Merle Haggard - Midi Files - Backing Tracks - MIDISALE.COM

     Merle Ronald Haggard was an American country singer, songwriter, guitarist and fiddler whose work with his band the Strangers helped popularize the 'Bakersfield sound', minimal vocals mixed with a telecaster twang and a rough mix unheard of in the popular country music of the time.  Haggard was born on April 6, 1937 in Oildale, California and upon the death of his father lead a distressed adolescence. The future looked grim for a young Haggard who had been incarcerated for petty crimes several times before turning his life around through his music.  His style was relatable to the mass public, much of his material containing working-class references and political innuendo popular at the time.
     Throughout the 1960's to 1980's, Haggard released 38 number one hits in the US including the notable 'Okie from Muskogee' and 'The Fightin' Side of Me'.
During the 2000's Haggard would make a small but quality resurgence, releasing 'If I Could Only Fly' and 'Roots, vol. 1', the latter of which was recorded in Haggard's living room and would feature his longtime band mates the Strangers.  Haggard has been inducted into several halls of fame including the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, and was also the recipient of major awards such as the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and BMI Icon Award.  In late 2015, Haggard was diagnosed with pneumonia, which he would overcome once before the illness would eventually take him early the next year on the morning of April 6, 2016.
(Song Bios Copyright © 2016 J♯)