 Merle Haggard In listening to Merle Haggard's uncanny craftsmanship, one quickly recognizes that this is a consummate troubadour who could have carved his niche as either a songwriter, a musician or a singer, so gifted was he in all those areas. Instead he chose to expand and hone his talents in many dimensions simultaneously, developing his name as the quintessential country artiste, rural America's Renaissance man, whose caliber will long provide a standard for all country artists who follow. Although Haggard had made his stage debut at 15, sitting in on a Lefty Frizzell performance, it wasn't until after San Quentin that Merle joined a band as rhythm/bass guitarist and began to sing in the clubs and the dives of the infamous "beer can hill" area of Bakersfield. In one brief stretch his life took a major turnaround. He was signed by Tally Records, owned by close friend Lewis Tally, and began cutting singles in a garage behind Tally's house. His first single was "Singing My Heart Out," which received some regional airplay on the West Coast, but it was in 1963 that he eventually broke into the top 20 of Billboard's country charts with his first national hit, "Sing A Sad Song." Since then the country charts have been his second home. His next few singles "(All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers," "Swinging Doors," and "The Bottle Let Me Down" all landed within the top 10. In 1966 he entered the Number One spot for the first time with "I'm A Lonesome Fugitive," and he won his first Top Male Vocalist of the Year award from the Academy of Country Music. As a singer, Merle openly admits to "borrowing" the stylings of his idols, Lefty Frizzell, Bob Wills and Jimmie Rodgers, in his early years, and speaks of such beyond the genre influences upon his music as Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Still, it's his own charismatic individuality; along with those rich vocal textures that so well express the heart and soul of Haggard that has always come shining through. In addition to his vocal performance, he has also spent a great deal of time perfecting his instrumental skills. Over the years he has also developed into a remarkable lead guitarist, as well as a proficient fiddle player, both skills being woven into the fabric of his live performances. What he has added to the archives of country music as a songwriter, however, will live on far beyond the prestigious accomplishments of the flesh and bones performer.
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