On New Years Day 1959 an inmate at San Quentin named Merle Haggard watched a live concert featuring Johnny Cash! Merle is quoted' as saying it "set a fire under him". After he was paroled in 1960 Merle started his music journey.

Please listen to him in his prime! He was amazing!

Merle has so much good music in his catalogue it is nearly impossible to pick a favorite. Welcome to the fold, you are starting to find the good stuff. As a singer songwriter he is one of if not the best.

Merle has so many beautiful songs. Silver Wings, today I started loving you again, All my Friends Are GonnaBe Strangers, Mama Tried. You can’t miss with Merle.

His son sings a beautiful version of this as well. Daddy Frank is another great song of his as well.

Merle Haggard is one the greatest story tellers ever,, so many to choose from..

Merle Haggerd is the blue collar workers singer..He is the writer of songs for the common man, the hard working man(woman)... He is not an establishment artist, he belonged to us...same with Willie, and they were very close friends..Listen to Poncho and Lefty, plus Working Man Blues.. My husband, a hard working man all his life, rough as nails, a cowboy, a Brickmason, a tough boss on the job, and most respected, and yet he cried that day Merle died, his heart was broke..The first time I rode in my husbands truck, Merle was in the cassette player..He is the biggest influence through music in my families lives..All my children know his music..

There is no bad Haggard song. And the voice.

I've heard this from Merle since the 1960's, but it just now struck me: this song is like a funeral performance. It is a musical farewell.

Absolutely one of the greatest country singers!! You have a deep rabbit hole if you listen from his younger years!!

Fell in love with this man at 4 years old. Still my favorite today. RIP MERLE HAGGARD WE WILL MISS YOU

He lived down the street from where I grew up, (which he had left by the time I was 5 of course), in Oildale, Ca. He lived in the boxcar his dad had converted into a house.

He was older here and still sounded great. But he did soo many great songs over decades of music- ICON- hag. Not a bad song done. He was in prison at times as a young man. But got it rite upon leaving the last time. Johny cash performed at the prison he was in. He voweled to never go bk. And became one of the most well known stars in country music. It will take you a while to learn all about -the hag-i grew up on his music for over 50 yrs now. Can not name a fav.. all just too good. Ck hom out.. you will be glad you did. Soo glad you found him. TALENT! Dan

This song came from a real life event. When Merle was in prison, he wanted to be a part of a breakout but a prisoner said he couldn't come along. He said that Merle had a chance after prison. The others did breakout and while out 1 killed a couple deputies. Of course he was caught again and sent back to prison after getting a death sentence. This man was the one who told Merle he couldn't go with them. One of his last requests was for Merle to sing him a song. This was all relayed during a concert by Marty Haggard, Merle's son. My favorite from Merle is not one of his hits. Try "the man who picked the wildwood flower". A testament to the street singers that never make it big.

Merle was my favorite country songwriter/singer. Listen to Mama Tried

In my opinion, in his prime, the greatest male country singer of all time!❤❤ I grew up listening to Merle. My dad loved his music. Seeing him live was on my bucket list. I finally took my dad and we saw Merle the year before he passed away. He was still amazing, and I will always be grateful for that night. His music touches my heart always and often moves me to tears. Thank you for this reaction.

Merle’s voice is so unique, he had such a rich, beautiful tone. His parents moved from OK to CA during the Dust Bowl, he was born there, in Bakersfield, but still had a ton of family back in OK, so we claim him as a native son. I actually had relatives who lived in Bakersfield for many years, before retiring and moving back to OK. Okie from Muskogee is a country anthem, check it out!

You should see him do singing impressions. I envy your journey into Merle, no joke.

Good reaction to a great song sung by a true legend

Okie From Muskogee is also a popular song of Merle’s. An Okie is a person from Oklahoma

Love, love, love Merle Haggard! His voice is like velvet

Merle was my grandma's absolute favorite country singer. Never hear him without thinking of her.

Merle Haggard is one of the true legends of country music. His career spanned 53 years. And, he is one of the few country music legends born and raised in CA. And, buried on his ranch in northern CA. I was lucky enough to see him in concert several times. So many great hits but my favorite is "Mama Tried" or anything with Willie Nelson.

Silver Wings, my friend. You’ve got to hear it. I fell in love with that song forty years ago. It is the best of the best from his catalogue.

Love this and also him singing “Silver Wings”. Lovin your reactions to country. Great reaction

It is amazing how good he still sounded at that age. You will really enjoy almost anything he sings, especially his recordings from when he was younger.

