Longboat Key, FL -- (SBWire) -- 04/30/2018 --When he died on his 79th birthday, April 6, 2016, country music legend Merle Haggard left behind a 50-year career with hundreds of songs including 38 #1 country chart hits ("Okie From Muskogee," "Mama Tried," "If We Make it Through December") performed by him and dozens of other stars such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson. He received scores of awards and honors, from the Academy of Country Music, Grammy Awards and Kennedy Center Honors. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard (aka "The Hag") was a pioneer of the distinctive "Bakersfield Sound" with its raw-edged, honest songs and piercing electric guitars which became wildly popular in the 1960s.
A new, impressive art project to honor Haggard has been advancing and has reached a critical junction. With a life-size statue of the Hag on horseback completed, all that remains is to cast the piece in bronze. Once finished, the statue will weigh approximately 800 lbs., and measures 10-feet long and 8- feet high.
The project was undertaken by artist Ed Miracle, whose 55-year professional career has been supported by collectors and patrons such as Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago, President Ronald Reagan, George C. Scott, astronaut Buzz Aldren, and the ruling families of Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Oman. One of his most famous pieces - a painting of sailing ships going over the edge of the world entitled "I Told You So" - has been reproduced hundreds of times. His art is reflective of both a joy in life and a sardonic eye, much like Merle Haggard's music. A longtime fan of Haggard's, Miracle was saddened by his death and needed to express his admiration for the Hag. He contacted Haggard's family and received permission to create the life-size museum quality bronze statue.
Fans of Merle Haggard, and country music in general, are being asked to help contribute to the final step in completing this true labor of love. A limited production of only nine statues will be created, with the first donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/in-loving-memory-of-merle-haggard/x/365513#/
Multiple levels of rewards for support are being offered.
$10 = A thank you postcard with photo of the sculpture, personally signed by Ed Miracle
$40 = A poster-sized print of Ed Miracle's most famous painting, "I Told You So," signed by the artist
$50 = "The Hag" T-Shirt, honoring the life of Merle Haggard
$75 = "Forever Hag" T-Shirt with an image of the sculpture itself
$150 = Special lithograph of "I Told You So" measuring 19" x 24" and signed by artist Ed Miracle
$300 = giclée print of a painting of the sculpture, with a limited run of 240, signed and numbered by Ed Miracle
$4,000 = Giclée print of Ed Miracle's painting "Untitled" with a limited run of 240, signed and numbered by the artist (retail value $8,500)
For more information, details and to donate, visit — https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/in-loving-memory-of-merle-haggard/x/365513#/
