Merle Haggard

No, I... Very best, I... I counted on extra money, as I was saying, you know, like, you know, maybe a hobby. You know, I figured I was going to have to have some of the means of employment, you know, support.

Well, I... When I came out of the penitentiary, I went to work for my brother digging ditches and wiring houses. He had an electrical company, Hag Electric. And he was paying me $80 a week. This was 1960. And I was working eight hours a day there. And I got me a little gig playing guitar four nights a week for $10 a night. And...

Well, I... When I came out of the penitentiary, I went to work for my brother digging ditches and wiring houses. He had an electrical company, Hag Electric. And he was paying me $80 a week. This was 1960. And I was working eight hours a day there. And I got me a little gig playing guitar four nights a week for $10 a night. And...

Well, I... When I came out of the penitentiary, I went to work for my brother digging ditches and wiring houses. He had an electrical company, Hag Electric. And he was paying me $80 a week. This was 1960. And I was working eight hours a day there. And I got me a little gig playing guitar four nights a week for $10 a night. And...

There was a little radio show that we had to broadcast from this little nightclub called High Pockets. And it just all started from that. Some people that had... That was local stars around heard me on this radio program and came down and offered me a better job in town. And...

There was a little radio show that we had to broadcast from this little nightclub called High Pockets. And it just all started from that. Some people that had... That was local stars around heard me on this radio program and came down and offered me a better job in town. And...

There was a little radio show that we had to broadcast from this little nightclub called High Pockets. And it just all started from that. Some people that had... That was local stars around heard me on this radio program and came down and offered me a better job in town. And...

It wasn't just a matter of weeks until I was part of the main clique in Bakersfield, and it was hard to get in that clique. There was a lot of people like Buck Owens, and there was people that were really good and proved how good they were later on with their success. Bakersfield was some sort of a... I don't know, it was like...

It wasn't just a matter of weeks until I was part of the main clique in Bakersfield, and it was hard to get in that clique. There was a lot of people like Buck Owens, and there was people that were really good and proved how good they were later on with their success. Bakersfield was some sort of a... I don't know, it was like...

It wasn't just a matter of weeks until I was part of the main clique in Bakersfield, and it was hard to get in that clique. There was a lot of people like Buck Owens, and there was people that were really good and proved how good they were later on with their success. Bakersfield was some sort of a... I don't know, it was like...

country music artists found their way to Bakersfield and had their success out of there. I don't understand why, actually. It may be because of the migration that took place in the 30s or whatever. There was a lot of people that came out there from Oklahoma and Arkansas and Texas that had a lot of soul. And this thing we call...

country music artists found their way to Bakersfield and had their success out of there. I don't understand why, actually. It may be because of the migration that took place in the 30s or whatever. There was a lot of people that came out there from Oklahoma and Arkansas and Texas that had a lot of soul. And this thing we call...

country music artists found their way to Bakersfield and had their success out of there. I don't understand why, actually. It may be because of the migration that took place in the 30s or whatever. There was a lot of people that came out there from Oklahoma and Arkansas and Texas that had a lot of soul. And this thing we call...

country music kind of came out of those hockey talks, you know, and some of the same area that a lot of other things came out of.

country music kind of came out of those hockey talks, you know, and some of the same area that a lot of other things came out of.

country music kind of came out of those hockey talks, you know, and some of the same area that a lot of other things came out of.

Well, you know, a lot of people may or may not understand how hard it is for a person coming out of an institution, you know, whether it be a prison or whether it be a some sort of a mental institution, whether it be the Army or whatever.

Well, you know, a lot of people may or may not understand how hard it is for a person coming out of an institution, you know, whether it be a prison or whether it be a some sort of a mental institution, whether it be the Army or whatever.

Well, you know, a lot of people may or may not understand how hard it is for a person coming out of an institution, you know, whether it be a prison or whether it be a some sort of a mental institution, whether it be the Army or whatever.

There's a thing that happens, like when you leave the penitentiary and you've been there for three years, you have friends and you have a way of life and you have a routine and a whole way of life that you just give up all of a sudden. One day you're there and the next day you're not there and you don't have any more friends