Conway Twitty Covers Merle Haggard’s Signature Song “Mama Tried”

“Mama Tried” was a song penned by the legendary country singer Merle Haggard in 1968. He recorded the song with his band the Strangers. The result was another number one on both the US and Canadian country charts. Haggard’s song was part of his same-titled album that also secured a spot on the country chart.

“Mama Tried,” A Song Based of Merle Haggard’s Life

Some said that the song was based on Haggard’s life. How he was sent to prison, and how his life was like when he was young. However, Haggard never experienced life without parole, even though it was stated in the song.

It may be that some parts of the song were based on Haggard’s life, while other parts were written to put a drama or life to the song’s storyline.

Renditions of “Mama Tried”

Mama Tried” is a classic country song that has been covered by numerous artists. It was also used as a soundtrack to certain movies. Haggard, himself, rerecorded the song a lot of times as a duet with other artists. It is a national treasure, that’s why everyone loves it.

Conway Twitty Gave Merle Haggard’s Song a Try

In 1968, Conway Twitty released his first country album to enter the top ten of the chart. Next in Line contained covers of country songs from different known artists. He included signature songs of Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash, and many more.

Album’s Tracklist

1. Mama Tried
2. Next in Line
3. D-I-V-O-R-C-E
4. With Pen in Hand
5. Us
6. I Told My World to Go Away
7. Ain’t It Sad to Stand and Watch Love Die
8. Today I Started Loving You Again
9. Folsom Prison Blues
10. Things I Lost in You
11. I’m Checking Out

Next in Line

Twitty never released a single from his album. Therefore, none entered the chart. However, the album was able to secure a spot. This was just the beginning of his career in country music. Twitty used to perform pop and rock and roll songs.