Leonard ( song ) - Wikipedia Leonard ( song ) `` Leonard '' Single by Merle Haggard from the album Back to the Barrooms B - side `` Our Paths May Never Cross '' Released February 14, 1981 Genre Country Length 3 : 38 Label MCA Songwriter ( s ) Merle Haggard Producer ( s ) Jimmy Bowen Merle Haggard singles chronology `` I Think I 'll Just Stay Here and Drink '' ( 1980 ) `` Leonard '' ( 1981 ) `` Rainbow Stew '' ( 1981 ) `` I Think I 'll Just Stay Here and Drink '' ( 1980 ) `` Leonard '' ( 1981 ) `` Rainbow Stew '' ( 1981 ) `` Leonard '' is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard. The song is a tribute to songwriter Tommy Collins. It was released in February 1981 as the third single from the album Back to the Barrooms. The song reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Tommy Collins birth name, Leonard Raymond Sipes, was the source of the song 's title and like Haggard, was also songwriter with Oklahoma roots. He wrote `` Carolyn '' and `` The Roots of My Raising '' for Haggard. Chart performance Chart ( 1981 ) Peak position US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) 9 Canadian RPM Country Tracks 7 References Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Hits : 1944 - 2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 148. Jump up ^ < http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=18649 Jump up ^ `` Merle Haggard Chart History ( Hot Country Songs ) ''. Billboard. Merle Haggard The Strangers Roy Nichols Norman Hamlet Biff Adam Dennis Hromek Bobby Wayne Marcia Nichols Eddie Burris George French Jerry Ward Studio albums Strangers Swinging Doors I 'm a Lonesome Fugitive Branded Man Sing Me Back Home The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde Mama Tried Pride in What I Am Same Train, A Different Time A Portrait of Merle Haggard A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World ( or, My Salute to Bob Wills ) Hag Someday We 'll Look Back Let Me Tell You About a Song It 's Not Love ( But It 's Not Bad ) If We Make It Through December Merle Haggard Presents His 30th Album Keep Movin ' On It 's All in the Movies My Love Affair with Trains The Roots of My Raising Ramblin ' Fever A Working Man Ca n't Get Nowhere Today My Farewell to Elvis I 'm Always on a Mountain When I Fall Serving 190 Proof The Way I Am Back to the Barrooms Big City Going Where the Lonely Go That 's the Way Love Goes It 's All in the Game Kern River Out Among the Stars A Friend In California Chill Factor 5 : 01 Blues Blue Jungle If I Could Only Fly Roots, Volume 1 The Peer Sessions Haggard Like Never Before Unforgettable Chicago Wind The Bluegrass Sessions I Am What I Am Working in Tennessee Live albums Okie from Muskogee The Fightin ' Side of Me I Love Dixie Blues Rainbow Stew Live at Anaheim Stadium The Epic Collection ( Recorded Live ) Amber Waves of Grain Motorcycle Cowboy : Live at Billy Bob 's Texas Ol ' Country Singer Live from Austin, TX Live from Austin, TX ' 78 Gospel albums The Land of Many Churches Songs for the Mama That Tried Cabin in the Hills Two Old Friends ( with Albert E. Brumley, Jr. ) Holiday albums Merle Haggard 's Christmas Present Goin ' Home for Christmas Pancho, Lefty and Rudolph ( with Willie Nelson ) I Wish I Was Santa Claus The Strangers albums Instrumental Sounds of Merle Haggard 's Strangers Introducing My Friends The Strangers Getting to Know Merle Haggard 's Strangers Honky Tonkin ' Totally Instrumental ( With One Exception... ) Singles 1960s `` Sing a Sad Song '' `` Sam Hill '' `` ( My Friends Are Gonna Be ) Strangers '' `` I 'm Gonna Break Every Heart I Can '' `` Swinging Doors '' `` The Bottle Let Me Down '' `` The Fugitive '' `` I Threw Away the Rose '' `` Branded Man '' `` Sing Me Back Home '' `` The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde '' `` Mama Tried '' `` I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am '' `` Hungry Eyes '' `` Workin ' Man Blues '' `` Okie from Muskogee '' 1970s `` The Fightin ' Side of Me '' `` Street Singer '' `` Jesus, Take a Hold '' `` I Ca n't Be Myself '' `` Soldier 's Last Letter '' `` Someday We 'll Look Back '' `` Daddy Frank ( The Guitar Man ) '' `` Carolyn '' `` Grandma Harp '' `` It 's Not Love ( But It 's Not Bad ) '' `` I Wonder If They Ever Think of Me '' `` The Emptiest Arms in the World '' `` Everybody 's Had the Blues '' `` If We Make It Through December '' `` Things Are n't Funny Anymore '' `` Old Man from the Mountain '' `` Kentucky Gambler '' `` Always Wanting You '' `` Movin ' On '' `` It 's All in the Movies '' `` The Roots of My Raising '' `` Here Comes the Freedom Train '' `` Cherokee Maiden '' `` If We 're Not Back in Love by Monday '' `` Ramblin ' Fever '' `` A Working Man Ca n't Get Nowhere Today '' `` From Graceland to the Promised Land '' `` Running Kind '' `` I 'm Always on a Mountain When I Fall '' `` It 's Been a Great Afternoon '' `` The Way It Was in ' 51 '' `` Red Bandana '' `` My Own Kind of Hat '' 1980s -- 1990s `` The Way I Am '' `` Misery and Gin '' `` I Think I 'll Just Stay Here and Drink '' `` Leonard '' `` Rainbow Stew '' `` My Favorite Memory '' `` Big City '' `` Dealing with the Devil '' `` Are the Good Times Really Over ( I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver ) '' `` Going Where the Lonely Go '' `` You Take Me for Granted '' `` What Am I Gonna Do ( With the Rest of My Life ) '' `` It 's All in the Game '' `` That 's the Way Love Goes '' `` Someday When Things Are Good '' `` Let 's Chase Each Other Around the Room '' `` A Place to Fall Apart '' `` Make - Up and Faded Blue Jeans '' `` Kern River '' `` Amber Waves of Grain '' `` American Waltz '' `` I Had a Beautiful Time '' `` A Friend in California '' `` Out Among the Stars '' `` Almost Persuaded '' `` Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star '' `` Chill Factor '' `` We Never Touch at All '' `` You Babe '' `` 5 : 01 Blues '' `` A Better Love Next Time '' `` If You Want to Be My Woman '' `` Broken Friend '' `` When It Rains It Pours '' `` In My Next Life '' Collaborations Albums Just Between the Two of Us ( with Bonnie Owens ) A Taste of Yesterday 's Wine ( with George Jones ) Pancho & Lefty ( with Willie Nelson ) Heart to Heart ( with Leona Williams ) Walking the Line ( with George Jones and Willie Nelson ) Seashores of Old Mexico ( with Willie Nelson ) Kickin ' Out the Footlights... Again ( with George Jones ) Last of the Breed ( with Willie Nelson and Ray Price ) Django & Jimmie ( with Willie Nelson ) Singles `` Just Between the Two of Us '' ( with Bonnie Owens ) `` The Bull and the Beaver '' with Leona Williams `` Bar Room Buddies '' ( with Clint Eastwood ) `` Yesterday 's Wine '' ( with George Jones ) `` C.C. Waterback '' ( with George Jones ) `` Reasons to Quit '' ( with Willie Nelson ) `` Pancho and Lefty '' ( with Willie Nelson ) `` We 're Strangers Again '' ( with Leona Williams ) `` If I Could Only Fly '' ( with Willie Nelson ) `` That 's the Way Love Goes '' with ( Jewel ) `` Wreck on the Highway '' ( with Chester Smith ) Guest appearances `` Street Singer '' ( by The Strangers ) `` Willie '' ( by Hank Cochran ) `` Walking the Floor Over You '' ( by Ernest Tubb ) `` I Ca n't Hold Myself in Line '' ( by Johnny Paycheck ) `` Lefty '' ( by David Frizzell ) `` Same Old Train '' ( from Tribute to Tradition ) `` Politically Uncorrect '' ( by Gretchen Wilson ) `` I Think I 'll Just Stay Here and Drink '' ( by Hank Williams, Jr. ) Compilations The Best of Merle Haggard Close - Up The Best of the Best of Merle Haggard Songs I 'll Always Sing Eleven Winners The Way It Was in ' 51 Merle Haggard 's Greatest Hits His Epic Hits : The First 11 ( To Be Continued... ) His Best His Greatest and His Best The Lonesome Fugitive Untamed Hawk Vintage Collections Down Every Road 1962 -- 1994 Yesterday 's Wine 1981 - 1988 A&E Biography 16 Biggest Hits For the Record : 43 Legendary Hits Merle Haggard 's Train Whistle Blues 20 Greatest Hits David Allan Coe Presents 40 # 1 Hits The Essential Merle Haggard : The Epic Years Hag : The Best of Merle Haggard Related articles Discography Capitol Records MCA Records Epic Records Marty Haggard Noel Haggard Bonnie Owens Leona Williams Mama 's Hungry Eyes : A Tribute to Merle Haggard `` Untanglin ' My Mind '' This 1980 country song - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leonard_(song)&oldid=776909059 '' Categories : 1981 singles 1980 songs Merle Haggard songs Songs written by Merle Haggard Song recordings produced by Jimmy Bowen MCA Records singles 1980 country song stubs Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Billboardcountrysongs Singlechart called without song All stub articles Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 24 April 2017, at 02 : 19. About Wikipedia

Question: who is merle haggard singing about in the song leonard
Answer: Tommy Collins