“BOXCAR BRILLIANCE” – by Des Kelly Merle Ronald Haggard was born in a converted boxcar at Oildale California on the 6th of April 1937. At the tender age of 3 months, his dad & mum noticed him “keeping time” to the radio music outside his bassinet. It was obvious that he already had music on his brain and in his heart. His dad passed on before Merle was even ten years old, leaving his mum to look after the family. Merle turned out to be a little musical rebel, who quickly picked up an old guitar, left by his dad, disobeyed his mum, and, in his early teens, got involved in various unlawful escapades with other young teenagers, getting themselves frequently into trouble with the police and even into jail on several occasions, prompting him to then also become an “escape specialist”, until finally, he really got into big trouble ...

Read More →