Merle Haggard

Yeah, that was the basic reason, I think, that these... Friends of mine talked me out of going on that escape. They felt that I had talent, and they felt that I was just an ornery kid and could probably make something out of my life. Believe it or not, in the penitentiary, there's some pretty nice people and very unfortunate people.

Yeah, that was the basic reason, I think, that these... Friends of mine talked me out of going on that escape. They felt that I had talent, and they felt that I was just an ornery kid and could probably make something out of my life. Believe it or not, in the penitentiary, there's some pretty nice people and very unfortunate people.

And they love to let somebody, so to speak, get up on their shoulders. They like to boost somebody over the wall if they can. If they can't make it themselves, they, I think, sincerely love to see someone else make it.

And they love to let somebody, so to speak, get up on their shoulders. They like to boost somebody over the wall if they can. If they can't make it themselves, they, I think, sincerely love to see someone else make it.

And they love to let somebody, so to speak, get up on their shoulders. They like to boost somebody over the wall if they can. If they can't make it themselves, they, I think, sincerely love to see someone else make it.

My first guitar?

My first guitar?

My first guitar?

I have an older brother named Lowell, and Lowell had a service station at the time, and there was a guy that came in and wanted a couple dollars worth of gas and didn't have no money, and he left a little Bronson, sort of a Stella Sears and Roebuck type guitar. And it was collateral, and he never did come back after it, and that old guitar sat in the

I have an older brother named Lowell, and Lowell had a service station at the time, and there was a guy that came in and wanted a couple dollars worth of gas and didn't have no money, and he left a little Bronson, sort of a Stella Sears and Roebuck type guitar. And it was collateral, and he never did come back after it, and that old guitar sat in the

I have an older brother named Lowell, and Lowell had a service station at the time, and there was a guy that came in and wanted a couple dollars worth of gas and didn't have no money, and he left a little Bronson, sort of a Stella Sears and Roebuck type guitar. And it was collateral, and he never did come back after it, and that old guitar sat in the

closet there for a couple of years and finally I think my mother showed me a couple of chords. My brother didn't know how to play and my dad had passed away. He was a musician in the family so mama showed me C chord that daddy showed her and she didn't know how to make C chord very good. But I took it from that and I beat around on that old Bronson, I think it was a Bronson guitar.

closet there for a couple of years and finally I think my mother showed me a couple of chords. My brother didn't know how to play and my dad had passed away. He was a musician in the family so mama showed me C chord that daddy showed her and she didn't know how to make C chord very good. But I took it from that and I beat around on that old Bronson, I think it was a Bronson guitar.

closet there for a couple of years and finally I think my mother showed me a couple of chords. My brother didn't know how to play and my dad had passed away. He was a musician in the family so mama showed me C chord that daddy showed her and she didn't know how to make C chord very good. But I took it from that and I beat around on that old Bronson, I think it was a Bronson guitar.

Well, about the same time that I discovered Jimmy Rogers, I was about 12 years old, I discovered Hank Williams. And I remember seeing on the yellow MGM records, there was the artist's name, and then there was another... name underneath that artist. It was small, very small letters, and it said composer, and I didn't know what a composer was. I asked my mother, I said, what does this mean?

Well, about the same time that I discovered Jimmy Rogers, I was about 12 years old, I discovered Hank Williams. And I remember seeing on the yellow MGM records, there was the artist's name, and then there was another... name underneath that artist. It was small, very small letters, and it said composer, and I didn't know what a composer was. I asked my mother, I said, what does this mean?

Well, about the same time that I discovered Jimmy Rogers, I was about 12 years old, I discovered Hank Williams. And I remember seeing on the yellow MGM records, there was the artist's name, and then there was another... name underneath that artist. It was small, very small letters, and it said composer, and I didn't know what a composer was. I asked my mother, I said, what does this mean?

She said, I don't know, and she called the record store, and they told her, that's the writer, that's the guy that writes the songs. And it seemed to me that it was very important to have your name in both places there. I noticed that Hank Williams had a little extra clout because he wrote his own songs.

She said, I don't know, and she called the record store, and they told her, that's the writer, that's the guy that writes the songs. And it seemed to me that it was very important to have your name in both places there. I noticed that Hank Williams had a little extra clout because he wrote his own songs.

She said, I don't know, and she called the record store, and they told her, that's the writer, that's the guy that writes the songs. And it seemed to me that it was very important to have your name in both places there. I noticed that Hank Williams had a little extra clout because he wrote his own songs.