BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – One and only one original member of Merle Haggard’s legendary backup band, the Strangers, is left today. Norm Hamlet is still with us and still playing – and as well as ever too.

The man who shared the stage with Merle Haggard and traveled the world doing it, the man who taught Barbara Mandrell how to play, has an Aug. 3 show at Bakersfield’s Nile Theater.

Rudy Parris, who gained some fame starring on NBC’s The Voice, will appear alongside Hamlet and an all-star band of sorts.

“I think the show, more than anything, (is) of course to celebrate the legacy and the music of Mr. Merle Haggard,” Parris said, “but also (it’s to celebrate) the legacy and music of Mr. Norm Hamlet, who’s ironically from the town (Farmersville) that butts up against mine … Visalia. He’s been at it a long time and he’s a big part of that sound and he should be recognized.”

That sound, of course, is the steel guitar, a sit-down affair with a long fascinating history – and 10 strings. Well, this one goes to 11.

“It has a crying kind of sound to it,” Parris said. “Very lonesome sound.”

Hamlet’s life changed in about 1962 when he sat down to play at an Edison Highway honky tonk called the Lucky Spot. He knew most of the band, but he hadn’t met the bass player.
“He come over and introduced hisself,” Hamlet said. “‘My name’s Merle Haggard.’ And I said, ‘Oh, nice meeting you.’ When he first started singing that night I looked over at him and thought, ‘Dang, as good as that guy sings, he needs to be on a record.’ … I tried to stay in touch with him after that.”

And it paid off. He did some touring with Haggard’s band, and when Haggard signed with Capitol Records, breaking out almost immediately thereafter, Hamlet was a key part of the lineup.

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Over the years, he made dozens of recordings with the Strangers and traveled the world. How many counties did Hamlet visit as a member of the Strangers? He found it easier to list the ones they didn’t play in.

“We never got to play in Japan,” Hamlet said ruefully.

Hamlet, who turns 90 in February, isn’t a big talker, and that’s OK with Parris.

“To know Norm Hamlet, you just gotta hear him play the guitar, the steel guitar,” Parris said. “That’s where his personality comes out. He may be shy and quiet, but when he gets on that stage, you’re going to hear, feel, see, and understand who Norm Hamlet is.

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