OMG! You couldn’t have picked a greater OG! Thanks Jeremy. What an awesome pick! Merle has inspired so many greats. Miss him so much! Your music will never die Hag! ♥️

Just remember that u have to listen to Merle Haggard live!!! Always the best musicians and sound

Now You’re On It!!! The Hag! Don’t stop here… Master Songwriter, Guitarist and Vocalist. Another Legend that is The Truth! This whole concert is a Must!

Merle was in prison. Johnny Cash came to the prison to do a concert for the prisoners. Merle decided right then he wanted that life. You never know how or when you can change someone's life

I loved all of Merle’s music, and my favorite was Silver Wings. My late husband and I use to love to dance to that song. Mama Tried is really good

If I could hit the thumbs up 100 times I would. Thanks.

Merle Haggard was in a league of his own. He is the every day man's poet. He had a knack to bring you into a song that you could completely relate to. His catalog is massive. You could spend a couple of years just listening to Merle and no one else to complete his work. He is absolutely in the top 5 best singer songwriters of all time.

Another beautiful song is I Sang Dixie by Dwight Yoakam. One of my personal favorites

Keep the Merle goin with “Are the good Times Really Over”

"The Fightin' Side of Me" should be your next Merle Haggard song! FABULOUS reaction Sebs!

Yes- his voice was a treasure in his younger days - he was also a great impressionist- doing people like Johnny Cash and Buck Owens

One of my favorite songs is from the sixties it " Brown Eyed Handsome Man" from Waylon Jennings his voice and tone was absolutely heavenly!

Merle was a poor child during the depression & was incarcerated several times in his youth. He got out of San Quentin Prison in 1960 at age 23. He turned his life around & got into country music. He wrote about the 'everyman' & the Vietnam war etc. & between the 60's & the 80's he has 38 #1 hits om the US country charts & even a few times on all the all-genres Billboard singles chart. He was honored at the Kennedy Center in 2010 & he continued to release albums into the 2000's. He passed in 2016. One of the original 'outlaws' of country. "Okie from Muskogee' & 'Fighting side of me' are a couple of his biggest hits. And, since you loved Vince Gill so much, you MUST check out his song he wrote after his brother passed. It is called 'Go rest high on that mountain' & he sings like an angel. It is beyond beautiful & I have heard it played at dozens of funerals, because it is so stunning. 'When I call your name' isa pretty love song of his too.

Merle has a great catalog!!! Now you'll have to check out his son, Ben!!!

One of the truly greats of all time~!!

Merle Haggard is my favorite singer. I was lucky enough to see him in concert in 1990 with Conway Twitty and George Jones. Best concert ever. I still listen to Merle every day. I have been a fan since the ‘70s!

Keith Richards also did a very good version of this song,it's to be found on you tube, seems Keith is a big fan of Merle.

His son Noel uses his guitar, sounds the same. There’s a video of two of his sons singing. The musicians playing in the background say it all

Merle Haggard was a triple threat. He was equally great as a singer, songwriter, and guitar player. You should hear him singing in the voice of Marty Robbins, or Johnny Cash or Buck Owens. It was uncanny how he could mimic their voices. And in his younger years he was swoon-worthy. Legend is the right word.

Merle had many hits during the 60s and early 70s that he all wrote himself. One of them was Mama Tried. Merle, later known as The Hag was my wife and my favorite country artist. We were fortunate to see him perform live in Tacoma, Wa just a year before he died. His voice was as smooth in his elderly years as it was when he was young. He also had the ability to musically impersonate other country stars such as Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Buck Owens, and others and he was always on point with their voices. He was a very rare talent, but it was Johnny Cash who is the most well known country star of all time, imo.

This is deep dive into some of the best country music ever.

Merle has so great Gospel & Christmas 🎄 Music. To me he is the King of Country........... My dad's favorite....... Miss you Daddy💞🌹

🎼🔥🔥🔥🎼 ... here is how I feel about Mr. Merle Haggard, he is the best songwriter of all time , and he has the best Country Music voice of all time. So .. so .. so glad you started with this song. So .. my Mom & Dad were singers in a Country band , and this is my Mom's #1 Merle Haggard song .. and there are dozens and dozens to choose from. You can try "If I Could Only Fly" .. or "Working Man" .. thank you for this one Sebs

I love listening to singers after they get older. Their voices have so much character.

My husband and I are HUGE Merle fans. We were blessed enough to see him several times throughout the years. He has so many great songs! Continue your Merle journey with "Fightin Side of Me", "My Greatest Memory of All" "If We Make It Through December" "Are The Good Times Really Over?", "Working Man Blues", "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" "Poncho and Lefty" he sings this one with Willie Nelson, along with "Reasons to Quit" And then just keep going. There are way too many great songs to list here! We really miss Merle!! Thank you for reacting to him!!

