51 years ago today…
51 years ago today, the great Merle Haggard stepped into the vocal booth at Capitol Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, to record one of the biggest hits of his entire career.
The lead single (and title track) from his 1970 live album of the same name, “The Fightin’ Side Of Me,” was released on January 26th, 1970, eventually becoming his 9th career number one single.
The song would go on to be nominated for a CMA Award for Song of the Year that year, losing out to Haggard’s own “Okie From Muskogee,” and Merle also took home Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist, and Album of the Year in 1970 as well.
And the rest is history.
