“Mama Tried” is the song country legend Merle Haggard is best known for and it’s actually a semi-autobiographical one. At the age of nine years old Haggard’s father died of a brain hemorrhage, a moment that had a materical impact on the young Haggard. With the absence of a father figure in his life Haggard ended up on the wrong side of the law multiple times throughout his life, spending time in juvenile detention centers and then eventually being locked up in San Quentin State Prison all before the age of 21 years old. During his time at San Quentin he was busted for running an illegal beer brewing and gambling racket, which got him thrown into solitary confinement. It was there he met the man that changed his life– Caryl “Rabbit” Chessman, a fellow inmate and a member of death row. Those conversations with Chessman inspired Haggard to turn his life around, keeping a steady job at the prison textile plant and playing in the prison’s country music band. He was released two years into his 15-year sentence on parole.
And the rest is history. A reinvigorated Haggard dedicated himself to music and went on to become one of the most instrumental country music pioneers of the 1960’s. His brand of traditional country that incorporated elements of his own rough and tumble personal life into the lyrics (like the aforementioned “Mama Tried”) connected him with working class fans across the country and helped to form the early genesis of the outlaw country movement that would define the next decade in country.
As a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Haggard’s place in country music is undeniable. But perhaps no better example of his lasting impact can be found by counting the sheer amount of times he is mentioned by name in other country music songs. From his generational peers Hank Williams Jr., George Jones and David Allen Coe to contemporary artists like Eric Church, Jake Owen, and Florida Georgia Line, Haggard’s name has been consistently referenced over the past sixty years. And that’s probably the greatest honor of all.
Standout Songs: “Mama Tried”, “Little Ole Wine Drinker Me”, “I’ll Always Know”
Matthew. 