''Big City'' is the thirty-third studio album by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist Merle Haggard backed by

The Strangers Strangers are people who are unknown to another person or group. Strangers or The Strangers may also refer to: History * Elizabethan Strangers or Strangers, a name applied to French and Belgian immigrants to Norwich, East Anglia, England, during ...

, released in 1981. It was his debut on the Epic label after ending his association with MCA. ''Big City'' peaked at number three on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Country Album charts and number 161 on the Pop Album charts. It was an

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

-certified Gold album.RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Merle Haggard
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Background

After five years at

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

, Haggard jumped to

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

in 1982, and the move appeared to spark his creativity; he wrote or co-wrote eight of the LP's twelve tracks, including its two #1 singles, " Big City" and "My Favorite Memory." Haggard entered the studio with his band

the Strangers Strangers are people who are unknown to another person or group. Strangers or The Strangers may also refer to: History * Elizabethan Strangers or Strangers, a name applied to French and Belgian immigrants to Norwich, East Anglia, England, during ...

and his mentor Lewis Talley and, in a two-day marathon recording session, produced enough songs for this release, plus Haggard’s 1982 LP, ''

Going Where the Lonely Go ''Going Where the Lonely Go'' is the thirty-fifth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers, released in 1982. Recording and composition Produced by Haggard and his mentors Fuzzy Owen and Lewis Talley, the t ...

''. Many of the songs on ''Big City'' explore the struggle of the working man amid the complexities and challenges of urban life and aging. The other single release, “Are the Good Times Really Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver),” peaked at number two on the ''

'' Hot Country Singles chart and also won the Academy of Country Music 1982 Song of the Year. ''Big City'' also contains a rerecording of "You Don't Have Very Far to Go," which had originally appeared on Haggard's 1967 album '' Branded Man''. "I Always Get Lucky With You" was later recorded by Haggard's friend George Jones for his 1983 album '' Shine On'' and became his last #1 single. The CD reissue of ''Big City'' features two bonus tracks: "I Won't Give Up My Train," a duet with

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping Country music, country and pop hits "King of the Road (song), Ki ...

, and the uncredited "Call Me."

Critical reception

Thom Jurek of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

believes the album "stands among his finest—and most lasting—recordings," adding, "''Big City'', both the cut and the album, revisits the seemingly eternal themes in Haggard's best work—the plight of the honest, decent working man amid the squalor, complication, and contradiction of urban life." Music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

wrote "This isn't just for his cult—it's for the whole damn country audience... you can only tell how much filler there is by listening till you're sick of it."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Merle Haggard; except where indicated:

Personnel

*Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar

: *

Roy Nichols Roy Ernest Nichols (October 21, 1932 – July 3, 2001) was an American country music guitarist best known as the lead guitarist for Merle Haggard's band The Strangers for more than two decades. He was known for his guitar technique, a mix o ...

– guitar, harmonica * Norm Hamlet – steel guitar, dobro *

Tiny Moore Billie "Tiny" Moore (May 12, 1920 – December 15, 1987) was a Western swing musician who played the electric mandolin and fiddle with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in the 1940s. He played with The Strangers and Merle Haggard during the ...

– fiddle, mandolin * Bobby Wayne – rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Mark Yeary – piano * Jimmy Belken – fiddle * Dennis Hromek – bass * Biff Adam – drums * Don Markham – trumpet, saxophone with: *

Leona Williams Leona Belle Helton (born January 7, 1943, in Vienna, Missouri, United States) is an American country music singer known professionally as Leona Williams. Active since 1958, Williams has been a backing musician for Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard ...

– backing vocals and: *

Slyde Hyde Richard John Hyde (July 4, 1936 – July 15, 2019), sometimes credited as Slyde Hyde, was an American trombonist who played several brass and woodwind instruments. He was a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) Hall ...

– trombone, euphonium

Production notes

* Produced by Merle Haggard * Engineered by Lewis Talley * Mastered by Chris Athens * Cover Photography by

Norman Seeff Norman Seeff (born March 5, 1939, in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a photographer and filmmaker. Since moving to the United States in 1969, his work has been focused on the exploration of human creativity and the inner dynamics of the creative ...

Background

Critical reception

Track listing

Personnel

Production notes

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

References