Word: haggardly
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Workin' Man. Life was not always that kind of a joyride for Merle Haggard, even if trains did always seem to play an important part. He was born April 6, 1937, in Bakersfield in a converted refrigerator car less than 100 yards from a heavily used Southern Pacific railroad main line. His father, who had brought the family West after fire destroyed their farm in Checotah, Okla., was a $40-a-week yardman. This and other highlights in Haggard's life are easy to trace in his songs...
...Haggard ended up his stay in San Quentin as a model prisoner. He worked hard in the prison textile mill. "When I got out, they gave me $15 and a bus ticket home." Once back in Bakersfield, Merle dug ditches, and he sang...
Today the workin' man earns about $1 million annually. Haggard has an office, Hag. Inc., located across the street from the cemetery where his father is buried. But The Hag himself rarely is in the office. "As long as he's got a fishing boat and a pole, he couldn't care less about the business," says Bonnie. At home, Merle is a somewhat casual father of four children, but he is not at the mansion all that often either. "Maybe it's too fancy or something," says Bonnie. Whatever it is, Haggard tends to drop...
...Haggard well knows, a country singer must go forward, meeting and reflecting his public. Indeed, Haggard may still be belting it out in the 1990s, if the longevity of some of his older colleagues is any indication. Roy Acuff, dean of the Grand Ole Opry, is still going strong at 70. So are Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass, at 62, and Eddy Arnold, the Tennessee Plowboy, at 55. "Country music fans are the most loyal there is," says Haggard. Besides, the open road, the one-night gigs, meeting people-all these make a way of life that Haggard would...
Tanya Tucker, who is just 15, was anointed last month by her idol, Merle Haggard. Accompanied as always by her parents, brother and sister, she attended his Manhattan concert and went backstage first. It was the day before The Hag's birthday, so Tanya sang Happy Birthday into his ear. As a reward, Merle invited her onstage to sing her hit, Delta Dawn...