Merle Haggard was an American country singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler…..who was born in the Great Depression….when after the death of his father had a troubled childhood…and was incarcerated several times in his youth….but after being released from San Quentin State Prison in 1960….he managed to turn his life around….when he launched a successful country music career….after which he gained popularity with his songs about the working class….which occasionally contained themes contrary to the prevailing anti-Vietnam War sentiment of much popular music of the time.
Between the 1960’s and the 1980’s….he had 38 # 1 hits on the US country charts…..with several that also made the Billboard all-genre singles chart…..as Merle Haggard continued to release successful albums into the 2000’s. In this video herewith…..Merle Haggard and The Strangers perform “Got That Old Fashion Love in My Heart”…..in which you get a good taste of his talent as a fiddle player.
