Merle Haggard: The Poet Of The Common Man

Born: April 6th 1937 - Oildale, California

Died: April 6th 2016 - Palo Cedro (Redding), California (Aged 79)

Years Active: 1963 - 2016

Merle Ronald Haggard was a legendary American country music singer, songwriter, and musician whose life and lyrics embodied the grit and grace of working-class America. Born in a converted boxcar in Oildale, California, to a family of displaced “Okies,” Haggard’s early years were marked by poverty, rebellion, and incarceration—including a stint in San Quentin Prison that shaped his worldview and artistry.

After his release, Haggard emerged from the honky-tonks of Bakersfield with a sound that fused twangy Telecasters and raw emotion, helping define the Bakersfield Sound alongside Buck Owens. His breakout hits—“Mama Tried,” “Sing Me Back Home,” and “Okie from Muskogee”—channeled personal hardship into national anthems of identity and pride.

Known for his deep respect for predecessors like Jimmie Rodgers and Lefty Frizzell, Haggard remained a touring force until his death from pneumonia on his 79th birthday in 2016. Over a five-decade career, Haggard recorded more than 70 albums and scored 38 No. 1 hits on the country charts. (The #1 songs listed below with BOLD TITLES were written or co-written by Merle Haggard)

Year #1 Song Title

1966 The Fugitive

1967 Branded Man

1967 Sing Me Back Home

1968 The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde

1968 Mama Tried

1969 Hungry Eyes

1969 Workin’ Man Blues

1969 Okie from Muskogee

1970 The Fightin’ Side of Me

1971 Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)

1971 Carolyn

1972 Grandma Harp

1972 It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad)

1972 I Wonder If They Ever Think of Me

1973 Everybody’s Had the Blues

1973 If We Make It Through December

1974 Old Man from the Mountain

1974 Things Aren’t Funny Anymore

1974 Kentucky Gambler

1975 Always Wanting You

1975 Movin’ On

1975 It’s All in the Movies

1976 The Roots of My Raising

1976 Cherokee Maiden

1980 Bar Room Buddies (With Clint Eastwood)

1980 I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink

1981 My Favorite Memory

1982 Big City

1982 Going Where the Lonely Go

1982 Yesterday’s Wine (with George Jones)

1983 You Take Me for Granted

1983 Pancho & Lefty (with Willie Nelson)

1984 That’s the Way Love Goes

1984 Someday When Things Are Good

1984 Let’s Chase Each Other Around the Room

1984 A Place to Fall Apart (with Janie Fricke)

1985 Natural High

1987 Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star

Awards, Accolades, and Recognitions

Country Music Hall Of Fame - Inducted (1994)

Kennedy Center Honors (2010)

BMI Icon Award (2006)

Songwriters Hall Of Fame (2007)

Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame (1977)

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2006)

Grammy Hall Of Fame Inductee - Mama Tried (1999)

California Hall Of Fame (2009)

California State University, Bakersfield - Honorary Degree

Country Music Association Awards

Entertainer Of The Year (1970)

Male Vocalist Of The Year (1970)

Single Of The Year - Okie From Muskogee (1970)

Album Of The Year - Okie From Muskogee (1970)

Album Of The Year - Let Me Tell You About A Song (1972)

Vocal Duo - With Willie Nelson (1983)

Academy Of Country Music Awards

Entertainer Of The Year (1971)

Song Of The Year - Okie From Muskogee (1970)

Album Of The Year - Okie From Muskogee (1970)

Merle Haggard released his first 45 rpm single "Singin' My Heart Out" (B/W "Skidrow") on Lewis Tally's record label in Bakersfield, California in 1962.

Before signing with Capitol Records in 1965, Merle released several other songs on the Tally label in 1963-1964.

Merle Haggard made his Capitol Records debut with the release of "Strangers" on September 27, 1965.

1. "(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers" 2:29

2. "Falling for You" 2:18

3. "Please Mr. D.J." 2:26

4. "You Don't Have Far to Go" 2:31

5. "Sing a Sad Song" 2:35

6. "Sam Hill" 2:28

7. "I'm Gonna Break Every Heart I can" 2:00

8. "You Don't Even Try" 2:17

9. "If I Had Left It Up to You" 2:24

10. "I'd Trade All of My Tomorrows

(For Just One Yesterday)" 2:31

11. "The Worst Is Yet to Come" 2:41

12. "Walking the Floor Over You" 1:45

Capitol Records released the duet album "Just Between the Two of Us" —featuring Bonnie Owens and The Strangers— on April 11, 1966.

