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25 Years Ago Today, Merle Haggard Lost His Longtime Guitarist and the Man Who “Set the Pace” for His Career

LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 1966: Country musician Merle Haggard (L) and his band "Merle Haggard & the Strangers" pose for a September 1966 portrait in Los Angeles, California. Guitarist Roy Nichols is seated on the right. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Modern country music owes a great debt to Roy Nichols. The groundbreaking guitarist was supporting “Bakersfield Sound” icon Lefty Frizzell when a fresh-out-of-juvenile-lockup Merle Hag…
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American Songwriter broke the news on Saturday, July 4, 2026.
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