Story by Mike Morgan

“I live the kinda life most men only dream of. I make my livin’ writin’ songs and singin’ them. Those lines are from a Merle Haggard song called “Footlights”.

For fans of the late legendary country music great Merle Haggard, his youngest son, Ben is no stranger. He was a member of Merle’s band, The Strangers, for over eight years as his Dad’s lead guitar player.

Merle didn’t even know his young son, Ben, could play that good until one evening while walking down the hallway of his house with wife, Theresa, he heard this great sound coming from Ben’s r...