On February 11, 2016, Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard shared a stage at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California. Merle Haggard had recently struggled with serious illness, but the two country legends were together again, trading songs and sharing the music that had connected them for decades.
Less than two months later, Merle Haggard would be gone. And Kris Kristofferson would find himself singing one of Merle Haggard’s most meaningful songs at a private farewell.
The story behind that moment began years earlier, when Nashville expected these two very different men to dislike each other.
The First Handshake Nobody Expected
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Kris Kristofferson hardly looked like Nashville’s idea of a traditional country star. With long hair, a beard, and an unconventional approach to songwriting, Kris Kristofferson represented a changing generation.
Merle Haggard was already an established country star, known for songs about working people, prison, hardship, and American life.
In a 2013 interview with Rock Cellar Magazine, Kris Kristofferson remembered meeting Merle Haggard at a Nashville gathering place associated with songwriter Roger Miller. People around them apparently expected a disagreement.
Instead, the two men sat together at a table and immediately connected.
Kris Kristofferson recalled that “from the first hand shake we were best friends.”
What others saw as a clash of personalities turned into a friendship built on musical respect.
A Moment at the 1970 CMA Awards
One of Kris Kristofferson’s favorite memories came from the 1970 Country Music Association Awards.
Kris Kristofferson’s composition “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” won Song of the Year. The songwriter had not expected to win, especially against established artists Kris Kristofferson admired.
Seated behind Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson was so startled by the announcement that the songwriter struck the back of a church-style pew.
Merle Haggard turned around and told Kris Kristofferson:
“Well, get on up there!”
Years afterward, Kris Kristofferson remembered how genuinely happy Merle Haggard seemed about the victory.
That small exchange revealed something important. Their friendship was not simply a public association between famous musicians. There was real admiration behind it.
One of Their Last Nights Together
By February 2016, both men had spent decades entertaining country audiences.
At the Saban Theatre, Kris Kristofferson performed “Sunday Morning Coming Down” with Merle Haggard’s band, the Strangers.
When Kris Kristofferson finished the song, the applause rose. Merle Haggard nodded toward the musicians, and the band began playing the melody again.
It was an unplanned instrumental continuation, giving the song an unexpectedly beautiful ending.
Those in attendance witnessed a brief musical exchange that now carries even greater meaning.
The Prison Memory Behind “Sing Me Back Home”
Merle Haggard died on April 6, 2016, the day of Merle Haggard’s 79th birthday.
Three days later, family and friends gathered for a private funeral on Merle Haggard’s property in Palo Cedro, California.
Among the songs Kris Kristofferson performed was “Sing Me Back Home.”
Its history made the choice especially meaningful.
During Merle Haggard’s imprisonment at San Quentin, Merle Haggard knew an inmate named Jimmy “Rabbit” Kendrick. In Merle Haggard’s autobiography, Rabbit was described as a fellow prisoner who planned an escape and invited Merle Haggard to participate.
Merle Haggard declined. Rabbit escaped, but was eventually captured after a deadly encounter with a highway patrol officer and sentenced to death.
Rabbit’s story became one of the personal memories associated with “Sing Me Back Home,” a song about a condemned prisoner asking to hear music that recalls home and an earlier life.
The song carried memories of confinement, loss, and the humanity Merle Haggard had witnessed behind prison walls.
Three Songs for an Old Friend
Kris Kristofferson actually performed three songs at Merle Haggard’s funeral: “For a Moment of Forever,” “Sing Me Back Home,” and “Pancho & Lefty.” Micah Nelson joined Kris Kristofferson for the last of those performances.
Merle Haggard had helped plan the farewell. Marty Stuart officiated, Connie Smith sang “Precious Memories,” and members of the Haggard family contributed their own musical tributes.
There was something fitting about the ceremony. A songwriter whose life had been defined by music was remembered through the songs and voices of people who knew Merle Haggard best.
Decades after that unexpected first handshake in Nashville, Kris Kristofferson was still there for Merle Haggard.
The two men had never needed to look alike, think alike, or represent the same side of country music. Their friendship had survived changing times, long careers, and the expectations of others.
And when the time came to say goodbye, Kris Kristofferson did what country songwriters have always done best.
Kris Kristofferson let the songs speak.