"Kern River" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers. It was released in July 1985 as the only single and title track from his album Kern River. The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
Content The song grimly recounts the story of the singer's girlfriend drowning in the Kern River, California.Vain, Madison. "The Essential Merle Haggard," Entertainment Weekly (Apr. 22/29, 2016). In the 2013 biography Merle Haggard: The Running Kind writer David Cantwell calls the track "a scary record" that "screamed quiet and startled you alive."
Personnel Merle Haggard– vocals, guitar, fiddle
The Strangers: Roy Nichols - guitar Norm Hamlet - steel guitar Tiny Moore - fiddle, mandolin Mark Yeary - keyboards Dennis Hromek - bass Biff Adams - drums Jim Belkin - fiddle
Chart performance Chart (1985)PeakpositionCanadian RPM Country Tracks10
Covers "Kern River" was covered by Dave Alvin on his 2006 album West of the West, and by Emmylou Harris on her 2008 album All I Intended to Be.
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