Merle Haggard Net Worth, Wiki Biography, Married, Annual Income, Family

Wiki Biography of Merle Haggard

Merle Ronald Haggard was an American country singer who was renowned as one of the architects of the Bakersfield sound. He was born on April 6, 1937, in Oildale, California, USA. The musician was also a lyricist and multi-instrumentalist. He died on his 79th birthday, April 6, 2016.

So, how wealthy was Merle Haggard? According to sources, the artist’s net worth was $40 million, with all of his earnings coming from the music industry. With his distinct sound, the guitarist was able to consistently make albums beginning in the 1970s, bringing in significant revenue in addition to touring, performances, and other appearances. After writing over 250 songs, he continued to make money from album sales and royalties until his death.

Merle Haggard has a net worth of $40 Million dollars

Merle Haggard grew up in Bakersfield, California, during the Great Depression. His father died when he was nine years old, and as a teenager, he had legal problems that led to him being sent to a number of reform centers and county jails, from which he regularly attempted to flee. He began singing and playing the guitar in pubs to make money.

While working as a farmhand, Haggard continued to pursue his dream of being a musician, performing in nightclubs and making his first television appearance in a local show in 1956. However, a year later, he was arrested for attempting to loot a roadhouse and was sentenced to further years as a result of his escape attempts, but while in prison, he was able to get a high school equivalency diploma. He was imprisoned until 1960, yet he was able to perform in the prison’s country music band. (Merle Haggard’s felony record was wiped by Ronald Reagan in 1972.)

In 1962, the singer scored a national smash with “Sing a Sad Song,” and in 1965, he had his first national top ten hit with “(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers,” boosting his fame among country music enthusiasts. He was one of the founders of the Bakersfield sound, and he and his band “The Strangers” made a number of hit recordings. His song “Okie from Muskogee” (1969) was a personal political statement that was well received by the “silent majority” in the United States, gaining him recognition and a small fortune.

Merle Haggard has 38 number one songs in his music career, including “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde,” “The Fugitive,” “The Fightin’ Side of Me,” “Branded Man,” “I Wonder If They Ever Think of Me,” “The Roots of My Raising,” “Mama Tried,” and “Someday When Things Are Good.” Haggard’s net worth has grown significantly as a result of his 47 studio albums, eight live albums, and 23 compilation albums, which have sold millions of copies over the years.

Haggard also collaborated with George Jones, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Owens, Clint Eastwood, and Janie Fricke, among others, in country music. Throughout his career, he has received various honors and titles from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. He was also a three-time Grammy winner, winning Best Country Vocal Performance – Male in 1984, Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 1998, and the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.

In 1994, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and in 2010, he was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors. Haggard performed at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014, and he continued to compose music and perform on stage until the end of his life, boosting his net worth slightly.

Haggard married five times in his personal life: Leona Hobbs (1956–1964), Bonnie Owens (1965–1978), Leona Williams (1978–1983), Debbie Parret (1985–1991), and Theresa Ann Lane (1993). The musician had five children from his first marriage, three from his first marriage and two from his second marriage to Theresa. After a serious battle of pneumonia, he died on April 6, 2016, in his ranch-style home in Palo Cedro, California.