@Jeremyjackson3784 is 100% correct! Merle Haggard is absolutely the KING of Country! He is the exactly what the American Dream is all about! He was in San Quentin State Prison for robbing banks when Johnny Cash went & sang for them. After Merle seen Johnny he resolved to do something constructive with his life. Merle worried what people would think of his past & Johnny told him to just tell them the truth, & he did. President Ronald Reagan pardon Merle during his Presidency. Merle has written upwards of 600 songs that will live on thru time. This is 1 of my favorites! THANK YOU JEREMY!!!!!

I love Meryl Haggard, My Father was in the chain gang when I was born,I'm 60yrs old now and he was my Hero, he passed away 4yrs ago but he sang alot of Meryl and so many other country singer's song's and was Inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame back in the late 80's and I couldn't be more proud of him to have overcome everything he'd been through to make his dream come true 🙏🏻 we buried him on his 84th Birthday and sent him back home to be with his Father, Thank You Sir for the memories and your reaction 💙 hope you have a blessed day and safe travels 🙏🏻

Merle was one of the great ones.

One of the best voices in country music ever. Terrific songwriter and a good, if not great guitarist. He was the whole package.

I’m 69 years old and have listened to Merle since I was 14. His music most likely kept me out of prison. And now he gets all the credit he deserves. From a rowdy teenager to prison, and to be celebrated at the Kennedy Center! Quite a trail!!❤❤❤❤

Mama's Hungry Eyes, Natural High, Rainbow Stew, Silver Wings, can't go wrong with Merle.

Merle Haggard has written over 400 songs and probably 90% of his own recordings came from his own catalog. His subject matter is varied and I like them all especially “Silver Wings” and “You take me for granted”.

Merle had the ability to captivate a audience. Not one person made a sound until he finished. He actually told his son he was going to die on his birthday and he did. After prison he just wanted to play guitar but ended up singing and history was made

This is my favorite Merle Haggard song! Thank you for reacting to it! Merle was the best! True, he had his inner demons and relationship problems over the years, but his musical talent never wavered! Some of his sons are performing now and at least two of them sound very much like him. Excellent!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Merle. Endless list of truly great music.

The Hag.... I grew up listening to my dad singing Merle Haggard and within one line of this song I was in tears. I lost my dad when I was 18, he was only 42. During my dad's last few months Merle did a concert nearby and we managed to go... I will never forgive Merle for his performance that night. He sang 3 songs while sitting on a barstool, got up and walked out, without even looking at the crowd once. My dad was heartbroken. Today, 38 years later, it still makes me angry. And now when I hear a Haggard song I hear my dad singing instead. Bittersweet to be sure.

Love watching your channel 💗 Great music!

"Mama Tried" should be your next Merle Haggard "The Hag" song. That was his nickname back in the day. He was/is a legend!

You love Merle and you love Willie Nelson. You need to check out the two of them singing "Pancho and Lefty" by Townes Van Zandt. Also, Billy Joe Shaver, a friend and contemporary of Willie, Merle, and Waylon. Billy Joe was a singer/songwriter and wrote many of Waylon Jennings' songs. His music has been recorded by Willie, Elvis, Waylon, and many others. Billie Joe was a friend and I miss him dearly. I love what you're doing here! Your approach is different from most Reaction channels in that, you educate yourself on the artist before listening to their song and sharing with your audience. I also appreciate that you unapologetically share your faith and family, with out getting "preachy". Keep up the good work. From an old Texas guitar picker/singer, Guy D.

In my simple opinion, the Hag is the embodiment of country music. Nobody can touch Merle as he was in his prime. If you had to sit someone down and explain what country music should sound like you would only have to play some Hag. He was the first person I saw in concert, with my grandmother. Seem him 8 times and wish it was 20. Simply the best!!!

You have finally discovered one of the true greats of country music..... nay, of music, period. What a velvet voice. And such a great body of work.... enjoy your journey.

I got to see Merl just before he passed away, what a blessing. He was awesome and super funny. He had the same bandmates for over 50years. He joked about not having groupies but they traveled with nurses. He's got a lot of great music, do yourself a favor and give it a listen

The Hag! My all time favorite. Saw him in St. Louis in 86. Going Where The Lonely Go is a favorite!

