swain

It would be difficult to find an artist as creative, as successful, and as stubbornly true to himself as Merle Haggard. In between his hits, he made albums that paid tribute to the musicians who influenced him, like Jimmie Rodgers, Lefty Frizzell and Bob Wills � done out of respect rather than commercial calculation. He blends elements of jazz, rock, blues and folk music into his arrangements, while staying true to the traditions of country. No matter what the current fashion of the moment is in music, Haggard always goes his own way.