Merle Haggard Information

The man who popularized electric guitar on the country scene had a bumpy start. Merle Haggard was in and out of trouble since the death of his father when he was 9 years old. Eventually he graduated to assault and robbery, was sentenced to 15 years in San Quentin Prison but was released early. His brother had given him a guitar at the age of 12 and he taught himself to play. Merle Haggard dabbled in music in his late teens but it was sidelined with his prison sentence. When Johnny Cash performed at the prison he inspired Haggard to pursue singing. A solitary confinement stint spent on death row helped convince him to straighten up his life.

Merle Haggard became one of the early innovators of the "Bakersfield Sound." The themes in his music – jail, betrayal, drinking and wandering – include a directness that reflects his own life experience. He scored a long string of successful songs in the 1960s and 1970s. Many of his songs have been covered by other artists. In 1977 Haggard was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Haggard's last No. 1 hit was "Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star" from his smash album Chill Factor in 1988. Merle Haggard continues to record; his latest release, Chicago Wind, came out in 2005.

Merle Haggard has earned multiple awards during his more than 40 years in music, including Grammys, Country Music Awards an Academy of Country Music Awards.

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