I grew up listening to Merle Haggard and the old country greats. There really is something about that sound. It brings back lots of memories. Merle Haggard was one of the best. He had a way of playing that guitar and he also played the fiddle. A couple of my favorites are The Fightin Side of Me, Pancho and Lefty and The Working Man Blues. He was a down-to-earth man singing true life songs. Another good song is I Think I'll Just Sit here and Drink. I think what makes country music so enjoyable is because it's so relatable and it's telling a story that draws you in. I'm glad you're enjoying it!❤

You should listen to him singing when he was younger. He is still good here, but he really was probably the best country singer back in his day. Thanks for playing him! PS- he could also do great impressions of other country singers like Johnny Cash, Buck Owens and Marty Robbins. Check that out too?

He did real good impressions of some of the greats of country music.

I get Merle being a legend. Well deserved, great heart in his voice and this song is priceless. Pancho & Lefty is probably my fave. But for my money, if you want to name the king of outlaw country, it's Waylon Jennings. He can go from tough to tender from "Don't Think Hank Done it This way" to "Amanda". And tops with his guitar riffs.

Merle Haggard has always been one of my all time favorite country singer/songwriter of all time! Love The Hag! ✌❤🎶

Some of the greatest country artists, came out of this man's time frame. Artist like Chris Christofferson, Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Jerry Reid, and the list goes on and on.

He wasn’t called the common man’s poet for nothing. Go past the music and the voice and listen to the words. Check out Erma Jackson. Merle did it back in the 60’s. What a song for that time period. He wasn’t afraid to write and speak his mind. By the way… Jeremy is a dear friend of mine. I’m proud to call him my brother.

He is my favorite, There is a lot of great Country singers, But his songs have so much heart in them and when you get to listening to them it is addictive. I don't think he ever recorded a bad one., Ky Gambler, Big City, If we make it through December, In my next life, and the list goes on and on. All of them are Great! Enjoy!

Merle is a legend in country music. His catalogue is deep and impressive. My favorite song by him is "In My Next Life". Great reaction as usual. Glad you are enjoying this journey.

Legendary. I was just listening to a song off his 50th studio album

He definitely can sing, his earlier years were so amazing! Everyone loves him....I love Silver Wings, Mama Tried, and If We Can Make It Through December. A great musician and also did impressions. His son Ben sounds a lot like him. RIP

Lovely reaction! Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings both had such strong (when they were younger) smooth voices, I hope you will check out more of them and other DOGs of country.

Merle was simply outstanding. His catalog is impressive beyond words. All his sons sing, but check out Ben Haggard, who had the talent (and plays his father’s guitar).

I agree about the solo with this and Vince. I love those tones. I also loved hearing him play the acoustic by himself, when he sang "Footlights" on the George Jones Show.

Merle was awesome in every stage of music and singing vocals. I wish he could have stayed longer and healthier. RIP ❤

I'm glad you found him.

Talk about people that change! Merle Haggard was an Inmate at Folsom Prison where he saw Johnny Cash sing. Cash put on a concert for the prisoners and cut an Album Live at Folsom Prision.

A must from this concert: Just stay here and drink. Merle always used this song to jam with his band live.

Enjoyed this so much. Please listen to mama tried. Also you're walking on the fighting side of me. Okie from Muskogee. He was an inmate at San Quentin and after he was released pursued his music career.

I call myself a fan of Merle but I didn't discover this song until after be passed away. Now it's my favorite song of his.

I had a stepdad who is the biggest Merle Haggard fan, so I’ve listened to hundreds of Merle songs. 1. Merle has a song about literally everything 2. He has this tone in some songs that when it hits, it gives you chills.

I like how are you are doing some reaction videos on older classic songs for people that didn’t take singing lessons but just felt it in their heart. Kudos to you!

Great reaction…thanks. If you want an idea of what he meant to country music, listen to Vince Gil sing his tribute to Merle: “I’m Lost In A World Without Haggard”…so beautiful!

My father passed away recently, he loved country, especially the 60’s, this would have been beautiful for him, he was ready, but didn’t want to lose the memories. While his last hours approached my brother and I, listen to nothing but old country with him, it helped as we said goodbye, now I’m wondering if this song was on the playlist. Grew up with all of them, the Highway Men were awesome, love them still

There once was a singer named Vern Gosden. He was known as 'the voice. Listen to his song, Chisled in Stone. Vern passed several years ago but his voice will live forever. Country musicians are just story tellers with good vocals.

Absolutely LOVE this song!!! 😊

Merle Haggard did a song in earlier years called “If We Make it Through December” which is a MUST to listen to. I heard his son sing once and he sounded like his dad.

Merle, the man, the myth , the magic!

Finally!!! Actual country music!!

I’ve loved this song for years❤. What a gem❤

Merle Haggard is pureblooded country royalty. His career spanned decades, and his music never disappoints