A Friend in California (album)

A Friend in California is the forty-first studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard with backing by The Strangers, released in 1986.

A Friend in California
Studio album by Merle Haggard
Released	1986
Studio	1111 Sound Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Country
Length	28:44
Label	Epic
Producer	Merle Haggard, Ron Reynolds
Merle Haggard chronology
Amber Waves of Grain (1985) A Friend in California (1986) Out Among the Stars (1986)
Singles from A Friend in California
"I Had a Beautiful Time" Released: January 25, 1986 "A Friend in California" Released: May 31, 1986

Recording and composition

Haggard produced the album with Ron "Snake" Reynolds. Most of the songs were written by Haggard and Freddy Powers, who had become one of Haggard's favorite writers during this period. A Friend in California boasts a re-energized-sounding Haggard performing several up-tempo numbers like "This Song is for You," "Silverthorn Mountain," and "I Had a Beautiful Time." He also plays off his own legend with "The Okie from Muskogee's Comin' Home" and the autobiographical "Mama's Prayer" which pays tribute to his late mother. Other noteworthy tracks is his bluesy take on the Floyd Tillman classic "This Cold War with You" and the obligatory western swing paean "Texas."

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	B+[2]

Music critic Robert Christgau wrote "Just when I decide he's gonna lay back forever he ambles into this. No Nippophobia, minimal love pap, a touch of Mexico, and lots of swing—except for one Freddy Powers pledge it keeps going till the obligatory sentimentality of the last two cuts."^[2]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"A Friend in California"	Freddy Powers	3:18
2.	"This Time I Really Do"	F. Powers	3:00
3.	"This Cold War with You"	Floyd Tillman	1:52
4.	"I Had a Beautiful Time"	Haggard	3:01
5.	"Texas"	Haggard, F. Powers	3:01
6.	"The Okie from Muskogee's Comin' Home"	Haggard, F. Powers	2:23
7.	"Mama's Prayer"	Haggard	2:50
8.	"Silverthorn Mountain"	Haggard	2:01
9.	"The Song Is for You"	F. Powers, Mary Lou Powers	3:32
10.	"Thank You for Keeping Our House"	Haggard, Debbie Parret	3:18

Personnel

• Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar, fiddle

The Strangers:

• Roy Nichols – guitar
• Norman Hamlet – steel guitar, dobro
• Clint Strong – guitar
• Mark Yeary – keyboards
• Dennis Hromek – bass
• Biff Adam – drums
• Jimmy Belken – fiddle
• Don Markham – trumpet, saxophone
• Gary Church – trombone, trumpet

with:

• Freddy Powers – backing vocals

and:

• Donna Faye – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1986) Peak position US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[3] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1986) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[4] 24

References

1. "A Friend in California > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
2. Christgau, Robert. "A Friend in California > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
3. "Merle Haggard Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
4. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2021.