Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American countr… Read Full Bio ↴Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, during the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled after the death of his father, and he was incarcerated several times in his youth. After being released from San Quentin State Prison in 1960, he managed to turn his life around and launch a successful country music career. He gained popularity with his songs about the working class that occasionally contained themes contrary to the prevailing anti-Vietnam War sentiment of much popular music of the time. Between the 1960s and the 1980s, he had 38 number-one hits on the US country charts, several of which also made the Billboard all-genre singles chart. Haggard continued to release successful albums into the 2000s.
He received many honors and awards for his music, including a Kennedy Center Honor (2010), a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2006), a BMI Icon Award (2006), and induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1977), Country Music Hall of Fame (1994) and Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame (1997). He died on April 6, 2016 — his 79th birthday — at his ranch in Shasta County, California, having recently suffered from double pneumonia.
Haggard's last recording, a song called "Kern River Blues", described his departure from Bakersfield in the late 1970s and his displeasure with politicians. The song was recorded February 9, 2016, and features his son Ben on guitar. This record was released on May 12, 2016.
Haggard endorsed Fender guitars and had a Custom Artist signature model Telecaster. The guitar is a modified Telecaster Thinline with laminated top of figured maple, set neck with deep carved heel, birdseye maple fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets, ivoroid pickguard and binding, gold hardware, abalone Tuff Dog Tele peghead inlay, 2-Colour Sunburst finish, and a pair of Fender Texas Special Tele single-coil pickups with custom-wired 4-way pickup switching. He also played six-string acoustic models. In 2001, C. F. Martin & Company introduced a limited edition Merle Haggard Signature Edition 000-28SMH acoustic guitar available with or without factory-installed electronics.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, during the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled after the death of his father, and he was incarcerated several times in his youth. After being released from San Quentin State Prison in 1960, he managed to turn his life around and launch a successful country music career. He gained popularity with his songs about the working class that occasionally contained themes contrary to the prevailing anti-Vietnam War sentiment of much popular music of the time. Between the 1960s and the 1980s, he had 38 number-one hits on the US country charts, several of which also made the Billboard all-genre singles chart. Haggard continued to release successful albums into the 2000s.
He received many honors and awards for his music, including a Kennedy Center Honor (2010), a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2006), a BMI Icon Award (2006), and induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1977), Country Music Hall of Fame (1994) and Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame (1997). He died on April 6, 2016 — his 79th birthday — at his ranch in Shasta County, California, having recently suffered from double pneumonia.
Haggard's last recording, a song called "Kern River Blues", described his departure from Bakersfield in the late 1970s and his displeasure with politicians. The song was recorded February 9, 2016, and features his son Ben on guitar. This record was released on May 12, 2016.
Haggard endorsed Fender guitars and had a Custom Artist signature model Telecaster. The guitar is a modified Telecaster Thinline with laminated top of figured maple, set neck with deep carved heel, birdseye maple fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets, ivoroid pickguard and binding, gold hardware, abalone Tuff Dog Tele peghead inlay, 2-Colour Sunburst finish, and a pair of Fender Texas Special Tele single-coil pickups with custom-wired 4-way pickup switching. He also played six-string acoustic models. In 2001, C. F. Martin & Company introduced a limited edition Merle Haggard Signature Edition 000-28SMH acoustic guitar available with or without factory-installed electronics.
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Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard Lyrics
Big City I'm tired of this dirty old city And tired of…
Branded Man I'd like to hold my head up and be proud…
Honky Tonk Night Time Man I'm a honky-tonk nighttime man I can't stand no light I'm a…
Hungry Eyes A canvas-covered cabin in a crowded labour camp Stand out…
I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am Things I learned in a hobo jungle Were things they never…
I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink Could be holding you tonight Could quit doing wrong, start d…
I'm Bringing Home Good News Yeah I'm bringin' home some good news Got some things…
I'm Leaving Now Hold on honey I'd like to say I'm busting out and…
If We Make It Through December If we make it through December Everything's gonna be all rig…
Living With The Shades Pulled Down I fell in love with a working girl, Lord she…
Mama Tried The first thing I remember knowin' Was a lonesome whistle bl…
Okie from Muskogee Well, me and Roy Nichols and couple other fellows in…
Old Man From the Mountain The old man from the mountain's comin' home, home, home Thou…
Pancho and Lefty Living on the road my friend Was gonna keep you free…
Runaway Mama She's my run away mama Always chasing other men She's my…
She Ain't Hooked On Me No More I gave up on cigarettes 'Til today I ain't touched one…
Silver Wings Silver wings Shining in the sunlight Roaring engines Headed …
Sing Me Back Home The warden led a prisoner down the hallway to his…
Someday We'll Look Back Someday when our dream world finds us And these hard…
That's The News Suddenly it's over, the war is fin'lly done. Soldiers in the…
The Bottle Let Me Down Each night I leave the bar room when it's over Not…
The Fightin' Side of Me I hear people talkin' bad, About the way they have to…
The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde Bonnie was a waitress in a small cafe Clyde Barrow was…
Things Aren't Funny Anymore We used to laugh a lot We never cried But things are…
Today I Started Loving You Again Today I started lovin' you again And I'm right back where…
Workin' Man Blues It's a big job gettin' by with nine kids and…
Jimmy Ray
on Carryin' Fire
I'm a co-writer on this song and the lyrics are not quite right here. Instead of the word high it should be higher. The last verse is A moth slowly circles the flickering candle, the fire is all it can see...