Merle Haggard (1937-2016)

Merle Haggard, Country Music’s Outlaw Hero, Dies at 79. (The New York Times, 4/6/2016)

Not to mention Big Brother and the Holding Co. He had an immense influence on other performers — not just other country singers but also ’60s rock bands like the Byrds and the Grateful Dead, as well as acts like Elvis Costello and the Mekons, all of whom recorded Mr. Haggard’s songs. Some 400 artists have released versions of his 1968 hit “Today I Started Loving You Again.”

Guess you could call this album the follow-up to Cheap Thrills.  It was, however, released 27 months after the seminal 1968 album -- sans Janis, of course.  It wasn't a big hit, peaking at #134 and dropping out of sight after 6 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.