Merle Haggard lived quite the life.
From a life of crime that ultimately landed him in San Quentin State Prison, where he was inspired to pursue a country music career after seeing Johnny Cash perform a live show there, to becoming one of the greatest artists the country world has ever seen, you could argue that Merle’s trials and tribulations ended up being one of his biggest blessings.
And we’re going to get to read all about it…
There’s a brand new biography on the way about the legend himself, titled The Hag: Life, Times, and Music of Merle Haggard.
Written by New York Times best selling author Marc Eliot, the book is an in-depth dive to the life of Merle, based off of extensive research and anecdotes, with information delivered to him by Dwight Yoakum, Marty Stuart, Merle’s best friend Frank Mull, members of his band “The Strangers,” and the man who discovered Merle, Fuzzy Owens.
“The book celebrates the accomplishments and explores the singer’s infamous dark side: the self-created turmoil that expressed itself through drugs, women, booze, and betrayal.
His story is at once heroic, triumphant, and tragic, with emotional highs and lows – five marriages, wealth, fame, poverty, and addiction – that he rode up until his death in 2016.”
Eliot has also penned biographies in Clint Eastwood, Cary Grant, and The Eagles.
The Hag: Life, Times, and Music of Merle Haggard is set to hit shelves on January 18th.
Cue it up one more time:
