Question 1

True or false: Merle Haggard was a close friend of Johnny Cash and once toured with him in the 1960s.

Accepted Answer

True. They were friends and toured together as part of the 'Highwaymen' supergroup (with Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson), but Haggard also opened for Cash earlier.

Question 2

True or false: Merle Haggard was born in Bakersfield, California, and grew up in a converted boxcar.

Accepted Answer

False. He was born in Oildale, California (near Bakersfield), and his family lived in a converted boxcar during the Great Depression. He is closely tied to Bakersfield.

Question 3

True or false: Haggard's first number one hit was 'The Fightin' Side of Me' in 1970.

Accepted Answer

False. His first number one was 'I'm a Lonesome Fugitive' in 1967. 'The Fightin' Side of Me' hit number one later, in 1970, but wasn't his first.

Question 4

True or false: Merle Haggard once performed at San Quentin Prison for inmates while still on parole.

Accepted Answer

True. He famously played at San Quentin in 1958 as a young inmate, and later returned in 1970 as a star, still on parole from a 1960s robbery sentence.

Question 5

True or false: Haggard co-wrote the classic song 'Okie from Muskogee' with his then-wife Bonnie Owens.

Accepted Answer

False. He wrote it with Roy Edward Burris, not Bonnie Owens. Bonnie was his wife and duet partner, but the song's co-writer was Burris, a fellow musician.

Question 6

True or false: His song 'Mama Tried' was written as a tribute to his mother, who raised him alone after his father died.

Accepted Answer

False. His father died when Haggard was nine, but 'Mama Tried' is fiction about a mother whose son goes to prison despite her efforts. His real mother was strict but loving.

Question 7

True or false: Haggard once escaped from prison by hiding in a laundry truck during his youth.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1957, he attempted escape from a juvenile detention facility by hiding in a laundry truck, but was caught shortly after. This was part of his troubled early life.

Question 8

True or false: He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame while still actively recording and touring.

Accepted Answer

True. Inducted in 1994, he continued releasing albums and touring until his death in 2016, making him a rare living inductee during his active years.

Merle Haggard Trivia Questions