Merle Haggard: The Greatest of the Giants in Country Music

Howdy, folks. Jeff Breault here, talking about one of the giants of country music.

When it comes to naming the ultimate artist throughout country music, it seems that both Billboard and Rolling Stone agree on one major name that virtually everyone who has ever loved country music will know: the late great Merle Haggard.

His Origins

Merle Haggard was born in California in 1937. California may not be the particular hotbed of country music that young people may imagine it to be compared to today’s country stars (whose origins usually spring forth from the Southern states), but Merle’s songwriting sprung from the Depression-era. His aspirations towards country music were inspired by the late Johnny Cash. Merle had been in and out of jail at the time. He had seen the country legend perform in prison, and was inspired to start anew once he turned 21.

His Beginning

I, Jeff Breault, am especially impressed with how he began his career. Now, he may have begun singing and playing in his hometown, but after building a sizable home-grown fan base, he made his way to brilliant Las Vegas, where he began to foster his music career. His first foray into recording was with the song “Sing a Sad Song” that made its way to #19 in the charts before he ultimately formed his own backing band and headed to Capitol Records. The band’s sophomore effort, Swinging Doors, hit #1 at the charts the next year, with their most successful single being “I’m A Lonesome Fugitive.”

The Illustrious Career

He released #1 singles consistently throughout the 1960s, including the controversial “Okie from Muskogee,” which crossed all the way to the pop charts, earning Merle the Country Music Association’s Single, Entertainer, and Top Male Vocalist of the year, with the album winning Album of the year.

His career simply continued to expand. Nearly 70 albums and 600 songs later, featuring some of the most famous names in country music which include Willie Nelson and George Jones, he was elected into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Country Music Hall of Fame. And I, Jeff Breault, am an honored fan.

Merle’s most inspirational act remains still his own rise from the bottom, all the way to the top of the charts. The boy who lived in a boxcar and was first inspired after a performance seen from prison had become a country music megastar in both songwriting and performance. He has inspired millions of country artists after him to stick to their guns, not be afraid to take risks between genres, and most of all, that anyone can achieve beyond their beginnings.