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Merle Ronald Haggard (born April 6, 1937) is an American country and Western song writer, singer, guitarist, fiddler, and instrumentalist.
Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster and the unique mix with the traditional country steel guitar sound, new vocal harmony styles in which the words are minimal, and a rough edge not heard on the more polished Nashville Sound recordings of the same era.By the 1970s, Haggard was aligned with the growing outlaw country movement, and has continued to release successful albums through the 1990s and into the 2000s.
In 1994, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
In 1997, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.Wives and childrenHaggard has been married five times, first to Leona Hobbs from 1956 to 1964.
They had four children: Dana, Marty, Kelli, Noel.
They divorced, and in 1965 he married singer Bonnie Owens, former wife of Buck Owens, and a successful country singer at the time.
Haggard has credited her with helping him make his big break as a country artist.
Haggard shared the writing credit with Owens for his hit "Today I Started Loving You Again", and has acknowledged, including on stage, that the song was about a sudden burst of special feelings he experienced for her while they were touring together.
She also helped care for Haggard's children from his first wife and was the maid of honor for Haggard's third marriage.
Haggard and Owens divorced in 1978.
In 1978 Haggard married Leona Williams; they divorced in 1983.
In 1985 Haggard married Debbie Parret, but they divorced in 1991.
He married his current wife, Theresa Ann Lane, on September 11, 1993.
They have two children, Jenessa and Ben.HealthHaggard has said he started smoking marijuana when he was 41 years old.
He admitted that in 1983 he bought "$2,000 (worth) of cocaine" and partied for five days afterward, when he says he finally realized his condition and quit for good.
He quit smoking cigarettes in 1991, and stopped smoking marijuana in 1995.Haggard underwent angioplasty in 1995 to unblock clogged arteries.
On November 9, 2008, it was announced that Haggard had been diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer in May of that year and underwent surgery on November 3, during which part of his lung was removed.
Haggard returned home on November 8.
Less than two months after his cancer surgery, Haggard played two shows on January 2 and 3, 2009, in Bakersfield at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, and continues to tour and record.LegacyOn December 19, 2006, the Kern County Board of Supervisors approved a citizen-led resolution to rename a portion of 7th Standard Road in Oildale as Merle Haggard Drive, which will stretch from North Chester Avenue west to U.S.
Route 99.
The first street travelers will turn onto when they leave the new airport terminal will be Merle Haggard Drive.In 2006, Haggard was honored as a BMI Icon at the 54th annual BMI Pop Awards.
During his songwriting career, Haggard has earned 48 BMI Country Awards, nine BMI Pop Awards, a BMI R&B Award, and 16 BMI "Million-Air" awards, all from a catalog of songs that adds up to over 25 million performances.Merle Haggard accepted the prestigious award for lifetime achievement and "outstanding contribution to American culture" from the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 4, 2010.
At a December 5, 2010 gala in Washington, D.C.
he was honored with musical performances by Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, Kid Rock, Miranda Lambert and Brad Paisley.
This tribute was featured on the December 28, 2010 CBS telecast of the Kennedy Center Honors.
On June 14, 2013, the California State University, Bakersfield, honored Merle Haggard for his contributions to the arts with the honorary degree, Doctor of Fine Arts.
Haggard stepped to the podium and said, "Thank you.
It's nice to be noticed." On January 26th, 2014, Haggard performed his 1969 song "Okie from Muskogee" at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards along with Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Blake SheltonGary Keck, a chemistry professor at the University of Utah and an ardent fan of Haggard, introduced a series of chemical analogues of a biologically active natural product called bryostatin 1 to honor his idol's legacy.InfluenceHaggard's guitar playing and voice gives his country a hard-edged, blues-like style in many cuts.
Although he has been outspoken in his dislike for modern country music, he has praised George Strait, Toby Keith and Alan Jackson.
Keith has singled Haggard as a major influence on his career.
The Youngbloods responded to "Okie from Muskogee" with "Hippie from Olema", in which, in one repetition of the chorus, they change the line "We still take in strangers if they're ragged" to "We still take in strangers if they're haggard".
Nick Gravenites, of Big Brother and the Holding Company, paid Haggard a tongue-in-cheek tribute with the song, "I'll Change Your Flat Tire, Merle," later covered by other artists including Pure Prairie League.
The Dixie Chicks paid tribute by recording Darrell Scott's song "Long Time Gone", which criticizes Nashville trends: "We listen to the radio to hear what's cookin’/But the music ain't got no soul/ Now they sound tired but they don’t sound Haggard," with the following lines mentioning Johnny Cash and Hank Williams in the same vein.
Collin Raye paid him tribute with the song "My Kind of Girl", when he sang "How 'bout some music/She said have you got any Merle/That's when I knew she was my kind of girl." In 2000, Jackson and Strait sang "Murder on Music Row," which criticizes mainstream country trends: "The Hag wouldn't have a chance on today's radio/Because they committed murder down on music row." In 2005, the country rock duo Brooks & Dunn sang "Just Another Neon Night" off their Hillbilly Deluxe album.
In the song Ronnie Dunn said "He's got an Eastwood grin and a too early swagger/Hollerin' turn off that rap/And play me some Haggard".
Brooks & Dunn also reference Haggard in 1993's "Rock My World (little country girl)" off their Hard Workin' Man Album as they sing "Acts like Madonna but she listens to Merle/Rock my world little country girl." Red Simpson also mentions Merle and Buck Owens in his 1971 song "Hello, I'm a Truck".
The last line in the song goes, "Well, I know what he's gonna do now/Take out that tape cartridge of Buck Owens and play it again/I dunno why he don't get a Merle Haggard Tape."In 2005, Shooter Jennings mentioned him in the title track of his album Put the "O" Back in Country and later mentioned him in 2007 in his song "Concrete Cowboys." In 2006, Hank Williams III included Haggard as well as other country icons in the song "Country Heroes".
Steve Goodman mentioned him, humorously but respectfully, in the song "You Never Even Called Me by My Name" (which he either co-wrote or did not co-write with John Prine).
George Jones recorded two albums with him (Merle) and mentions "The Okie from Muskogee" in his song "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes".
Lynyrd Skynyrd's song, "Railroad Song", references Haggard, "Well I'm a ride this train Lord until I find out/What Jimmie Rodgers and the Hag was all about".
They also performed both a cover of "Honky Tonk Night Time Man" as well as their own take on the song with "Jacksonville Kid" (found on the 2001 CD reissue of the album) on the album, Street Survivors.In 2006, Haggard was back on the charts in a duet with Gretchen Wilson, "Politically Uncorrect".
He is also featured on "Pledge Allegiance to the Hag" on Eric Church's debut album.On June 14, 2013, Merle Haggard was presented an honorary doctorate by California State University, Bakersfield.
The doctor of fine arts honor, the first in CSUB's history, was conferred during School of Arts & Humanities commencement ceremonies.Haggard performed his 1968 song Okie from Muskogee at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards on January 26th, 2014 with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Blake Shelton.Haggard has also greatly influenced the Carolina-born, Texas-raised indie Americana crooner Cryin' D.T Buffkin with his inclusion of jazz and rock 'n' roll elements into his music.