Merle Haggard and Friends
Tulare Dust Live
Fillmore Auditorium, SF
4/15/95


Tom Russell - guitar, vocal, master of ceremonies
Maura O'Connell - guitar, vocal
Peter Case - guitar, vocal
Marshall Crenshaw - guitar, 6-string bass, vocal
Rosie Flores - guitar, vocal
Dave Alvin - guitar, vocal
Billy Joe Shavers - guitar, vocal
Greg Leisz - dobro


The Strangers:

Biff Adam - Drums
Eddie Curtis - Bass
Don Markham - Sax, Trumpet
Jimmy Belkins - violin
Abe Manuel - guitar, violin
Joe Manuel - guitar, violin
Norm Hamlet - pedal steel, dobro
Bonnie Owens - vocal


Disc 1

Tom Russell:

01 Tulare Dust/They're Tearing the Labor Camps Down
02 Gallo Del Cielo

Maura O'Connell:

03 Walking on the Moon
04 I Can't Be Myself

Peter Case:

05 A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today
06 Little Wind (Could Blow Me Away)

Marshall Crenshaw:

07 Better Back Off
08 Silver Wings

Rosie Flores:

09 West Texas Plains
10 My Own Kind of Hat


Disc 2

Dave Alvin:

01 Kern River
02 King of California

Billy Joe Shavers:

03 Georgia on a Fast Train
04 Ramblin' Fever

The Strangers:

05 Jambalaya
06 Jole Blon
07 Big Mamou

Bonnie Owens with the Strangers:

08 Silver Threads and Golden Needles

Iris DeMent with the Strangers:

09 Big City
10 Hobo Bill's Last Ride

Bonnie Owens with the Strangers:

11 I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart

Merle Haggard with the Strangers:

12 Workin' Man Blues
13 Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Star


Disc 3

Merle Haggard with the Strangers:

01 Big City
02 If I Could Only Fly
03 Mama Tried
04 (Instrumental)
05 Silver Wings
06 Milk Cow Blues
07 Kern River
08 I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink
09 Footlights
10 Hundred Years From Now
11 Swinging Doors
12 (Instrumental)
13 The Running Kind
14 I'm a Lonesome Fugitive
15 Sing Me Back Home

Everyone:

16 They're Tearing the Labor Camps Down

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In the mid-1990's, Merle Haggard was in the midst of an artistic comeback when singer/songwriters Tom Russell and Dave Alvin decided to put together a songwriters' tribute to Merle. They called it "Tulare Dust," and recruited a host of people to contribute, including Billy Joe Shavers, Joe Ely, John Doe, Iris DeMent and Marshall Crenshaw.

The CD was issued in 1994. In 1995, the two of them brought many of the artists who contributed to the CD to perform a concert at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, along with the man himself.

The first portion of the show had most of the songwriters playing acoustic, each asked to play one song of their own choosing plus their song from Tulare Dust. Bay area legend Greg Leisz accompanied most of them on dobro, and the singers got up to help each other out. After a break, the Strangers came on to play a few numbers, then Iris DeMent performed her two songs with the Strangers backing her up. Finally, Merle came out and played a full set with the Strangers.

It was an awesome night of music.