Merle Haggard
Okie from Muskogee
Merle Haggard was an American country music singer and songwriter whose work defined the Bakersfield sound—a rawer, harder-edged alternative to the polished Nashville style.
His songs often drew from working-class life and personal experience, including his time in San Quentin prison.
Okie from Muskogee and Mama Tried remain country standards.
He recorded dozens of albums between the 1960s and his death in 2016.
Sharp vibrating sound
- honky-tonkRough country music venue
- NashvilleTennessee's largest city
- fiddleAdjust restlessly; folk violin
- steel guitarSlide-played stringed instrument
Grand Ole Opry · western swing · ballad · dobro · country western · roadhouse · jukebox · heartache
Vocal music performer
- songwriterOne who composes music
- guitaristOne who plays six strings
- vocalistOne who sings professionally
- performerOne who entertains audiences
baritone · troubadour · poet · artist · The Strangers · bandleader · entertainer · recording artist
Deserter of a cause
- rebelAuthority defier
- anti-establishmentOpposing dominant institutions
- fugitiveOne fleeing authorities
- San QuentinCalifornia state correctional facility
prison · ex-con · gritty · defiant · outcast · maverick · raw · authentic
Devotion to one's homeland
- working classManual laborers collectively
- heartbreakCrushing emotional pain
- prisonConfinement for offenders
- ramblingLong-winded and unfocused
drinking · nostalgia · small-town America · hard times · redemption · regret · loneliness · love
twang
Sharp vibrating sound
- honky-tonkRough country music venue
- NashvilleTennessee's largest city
- fiddleAdjust restlessly; folk violin
steel guitar · Grand Ole Opry · western swing · ballad · dobro · country western · roadhouse · jukebox · heartache · storytelling
singer
Vocal music performer
- songwriterOne who composes music
- guitaristOne who plays six strings
- vocalistOne who sings professionally
performer · baritone · troubadour · poet · artist · The Strangers · bandleader · entertainer · recording artist · touring
renegade
Deserter of a cause
- rebelAuthority defier
- anti-establishmentOpposing dominant institutions
- fugitiveOne fleeing authorities
San Quentin · prison · ex-con · gritty · defiant · outcast · maverick · raw · authentic · blue-collar
patriotism
Devotion to one's homeland
- working classManual laborers collectively
- heartbreakCrushing emotional pain
- prisonConfinement for offenders
rambling · drinking · nostalgia · small-town America · hard times · redemption · regret · loneliness · love · labor
Merle HaggardDavid Bowie
Starman glam rocker
Lou Reed · Patti Smith · Frank Zappa · Madonna · Kanye West
Merle HaggardJoan Baez
Pete Seeger · counterculture · Bob Dylan · Woody Guthrie · Jane Fonda
Merle HaggardLeonard Bernstein
Stephen Sondheim · Cole Porter · Paul Simon · Joni Mitchell · James Taylor