"Just Between the Two of Us" 2:46
"A House Without Love is Not a Home" 2:18
"Slowly But Surely" 2:23
"Our Hearts Are Holding Hands" 2:24
"I Wanta Live Again" 2:08
"Forever and Ever" 2:07
"That Makes Two of Us" 2:05
"I'll Take a Chance on Loving You" 2:47
"Stranger in My Arms" 2:46
"Too Used to Being with You" 2:03
"So Much for Me, So Much for You" 3:00
"Wait a Little Longer, Please Jesus" 2:35

Merle's second studio album on Capitol Records label was "Swinging Doors And The Bottle Let Me Down" released on October 17th 1966.

"Swinging Doors" 2:51
"If I Could Be Him" 2:51
"The Longer You Wait" 2:18
"I'll Look Over You" 2:07
"I Can't Stand Me" 2:16
"The Girl Turned Ripe" 2:17
"The Bottle Let Me Down" 2:45
"No More You and Me" 2:18
"Somebody Else You've Known" 2:07
"High on a Hilltop" 2:58
"This Town's Not Big Enough" 2:43
"Shade Tree (Fix-It Man)" 2:20

On April 3rd 1967 his third Capitol Records studio album "I'm A Lonesome Fugitive" was released.

"I'm a Lonesome Fugitive" 2:56
"All of Me Belongs to You" 2:40
"House of Memories" 2:47
"Life in Prison" 3:02
"Whatever Happened to Me" 2:57
"Drink Up and Be Somebody" 2:30
"Someone Told My Story" 2:32
"If You Want to Be My Woman" 2:16
"Mary's Mine" 2:56
"Skid Row" 1:57
"My Rough and Rowdy Ways" 2:23
"Mixed Up Mess of a Heart" 2:06

"Branded Man / I Threw Away The Rose" was his fourth studio album released on Capitol Records, August 28th 1967.

1. "Branded Man" 3:07

2. "Loneliness Is Eating Me Alive" 2:35

3. "Don't Get Married" 2:30

4. "Somewhere Between" 3:06

5. "You Don't Have Very Far to Go" 2:19

6. "Gone Crazy" 2:03

7. "I Threw Away the Rose" 3:21

8. "My Hands Are Tied" 2:18

9. "Some of Us Never Learn" 2:41

10. "Long Black Limousine" 3:14

11. "Go Home" 2:35

12. "I Made the Prison Band" 2:29

On January 2nd 1968 Haggard's fifth studio album
(Capitol Records) was released - "Sing Me Back Home".

1. "Sing Me Back Home" 2:51

2. "Look Over Me" 2:58

3. "The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp" 3:00

4. "Wine Take Me Away" 2:48

5. "If You See My Baby" 2:32

6. "Where Does the Good Times Go" 2:06

7. "I'll Leave the Bottle on the Bar" 2:41

8. "My Past Is Present" 1:58

9. "Home Is Where a Kid Grows Up" 1:57

10. "Mom and Dad's Waltz" 2:27

11. "Good Times" 2:59

12. "Seeing Eye Dog" 2:41

"The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde" was the sixth studio album released on April 8th 1968.

1. "The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde" 2:04

2. "Is This the Beginning of the End?" 3:03

3. "Love Has a Mind of Its Own" 2:22

4. "The Train Never Stops (At Our Town)" 2:01

5. "Fool's Castle" 2:46

6. "Will You Visit Me on Sundays?" 2:50

7. "My Ramona" 3:00

8." I Started Loving You Again" 2:20

9. "Money Tree" 2:47

10. "You've Still Got a Place in My Heart" 2:30

11. "Because You Can't Be Mine" 2:42

"Mama Tried", Merle's seventh studio album was released on October 3rd 1968.

1. "Mama Tried" 2:12

2. "Green, Green Grass of Home" 3:14

3. "Little Ole Wine Drinker Me" 2:38

4. "In the Good Old Days

(When Times Were Bad)" 2:45

5. "I Could Have Gone Right" 2:33

6. "I'll Always Know" 2:22

7. "The Sunny Side of My Life" 2:11

8. "Teach Me to Forget" 2:24

9. "Folsom Prison Blues" 3:15

10. "Run 'Em Off" 2:47

11. "You'll Never Love Me Now" 2:51

12. "Too Many Bridges to Cross Over" 2:45

"Pride In What I Am" was the eighth studio album released by Merle Haggard on February 3rd 1969.

"I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am"
"Who'll Buy the Wine"
"The Day the Rains Came"
"It Meant Goodbye to Me (When You Said Hello to Him)"
"I Can't Hold Myself in Line"
"I'm Bringin' Home Good News"
"Keep Me from Cryin' Today"
"I Just Want to Look at You One More Time"
"Somewhere on Skid Row"
"I'm Free"
"California Blues (Blue Yodel No. 4)"
"I Think We're Livin' in the Good Old Days"