Merle Haggard

Biography

Merle Haggard was a country music pioneer and central figure of the Bakersfield sound. With a career spanning over five decades, he achieved 38 number-one hits on the US country charts, tackling themes from the working class with songs like "Okie From Muskogee" and "The Fightin' Side of Me". Haggard's rise to fame was marked by overcoming a troubled childhood and time in prison.