CMT News

While many fans of the legendary Merle Haggard have been in mourning over recent rumors that his current tour will be his last, Haggard, himself, says "Not true!" The singer reassured fans at a recent three-night concert stint in Santa Ana, California that he's not hanging up his hat yet. "No, I've got too many taxes to pay," he told The Los Angeles Times/Hollywood Online after the performance. "I'll never get away from doing this. So you can squash that story." According to Haggard, the Farewell Tour reports and the possibility of his retirement stemmed from his response to having heart surgery back in July and a remark he made to a fan club representative. Earlier this month, however, it was reported that Haggard's manager, Lance Roberts, told the Billboard Bulletin that the artist had about 120 dates booked for next year, including gigs with both Willie Nelson and Johnny Paycheck. His dates with Nelson will tentatively be billed as "Pancho & Lefty," while his Paycheck dates will be dubbed "The Working Man Tour." Haggard has played close to 100 dates annually for approximately 30 years. His '98 concerts kicked off on January 12th in Santa Ana. Apparently, they'll continue to kick for a long time to come.