Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard (1937-2016) was the voice of the Bakersfield Sound — a harder, more electric alternative to the polished Nashville Sound, rooted in the honky-tonks and labor camps of California's Central Valley. Born in Oildale, California to Dust Bowl Okies, Haggard spent time in San Quentin State Prison before turning to music full-time after being inspired by a Johnny Cash prison concert. His songs — Mama Tried, Okie from Muskogee, Working Man Blues, The Fightin' Side of Me — spoke directly to working-class America. He played a 1953 Fender Telecaster throughout most of his career alongside various other Telecasters and semi-hollow guitars. His band the Strangers, anchored by steel guitarist Norm Hamlet, set the standard for country road bands.