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On This Day in 1980, Merle Haggard “Dragged” a Hollywood Icon to the Top of the Country Chart With a Song That Almost Went to George Jones
On 26 July 1980, Merle Haggard and Clint Eastwood topped the US country chart with "Bar Room Buddies", a duet from the soundtrack of Eastwood's film Bronco Billy, which held the No. 1 spot for a week. The pairing is notable because the song was originally intended for a duet between Eastwood and George Jones, widely regarded as country music's greatest vocalist, before scheduling conflicts forced producer and co-writer Snuff Garrett to turn to Haggard instead.
Haggard was already a well-established star by 1980, having built roughly two decades of hits, including "Ramblin' Fever" and "The Roots of My Raising", and had opened the year with the No. 2 single "The Way I Am". Both men later spoke candidly about the collaboration: Eastwood told Rolling Stone in 1985 that Haggard "had a hit and sort of dragged me along", while Haggard admitted to Newsweek that he "almost prostituted" himself with the song, jokingly telling Eastwood he was a better actor than singer.
In short
- Haggard and Eastwood hit No. 1 with "Bar Room Buddies" on 26 July 1980
- George Jones was the original planned duet partner, not Haggard
- Both stars later downplayed the song in later interviews
Explained simply
Merle Haggard and Clint Eastwood teamed up for a duet called "Bar Room Buddies" that reached number one on the US country music chart in 1980. Haggard was an established country star with decades of hits behind him by that point. Eastwood is primarily known as a film actor and director, so the pairing of a major country musician with a Hollywood figure was somewhat unusual.
The song came from the soundtrack of Eastwood's film Bronco Billy. It was originally written for Eastwood to perform with George Jones, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest country singers of all time. However, scheduling conflicts meant George Jones could not participate, and Haggard took his place instead.
Later, both men reflected on the collaboration with humour. Eastwood told an interviewer that Haggard "had a hit and sort of dragged me along", suggesting the experienced musician had carried the song. Haggard joked to Eastwood that he was a much better actor than singer, poking fun at the unusual nature of their partnership.
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