background

Although Haggard's profile remained high in 1994, having been the subject of two tribute albums (Mama's Hungry Eyes: A Tribute to Merle Haggard and Tulare Dust), 1994 was a commercial disappointment, peaking at number 60 on the Billboard country albums chart. It had been four years since Haggard's previous album Blue Jungle, and in his Haggard biography The Running Kind, David Cantwell writes that Haggard, "took to bitching in interviews that Curb was happy enough to use his name for bait, luring future stars like Tim McGraw to the label, but it wouldn't release his music."[1] The album includes a remake of his 1977 hit "Ramblin' Fever."

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [2]

Dan Cooper of AllMusic calls 1994 Haggard's strongest album since Big City.[2] Biographer David Cantwell observed in 2013, "When it finally showed up, 1994 improved considerably on Blue Jungle."[1]

Track listing
  1. "I Am an Island" (Max D. Barnes) – 3:34
  2. "In My Next Life" (Barnes) – 3:48
  3. "Way Back in the Mountains" (Merle Haggard, Barnes) – 3:09
  4. "What's New in New York City" (Haggard) – 2:47
  5. "Set My Chickens Free" (Haggard, Richard Smith) – 2:18[lower-alpha 1]
  6. "Chores" (Haggard, Barnes, Billy Davis, Theresa Lane) – 3:06
  7. "Valentine" (Willie Nelson) – 3:09
  8. "Solid as a Rock" (Haggard, Barnes) – 3:11
  9. "Bye, Bye, Travelin' Blues" (Haggard, Dean Holloway) – 2:56
  10. "Troubadour" (Haggard) – 2:28
  11. "Ramblin' Fever" (Haggard) – 3:58

Personnel
  • Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar
  • Norm Hamlet – steel guitar
  • Biff Adams – drums
  • Don Markham – trumpet, saxophone
  • Larry Byrom – guitar
  • Glen Duncan – fiddle
  • Sonny Garrish – dobro, steel guitar
  • Owen Hale – drums
  • Dann Huff – guitar
  • Abe Manuel, Jr. – guitar
  • Joe Manuel – guitar
  • Hilton Reed – guitar
  • Leland Sklar – bass
  • Gary W. Smith – piano
  • Joe Spivey – fiddle
  • Curtis Wright – background vocals
  • Curtis Young – background vocals

Production notes:

  • James Stroud – producer
  • Hank Williams – mastering
  • Julian King – engineer
  • Steve Ledet – assistant engineer
  • Rodney Good – assistant engineer
  • Mark Hagen – assistant engineer
  • Lynn Peterzell – engineer, mixing
  • Doug Rich – production assistant

Chart positions
Chart (1994) Peak
position
Billboard Country albums 60

Notes
  1. In 1969, the words from Gilbert Shelton's strip called Set My Chickens Free, published in issue 1 of the Bijou Funnies comic, were set to music by The Hub City Movers as The Chicken Song (rereleased in 1983 as Set Your Chickens Free).[3][4]
    In his 1975 album Grasshopper (and 1976 single Cosmic Joke), David Carradine used the words in Chicken Song.[5]

References
  1. Cantwell, David (2013). Merle Haggard: The Running Kind. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71771-8.
  2. Cooper, Dan. "1994 > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  3. "The Hub City Movers". Discogs. 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  4. "Gilbert Shelton & The Hub City Movers". Captain Wayne’s Mad Music.com. 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  5. "David Carradine - Grasshopper". Discogs. 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
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