Before Merle Haggard became one of Nashville’s most memorable country musicians, he was a troubled soul who was in and out of juvenile detention centers. He was the very subject that so many country songs were about. In other words, he was the real deal. What landed Haggard in so many precarious situations was his various minor offenses, which included truancy, theft, and petty larceny.
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Haggard has famously stated that he escaped jail 17 times. When his early criminal career was seemingly over, Haggard’s music career started. However, it was not lucrative. So, hard-up, broke, and looking for a buck, Haggard decided to rob an establishment in Bakersfield, California. Evidently, Haggard was caught; he was then convicted of burglary and sent to San Quentin Prison to serve a 15-year sentence.
Concerning the arrest, conviction, and sentencing, Haggard told Vanity Fair in 2010, “I wasn’t really that bad a guy.” “They just couldn’t hold me anywhere else. I escaped 17 different times, so they sent me there because I was an escape risk,” Haggard added. Despite the hardship this sentencing certainly entailed, there was a silver lining to it. The silver lining was that Merle Haggard got the chance to see Johnny Cash during his infamous San Quentin prison performance on January 1, 1958. After Merle Haggard saw Cash at 19 years old in San Quentin, it lit a fire under him.
How Johnny Cash Won Over Merle Haggard & The Prisoners at San Quentin
Haggard once recalled Cash’s performance and the impact it had on both him and the rest of the prisoners. He stated, “He had the right attitude. He chewed gum, looked arrogant, and flipped the bird to the guards – he did everything the prisoners wanted to do. He was a mean mother from the South who was there because he loved us. When he walked away, everyone in that place had become a Johnny Cash fan,” per Louder Sound.
In addition to winning over the prisoners, Cash also won over Haggard, as Haggard discovered something in himself he had yet to discover. A discovery that would lead Haggard away from a life of crime and towards a career in music. “It set a fire under me that hadn’t been there before,” said Haggard.
Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard went on to become great friends. Matter of fact, Haggard told Vanity Fair, “We had some crazy times. He and I became real close friends. I think we would’ve killed for each other.” However, without Johnny Cash and his San Quentin performance, Haggard would have seemingly never pursued music, and that comment would likely not exist.
Photo by Mediapunch/Shutterstock
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