Merle Haggard
Singer, Songwriter & Instrumentalist
Birthdate: Apr 06, 1937
High School: Highland High School
Yearbooks: 1976
Yearbook photos of Merle Haggard from Highland High School
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. Having grown up in California, he had ties to his community, even sponsoring the 1976 Highland High School yearbook. Haggard, a country musician, was instrumental in helping to create the “Bakersfield sound” (a rougher-edged style of country music that ran counter to the highly polished Nashville sound of the time) in the 1950s. With a career that spanned six decades, he ended up as a prolific and much-honored talent. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 1994. Haggard was recording until just months before his death, with his last song (“Kern River Blues”) being released to the public in May of 2016.
Awards (partial list):
- Academy of Country Music award for Most Promising Male Vocalist. 1965
- Academy of Country Music award for Entertainer of the Year. 1970
- Country Music Association award for Album of the Year for Okie from Muskogee. 1970
- Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male for “That’s The Way Love Goes.” 1984
- Grammy Hall of Fame Award for “Mama Tried.” 1999
- Academy of Country Music Triple Crown Award. 2005
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. 2006
- Kennedy Center Honors Award. 2010
Source: Wikipedia
