This photo deserves to be mounted on walls across America. Just one look at these three men — Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson — and you know: They’re not just artists. They’re living monuments of a truer America that once was. They never apologized for what they believed in. They never bowed to trends or markets. And in this moment — with a mischievous smile and a gesture you can’t mistake — it’s as if they’re telling the world: “We’re still here. And we’re still ourselves.”
Introduction Growing up, Sunday afternoons meant my grandfather spinning Willie Nelson’s records, his voice weaving through tales of love, loss,…