The Boomer REport - Music Fun Facts

Merle Haggard - 10 Fun Facts

1. He was born in a boxcar – Merle was born in 1937 inside a converted boxcar his family lived in near Oildale, California, during the Great Depression.
2. He escaped from jail 17 times – As a troubled youth, Haggard was in and out of juvenile detention and escaped from custody multiple times before landing in San Quentin Prison.
3. Johnny Cash inspired him from behind bars – Merle saw Cash perform live at San Quentin Prison in 1958 while serving time. The performance changed his life and inspired him to pursue music seriously.
4. He didn’t get a pardon until 1972 – Despite his fame, Merle wasn’t officially pardoned for his crimes until California Governor Ronald Reagan signed it more than a decade later.
5. He had a photographic memory for lyrics – Haggard could perform hundreds of songs without a teleprompter, rarely forgetting a line.
6. He wrote and recorded more than 600 songs – Including over 100 that charted, with 38 No. 1 country hits
7. He rejected his most famous song at first – Merle didn’t want to record Okie from Muskogee, saying it was just a joke between him and his band about small-town values. It became a defining anthem.
8. He built a replica of his childhood home – On his ranch in Northern California, Merle recreated the boxcar house he grew up in as a tribute to his parents and humble roots.
9. He played fiddle, guitar, and mandolin – Though best known for his vocals and guitar work, Haggard was a multi-instrumentalist and even played fiddle on several albums under pseudonyms.
10. He died on his birthday – Haggard passed away on April 6, 2016, his 79th birthday. According to his son Ben, he predicted he would die on that day.