''The Land of Many Churches'' is the fifteenth studio album and the double live gospel album by Merle Haggard and

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 on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

in 1971.

Background

The album collects four live performances: two are in churches proper—Big Creek

Baptist Church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

and Assembly of God

Tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...

—one is at

San Quentin San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County. Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the o ...

's Garden Chapel inside the prison, and one at

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

's Union Rescue Mission. The music offers a mix of country gospel and traditional hymns with preachers introducing some of the songs.

Bonnie Owens Bonnie Owens (October 1, 1929 – April 24, 2006), born Bonnie Campbell, was an American country music singer who was married to Buck Owens and later Merle Haggard. Biography She was born Bonnie Campbell in Blanchard, Oklahoma, United Stat ...

and the Carter Family are also featured. The album reached number 15 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 albums chart. It was reissued on CD in 1997 by

Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles an ...

Reception

Al Campbell 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 ...

states "To his credit, Haggard had a greater need to shine light on the music that influenced him, more so than the need to release material that guaranteed a surefire hit... Highly recommended to traditional country fans." Writing in 2013, Haggard biographer David Cantwell calls it "one of the gems of the country canon."

Track listing

# "Introduction/We'll Understand It Better By and By" (Charles Tindley) – 4:39 # "Medley: Take My Hand, Precious Lord/Jesus Hold My Hand" (

Thomas A. Dorsey Thomas Andrew Dorsey (July 1, 1899 – January 23, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and Evangelism, Christian evangelist influential in the development of early blues and 20th-century gospel music. He penned 3,000 songs, a third of them ...

Albert E. Brumley Albert Edward Brumley (October 29, 1905 – November 15, 1977) was an American shape note music composer and publisher, prolific in the genre of southern gospel. Biography Brumley was born near Spiro, Oklahoma on October 29, 1905, into a famil ...

) – 3:26 # " Precious Memories" (Traditional) – 3:14 # "History of Big Creek Baptist Church" – 2:40 # "Turn Your Radio On" (Brumley) – 2:09 # "If We Never Meet Again" (Brumley) – 2:58 # "Closing Prayer/Just as I Am – 1:23 # "Introduction & Opening Prayer – 2:09 # " Amazing Grace" ( John Newton) – 3:33 # "Where Could I Go But to the Lord" (James B. Coats) – 2:25 # "Medley:

Old Time Religion ("Give Me That") "Old-Time Religion" (and similar spellings) is a traditional Gospel song dating from 1873, when it was included in a list of Jubilee songs—or earlier. It has become a standard in many Protestant hymnals, though it says nothing a ...

/Pass Me Not/ Sweet By and By" (S. Bennett, F. Crosby, W. Doane, Traditional,

Joseph P. Webster Joseph Philbrick Webster, also known as J.P. Webster (February 18, 1819 – January 18, 1875), was an American songwriter and composer most notable for his musical compositions during the antebellum and American Civil War periods of United S ...

) – 3:15 # " The Old Rugged Cross" ( George Bennard) – 4:03 # "Closing Prayer – 1:00 # "Introduction – 1:28 # "Life's Railway to Heaven" ( Charles Davis Tillman) – 2:58 # "On the Jericho Road" (Don S. McCrossan) – 3:02 # "Steal Away" ( Red Foley) – 4:13 # " I Saw the Light" (

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

) – 2:47 # "Introduction/Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" (Elisha A. Hoffman, Anthony Johnson Showalter) – 5:02 # "Guide Me, Lord" ( Johnny Gimble) – 2:50 # " Family Bible" (Walt Breeland, Paul Buskirk, Claude Gray) – 3:38 # "I'll Be List'ning" (Traditional) – 2:30 # " Just a Closer Walk with Thee" (Traditional) – 3:19 # "Closing Prayer" – 1:04

Personnel

* Merle Haggard– vocals, guitar

: * Roy Nichols – lead guitar * Norman Hamlet – steel guitar, dobro *Bobby Wayne - rhythm guitar, harmony vocals *Dennis Hromek – bass, background vocals *Biff Adam – drums with *

Tommy Collins Tommy Collins may refer to: * Tommy Collins (filmmaker) (died 2022), Irish filmmaker * Tommy Collins (singer) (1930–2000), American country music singer and songwriter See also * Thomas Collins (disambiguation) * Tom Collins (disambiguation) A ...

– guitar *

Jody Payne Jody Payne (January 11, 1936 – August 10, 2013) was an American country musician and singer. He is best known as a longtime guitarist in Willie Nelson's band, '' The Family''. Early life Payne was born James L. Payne in Garrard County, Kentuck ...

– guitar * Johnny Gimble – fiddle *

– harmony vocals and *Earl Ball – piano *Billy Liebert – piano *Jerry Smith – piano * Carter Family – background singers

Chart positions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Land of Many Churches,The Merle Haggard live albums 1971 live albums Capitol Records live albums Live gospel albums Albums produced by Ken Nelson (United States record producer) Razor & Tie live albums