Merle Haggard Biography

Fast Facts

• His signature song, "Okie from Muskogee," about patriotism and traditional values during the 1960s, became a number one hit
• Was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994
• Won the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award for "Okie from Muskogee" in 1970
• Recorded 250 original songs, including 38 number one hits, and is one of the most covered artists in country music
• First signed with the label Tally Records in 1962, where he recorded his debut single "Sing a Sad Song․"
• As a teenager he developed a criminal record that meant he visited many reform facilities and county jails, in between which he played guitar at local bars
• Spent time in San Quentin prison from 1958 to 1960 on a burglary charge, playing in the prison's country band and taking high school equivalency courses while he was there
• Quote: "Going to prison has one of a few effects․ It can make you worse, or it can make you understand and appreciate freedom․ I learned to appreciate freedom when I didn't have any․"
• Best known as a country music singer and is considered a legend in the genre
• Formed his own backing band, the Strangers, in 1965 and signed with Capitol Records that year, later releasing the hit singles "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive" and "Branded Man․"