Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country and Western songwriter, singer, guitarist, fiddler, and instrumentalist. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster
and the unique mix with the traditional country steel guitar sound, new
vocal harmony styles in which the words are minimal, and a rough edge
not heard on the more polished Nashville sound recordings of the same era.
By the 1970s, Haggard was aligned with the growing outlaw country
movement, and he continued to release successful albums through the
1990s and into the 2000s. In 1994, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1997, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
Songs, he created:
"Someday We'll Look Back",
"Someday We'll Look Back",
"Grandma Harp",
"Always Wanting You", and
In the news:
TMZ: Merle Haggard dead
