One of The Hag's most autobiographical songs, indeed. On this date in 1966, Merle Haggard released his single "The Fugitive," which would later be know as "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive," which ultimately ...

Fifty-seven years ago today, Merle Haggard walked into a Los Angeles recording studio to cut one of his most memorable songs.

If you look up ten lists or playlists of country Christmas songs, you’ll likely find Merle Haggard’s 1973 No. 1 hit “If We Make It Through December” in at least five of them. In my opinion, it’s out ...

Merle Haggard was an escape artist. The future country music legend broke out of juvenile hall and prison 17 times by his own count as a teenager and young man. But his greatest escape was getting out ...

A raw, unfiltered portrait of working-class America at Christmastime—one that still resonates just as deeply half a century later.

Twenty years ago, the country legend talked with Variety's chief music critic about what drove him to write the anti-Bush/anti-Iraq-war song, now being revived as the Republican VP candidate's walk-up ...

Nine years after Merle Haggard's death at 79, Ethan Hawke has organized a public wake, and it's a humdinger. A biography by way of California road trip and recording-studio extravaganza, Highway 99: A ...

Country legend Merle Haggard has been brought into the national spotlight again, thanks to vice presidential candidate JD Vance repeatedly using one of the late singer’s anthems as his walk-up music ...