The two songs Clint Eastwood recorded with Ray Charles and Merle Haggard
As the star of Sergio Leone’s classic Dollars trilogy of spaghetti westerns and having made countless turns as a gunslinger in other classic Hollywood flicks, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Clint Eastwood’s listening habits mostly consist of crawling around town to Ennio Morricone soundtracks. However, the actor and director is something of an aficionado when it comes to jazz, country and classical music, and has even moonlit as a pianist and composer when not appearing on the big screen.
Eastwood has previously gone on record to express a great fondness for artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Peggy Lee to name but a few, but he has also had the privilege of collaborating with music royalty on a couple of occasions, recording duets with both Ray Charles and Merle Haggard in 1980 for two separate movie soundtracks.
Released as songs from two of Eastwood’s more lighthearted movie outings in Bronco Billy and Any Which Way You Can, both tracks see him and his collaborators adopt a country style that seems fitting for his cowboy characters. Not only do both songs share this common musical thread but they are both linked by a distinct lyrical theme – enjoying the simple delight of sinking beers with friends.
‘Bar Room Buddies’, which he released as a duet with Merle Haggard, is the better known of these two tracks, taken from the Eastwood-directed Western comedy Bronco Billy. It’s a good-natured attempt at producing something in line with the country classics and was recognised as such, becoming a hit on the country charts as it reached number one in both the US and Canada upon its release.
Eastwood’s opening line, “well let’s harmonise, we’ll be dynamite”, is amusing, considering he’s not exactly known for his vocal prowess. The duo strikes a humorous balance, with Haggard tackling the high notes while Eastwood “serves the drinks”. Yet, the track shows Eastwood in high spirits, fully embracing the novelty of the collaboration as he enjoys the chance to jam with one of his musical heroes.
The Ray Charles joint effort ‘Beers to You’, on the other hand, was taken from Any Which Way You Can, a film that was released as the disappointing sequel to Every Which Way But Loose. While less impactful on the charts compared to ‘Bar Room Buddies’, there’s an equally jovial feel to the song. While Eastwood’s vocals are still a little wooden here, which might explain why there weren’t more collaborative efforts or even solo releases from the actor in the years after.
Eastwood’s gravelly baritone is not far from sounding like his speaking voice, with the same gruff growl that he used to deliver his lines in being used in lieu of successfully carrying a tune, but his chemistry with Charles on the track is undeniable, and the good times that the duo are singing about in the track can certainly be felt as they trade lines that pay a toast to “old amigos” and “all the women they’ve been through”.
These are fascinating and almost endearing little nuggets from a lesser-known side to Eastwood’s artistry, and while they don’t hint at the loss of a rich musical career that the actor could have had, they’re both welcomed as small slices of fun that the famously stone-faced star enjoyed with two of music’s most influential figures.
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