A Letter From The Publisher, May 6, 1974

"The hardest thing about interviewing Merle Haggard," says Los Angeles Correspondent David DeVoss of this week's cover subject, "is finding him." Since Haggard is a compulsive fisherman, ever searching for the perfect lake or stream, DeVoss was sure he had caught his man when he heard that the country singer was at Orange Lake, Fla. DeVoss was about to pack his lures when he learned that Haggard, bitten by the gambling bug, was in Reno, but would meet him in Bakersfield, Calif., for an interview. Four days of high rolling, however, proved too much for Haggard, who called off the...

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