Chester Smith is a Modesto, CA local boy done good. I mean REALLY, REALLY good. He came to California from Oklahoma during the dust bowl days when he was a child. Like most 'oakies', he picked cotton, worked fields and did pretty much everything else described in John Steinbeck's classic novel, The Grapes of Wrath.

In the late 40's and early 50's, Chester was something of a local music legend, with a regular radio show and frequent local concerts. It was at one of these local shows, in Riverbank CA, that a 14 year old Merle Haggard first met Chester Smith and Merle decided that music was what he wanted to do for a living. I suppose the rest of Merle's story is musical history.

Chester, however, took a turn into the business world and became a pioneer in Spanish TV and radio broadcasting. In fact,it's probably safe to say that Chester basically started and owned most Spanish broadcasting stations in California, a HUGE Spanish language market. It's rumored that Chester is a MAJOR shareholder of Univision. In the past few years, though, Chester has decided to return to his musical roots. In the past few years, Chester and Merle have been hanging out together and doing local concerts here in central CA. Apparently, they have a longtime relationship and I'm sure Merle wanted to help Chester out with his necently revived music career. And since Chester has lots of money, I'm sure that he did this album just for the love of music.

Now, as far as this album is concerned, I think it's a great return to old-school, hillbilly, oakie music. It's certainly not modern and it's certainly not for everybody, but I think it's still a great thing to listen to. I'd recommend this album to anybody that likes old school country music, and I do mean OLD SCHOOL, like Hank Williams SR, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. This ain't no 'Dixie Chicks' album.

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Old time country  May 27, 2002 By john gervickas
I had never heard Chester Smith before this CD, but I am really impressed with his singing, and particularly his guitar playing. Merle is in wonderful voice, and "grace for the shepherd" makes this an essential purchase for hard-core Haggard fans (like me!)Six cuts are Chester solo, four are duets with Hag, and two are Merle solo ("grace for the shepherd" and "after we go to guns" (which may suprise some people - "after we go to guns, it will be too late, isn't there something else we can advocate? A few more peaceful sundays lord, a few more days to wait, 'cause after we go to war it will be too late." It's wonderful to see that Merle continues to be unpredictable and is always evolving as a person and artist). This is real old time country, with shades of Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, Johnny Cash etc. Anyone who enjoyed Merle's albums "Cabin in the hills" and "Two old friends" will certainly like this.


Excellent product and service  Jan 14, 2005 By Joseph Thompson
This is my first purchase from an Amazon seller and I am extremely happy with my experience. I will look forward to doing more business.

1 of 4 found the following review helpful:


Yuk! Not enough Merle Too Much Chester  Jun 07, 2002
Don't bother purchasing "California Blend". Don't get me wrong. I love Merle Haggard music. His CD "Peer Sessions" is the best I've ever heard. "California Blend", however, does not have enough Merle in it to save it. Chester just ain't that good. Period. The first couple of cuts featuring Merle are OK, then the CD dies - quickly. Skip this one. Save your money for "Peer Sessions".