On the Charts 44 Years Ago, Merle Haggard Was at No. 1 With a Song Inspired by His Tour Bus Driver

April 5, 2026 11:53 am

In December 1966, Merle Haggard released a song called “The Fugitive”, which would go on to become the first No. 1 hit of his country music career. It certainly wouldn’t be the last, as the country music titan would go on to send 37 more singles to the top of the charts. On this day (April 5) in 1982, Haggard scored his 27th No. 1 song with “Big City”, inspired by friend and tour bus driver Dean Holloway.

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The title track from Merle Haggard’s 33rd studio album was born from Holloway’s disdain for the overcrowded, over-polluted streets of Los Angeles. Haggard and the Strangers had just wrapped up a two-day recording session at L.A.’s Britannia Studios when the two-time Grammy Award winner returned to the tour bus to check on his longtime friend.

Holloway didn’t mince words when Haggard asked how he was doing. “I hate this place,” he replied. “I’m tired of this dirty old city.”

The “Mama Tried” singer grabbed a nearby pad of paper and began writing. Holloway’s blunt remark kicked off the song’s first verse. I’m tired of this dirty old city / Entirely too much work and never enough play / And I’m tired of these dirty old sidewalks / Think I’ll walk off my steady job today.

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In between scribbles, Haggard asked Holloway questions, such as where he’d prefer to be if he had the choice. “If it were up to me, it’d be somewhere in the middle of damn Montana,” he replied.

This inspired the chorus: Turn me loose, set me free / Somewhere in the middle of Montana / And give me all I’ve got coming to me.

Merle Haggard Didn’t Rehearse the Song With His Band Before Recording It

Once he’d written the last line, Merle Haggard rushed back into Britannia Studios. Finding his band packing up, he insisted they unpack their instruments for one last song.

Just one day later, “Big City” came into being. “We didn’t have an ending, but the band came up with one they thought I’d like and ran me off as we wound down,” Haggard said.

While the “Big City” in question is never named, the country singer had one in mind. “I imagined a family leaving Detroit and happy to be getting out,” he said.

Haggard credited Dean Holloway as a co-writer, entitling him to about half a million dollars in royalties.

Featured image by David Redfern/Redferns