Merle Haggard

        
                       Merle Haggard, a songwriter, a musician or a singer, a man so gifted in
                  all those areas he chose to expand and hone his talents in many dimensions
                  simultaneously, whose caliber will long provide a standard for all country artists
                  who follow.

                       Haggard grew up in Bakersfield, California. His father died when Merle was
                   just nine years old; a painful experience that pretty-much led to a misspent
                   youth. All the while he possessed a love for the roving songs of Jimmie Rodgers
                   This lead to an ardor for the gleaming, endless railroad tracks and the lonesome
                   whistle of slow freights and the campfires of the hobo jungles.
                   There was also various brushes with law enforcement.

                        These were tough times for the young man and he had to be tough to survive.
                   He tried every job an unskilled laborer could get, from oil field roustabout to
                   hay-pitcher to short-order cook. And those were the good jobs.

                        He spent time in various penal institutions for crimes that ranged from auto theft
                  to burglary to escape. Before he reached the age of 21 and not long after he
                  married his first wife, Leona, he was doing hard time in San Quentin for attempting
                  to burglarize a bar.
     

                      His three years spent surrounded by those cold, gray walls was to be his
                 rebirth. It was the experience that finally straightened him out and turned him
                 around. He was paroled in 1960. (It would be 1972 when California's
                 governor Ronald Reagan would grant him a full pardon.)

                      He and Leona had four children but he soon saw the end of his first marriage.

                      He had made his stage debut at the age of 15, sitting in on a performance by
                 his hero Lefty Frizzell. What an impression that must have made on young
                Merle. It wasn't until after San Quentin that Haggard joined up with a band
                playing rhythm guitar and bass. He started to sing in the honky-tonks in an area
                of Bakersfield known as "beer can hill."

                      It didn't take long for his life to see a definite turnaround. He was signed by
                Tally Records, owned by his friend Lewis Tally and was soon recorded singles
                in a garage studio behind Tally's house.

                     The first single was "Singing My Heart Out," it got some regional airplay on the
               West Coast. Then, just three years out of the penitentiary he broke into the top
               twenty of Billboards Hot 100 country chart with "Sing A Sad Song," his first
               hit.

                    His next singles, "(All My Friends Are Gonna Be)Strangers," "Swinging Doors"
               and "The Bottle Let Me Down" were top-ten hits. Merle's name was fast
               becoming a familiar fixture on the country music charts.

                    It was during this time of accomplishment that he married Bonnie Owens, also
               a Tally recording artist. His contract was sold to Capitol Records.

                   The sky became the limit when in 1966 "I'm A Lonesome Fugitive" became the
               number one song in America and he received the Top Male Vocalist of the
              Year award from the Academy of Country Music.

                  To tour and support his growing string of hit records he assembled a new band,
              The Strangers. They are eight-time winners of the ACM's Touring Band of the
              Year award and have twice won the Music City News equivalent.

                    It was 1968 that Capitol released "The Legend Of Bonnie and Clyde," which
               shot up all the trade charts to number one. The real surprise became the flip or
              "B" side to that single. Incredibly, with literally no promotion or direction from
               the label, the side entered Cash Box and Record World's charts and rose to
               #23 on Cash Box. The song was "Today I Started Loving You Again" and it
               became one of the most lucrative and important songs of his career.(It has been
               recorded by over 400 artists)

                    He would continue to have success on both sides of his 45's; "Silver Wings" the
               flip of "Workin' Man Blues" being another.

                    Then in 1969, with help from then band member Eddie Burris, he voiced his
               feelings through social commentary in the song "Okie From Muskogee." This
               number one record would have the biggest single impact on his career and
               would be his most controversial song. It was released during the time of our
               nations' greatest conflict over Viet Nam.

                     The end of the 70's saw the end of his association with Capitol and his
               marriage to Bonnie. (Bonnie and Merle are still friends, she continues to tour
               and sing in his band)

                      Hag signed with MCA in 1977 and the hits kept coming. Songs like "Think I'll
               Just Stay Here And Drink" and "Rainbow Stew."

                       In 1978 Merle Haggard married his third wife, who's also a singer, Leona
                Williams. Somewhere around this time he left Bakersfield and moved a little
                further out in the country to a 150 acre expanse on picturesque Lake Shasta.

                       It was 1981 that Hag signed with Epic Records and he added even more #1's
               to his growing discography including "Yesterday's Wine" the title song from his
               duet album recorded with George Jones. Also in `81 came the release of
               another duet LP, this one with Willie Nelson. The single "Poncho and Lefty"
                (written by Townes Van Zandt) soared to yet another #1.

                      About 1985 came the end of his marriage to Leona and a short time later he
                married Debbie Parret. That also ended in divorce. The marriage that seems to
                have stuck for him is the one with his current wife Theresa Ann Lane. They
                have two children Janessa and Bennie.

                       Merle Haggard signed with Curb Records in 1990.

                       It is impossible to over-estimate what Haggard has contributed to country
                music. His songs will live long after we are all gone from this earth. He has
               added much to the lyrical depth and musical sophistication of country music.

                      To do this he dug deep into his own emotional background, setting much of it
               to music. It is his songwriting that has made him the "bard of uncommon poems
               of the common working man."

                      To date over 40 of his singles have attained Number One status.

                      56 of his songs have received BMI awards (47 country, 9 pop)

                      Three songs have logged over a million plays ("Today I Started Loving You
               Again,""Okie From Muskogee" and "Big City."

                       He has released over 65 albums, nearly all charted in the major trades, 4
               certified gold.

                      Haggard has been nominated 42 times for CMA awards, more than any other
               male country entertainer.

                      He has 18 awards from the ACM, including Male Vocalist and Entertainer Of
               The Year. Eight from Cash Box, four from Record World and five from Music
               City News. He also received a Grammy Award in 1984 Best Male Country
               Vocal Performance ("That's The Way Love Goes").

                The Picture above was from his concert 1998.

Thank you Merle.
You're The Greatest.

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