ROY NICHOLS, "MAMA TRIED," 1978

Here's a rare live clip of Merle Haggard in 1978. Roy Nichols plays his classic intro lick, and the solo more or less like the original, but then tears into a nifty three-part (with Merle and the saxophonist) western swing version of the melody. (Most likely this was arranged by Eldon Shamblin, visible in the clip.) It's an interesting melding of Merle's earlier Bakersfield style with his Bob Wills influence.