1937
Born on this day in Oildale, California, was country music songwriter, singer, and guitarist Merle Haggard. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitar and the unique mix with the traditional country steel guitar sound. Haggard who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 1994 has scored 38 US #1 Country hits. Haggard died on the morning of April 6, 2016, his 79th birthday, of complications from pneumonia at his home in Palo Cedro, California.