On this day (June 28) in 1966, Merle Haggard and The Strangers recorded “The Bottle Let Me Down.” They cut the song at the Capitol Recording Studio in Hollywood, California. Ken Nelson and Fuzzy Owen produced the session.
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Haggard was a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddle player. More than that, he was an inspiration on many levels. He and artists like Buck Owens helped to spread the hard-driving honky tonk known as the Bakersfield Sound across the United States. Additionally, he was one of the only country artists who carried the “outlaw” label who served time in prison. At a young age, Haggard did time in San Quentin. He famously turned his life around after seeing Johnny Cash perform for the inmate population. Hag went on to build a wildly successful career. He wrote—and lived—many of the songs that made him famous.
[RELATED: 3 Merle Haggard Collaborations with His Fellow Country Legends]
Merle Haggard Lands an Early Hit with “The Bottle Let Me Down”
Merle Haggard wrote “The Bottle Let Me Down” and released it as the second single from his sophomore album Swinging Doors in 1966. The lead single and title track from the album peaked at No. 5. It was his first time hitting the top five on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. It was also the lowest position a single from Hag would reach on the chart until “Here Comes the Freedom Train” peaked at No. 10 in 1976.
“The Bottle Let Me Down” became his highest-charting single when it peaked at No. 3 on the same survey. It also set the tone for the rest of the decade. Haggard would release ten more singles in the ‘60s. “I Threw Away the Rose” peaked at No. 2. Later in the decade, “I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am” brought him another No. 3 single. The rest of his singles from the decade went to the top of the charts.
Those singles included iconic tracks like “Sing Me Back Home,” “Mama Tried,” “Branded Man,” “Okie from Muskogee,” and more.
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