Parsons' decision to play "Hickory Wind" instead of the planned Merle Haggard cover "Life in Prison" during The Byrds' performance at the Grand Ole Opry on March 15, 1968 "pissed off the country music establishment" and stunned Opry regulars to such an extent that the song is now considered essential to Parsons' legend.
During The Byrds' performance at the Grand Ole Opry on March 15, 1968, Parsons opted to play "Hickory Wind" rather than the planned Merle Haggard cover "Life in Prison," which displeased the country music establishment and shocked regulars so profoundly that the song is now considered essential to Parsons' reputation.