Merle Hazard

Merle Hazard (born Jonathan A. Shayne) is an American satirist known for penning and performing country songs about unconventional topics, including economics, atonal music, and physics. Shayne started releasing music as Merle Hazard in 2007, his stage name a pun on the economic phenomenon moral hazard and the country singer Merle Haggard. In 2009, the Nashville Business Journal dubbed him "the 'Weird Al' of Wall Street."

Career In the summer of 2007, Hazard gained internet fame for his first single, "H-E-D-G-E," a song about uninsured loss inspired by Tammy Wynette's 1968 single “D-I-V-O-R-C-E.” The song's homemade music video, which featured Hazard in rented cowboy duds, spread on YouTube and various financial blogs. In November 2007, The New York Times called it "the only country song about the subprime meltdown and its effects on the global credit markets." Hazard has performed live several times, including at events hosted by Bloomberg and the American Economic Association. A number of prominent economists have shared or commented on Hazard's songs, including Greg Mankiw, Simon Johnson, Kenneth Rogoff, Arthur Laffer, John B. Taylor, and Paul Krugman.

"I like poking fun at the Fed in my songs, but actually, I respect them and think they have a nearly impossible job," Hazard told Axios in 2021.

In 2019, Hazard released "(Gimme Some of That) Ol' Atonal Music," which explores music theory and atonality in its lyrics. New Yorker music critic Alex Ross dubbed it "song of the year." The single features Grammy-winning bluegrass musician Alison Brown as banjo soloist and producer; The Washington Post has referred to Brown as "one of the leading five-string banjo players in the country." The boutique investment firm managed $120 million as of 2007. Year Album H-E-D-G-E 2007 In The Hamptons 2007 Tough Market Green With Envy 2008 Mark to Market 2009 Tough Market Inflation or Deflation? 2009 Old Time Recession 2009 Double Dippin' 2010 Tough Market The Ballad of Diamond Jim 2011 Tough Market German Song 2011 Tough Market Italian Song 2011 Tough Market Fiscal Cliff 2012 Tough Market The Great Unwind 2013 Tough Market Dual Mandate 2014 Tough Market How Long (Will Interest Rates Stay Low) 2016 Tough Market Dave's Song 2018 (Gimme Some of That) Ol' Atonal Music 2019 The Fed Is Watching The Market 2021 Executive Privilege 2022 Time With You 2022