The Strangers (American band)
| The Strangers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Bakersfield, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Country, Western, Outlaw Country, Bakersfield Sound |
| Years active | 1960s–Present |
| Labels | Capitol, MCA, Epic, Curb, ANTI, Vanguard |
| Members |
Renato Caranto Doug Colosio Jim Christie Floyd Domino Ben Haggard Dana Haggard Noel Haggard Theresa Haggard Norman Hamlet Scott Joss Taras Prodaniuk |
| Past members |
Merle Haggard Biff Adam Johnny Barber Jimmy Belkin Eddie Burris James Burton Glen Campbell Eddie Curtis Iris DeMent Terry Domingue George French Dennis Hromek Joe Manuel Abe Manuel Will McGregor Randy Mason Tiny Moore Don Markham Marcia Nichols Bonnie Owens Fuzzy Owen Ralph Mooney Roy Nichols Clint Strong Gordon Terry Jerry Ward Bobby Wayne Redd Volkaert Mark Yeary Red Lane |
The Strangers is an American country band best known as the back-up band for singer-songwriter Merle Haggard. Formed in 1965 in Bakersfield, California, the band continued to tour with original co-founding member Norman Hamlet, as well as Haggard's children Dana and Ben.
History
The group mainly served as the backup band for Haggard. However, from 1969 to 1973, it issued several records independent of Haggard, released by Haggard's label, Capitol Records. While most of the performers were contemporaries of Haggard in age or younger, some performers, including Tiny Moore, were older performers in the country or western swing genres. Glen Campbell, who had a solo career as a singer and a short career leading a television variety show, was a member of the storied Hollywood group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew" and played on some of Haggard's Capitol recordings as did session greats James Burton and pedal steel guitarist Ralph Mooney. Pianist Mark Yeary penned many songs for Haggard. Horns joined the group for the first time in 1969 with Don Markham playing tenor saxophone and trumpet,[1] yet instrumentation mainly consisted of guitars, bass guitar, keyboard and drums.
Current members
- Renato Caranto – tenor saxophone
- Doug Colosio – keyboards
- Jim Christie – drums
- Floyd Domino – keyboards
- Ben Haggard – electric guitar, lead guitar, lead and backing vocals
- Dana Haggard – backing vocals
- Noel Haggard – lead vocals, electric guitar
- Theresa Haggard – backing vocals
- Norman Hamlet – steel guitar
- Scott Joss – fiddle, mandolin, guitars, backing vocals
- Taras Prodaniuk – bass guitar
Discography
- The Instrumental Sounds of Merle Haggard's Strangers, 1969 Capitol Records
- Introducing My Friends the Strangers, 1970 (Capitol)
- Getting to Know Merle Haggard's Strangers, 1970 (Capitol)
- Honky Tonkin', 1971 (Capitol)
- Totally Instrumental with One Exception, 1973 (Capitol)
Notes
- ↑ Deming, Mark. "A Portrait of Merle Haggard - Merle Haggard & the Strangers". AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-10-15.