3. The Time He Told Off A Record Executive For Firing Johnny Cash
In 1986, Johnny Cash was dropped from his record label and 23 years later, Haggard still wasn’t ready to let it go. At a 2009 event, Haggard was awarded with a career achievement award from Country Radio Broadcasters and used his acceptance speech to tell off Rick Blackburn, who was the person who dropped Cash from his label.
That night, Emmylou Harris performed Haggard’s song “Kern River” and he told a story of Blackburn not liking the tune at all. Haggard told the audience that Blackburn said, “I’d like to tell you one more time. I don’t like ‘Kern River.’ And I said, ‘That’s about the third time you’ve told me that.’ He said, ‘It’s more like five times.’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m about five times short of telling you to go to hell.’”
He asked Blackburn,”Who do you think you are? You’re the son-of-a-bitch that sat at that desk over there and fired Johnny Cash. Let it go down in history that you’re the dumbest son-of-a-bitch I’ve ever met.”