Some people sing about hard times, prison, and poverty, but have no personal experience of them. Merle Haggard was nine years old when he father died, and soon turned to music. His talent was evident, but he had multiple arrests as a juvenile, and as an adult served time in California's San Quentin Prison, where he heard a Johnny Cash concert in 1958.
Because of all this, there was an authenticity about Merle. As a teenager caught up in the sixties, I as amazed at songs like "Okie from Muskogee" and "The Fightin' Side of Me,", but was enthralled by "Mam Tried". There was something about the music that drew me all the same. One of the earliest Outlaws of Country Music, he did his things.
Nor did he forget his roots, or try to run away from them. He personified the best of America, and had a sense of fairness. Here is a link about some comments he made defending President Obama:
http://tasteofcountry.com/merle-haggard-president-obama/
And here is a link of "Mama Tried", which arguably has the best refrain of all time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKuc4nfJByc
He belongs on a postage stamp!
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