On July 15, 1935, James Francis Haggard departed Checotah with his wife, Flossie, and their two children, James Lowell and Lillian, by way of a Chevy. Like other Okies, they migrated west in search of ...

New York Times best-selling author Marc Eliot knew the subject of his latest released biography, "The Hag: The Life, Times, and Music of Merle Haggard," for 25 years before his death in 2016. The ...

The late Merle Haggard sang about breakups, working, loving, fighting, American flags, getting drunk and working some more. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WORKIN' MAN BLUES") HAGGARD: (Singing) Well, hey, hey, ...

HAGGARD: (Singing) Well, hey, hey, the working man, the working man like me. I ain't never been on welfare, and that's one place I won't be. INSKEEP: He sang all the country music stereotypes, but is ...

Only 7% of LAist readers currently donate to fund our journalism. Help raise that number, so our nonprofit newsroom stays strong in the face of federal cuts. Donate now. HAGGARD: (Singing) Well, hey, ...

Nearly 50 years after his passing, 2022 Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Lefty Frizzell remains one of the indisputable pillars of country music. His influence on another country music ...

Author Marc Eliot knew the subject of his latest released biography, "The Hag: The Life, Times, and Music of Merle Haggard," for 25 years before his death in 2016. The writer's exposure to music, ...

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Haggard's biographer Marc Eliot about his book: The Hag. Haggard spent his early years going from family tragedy to... New biography, 'The Hag,' examines the life of ...