Died On This Date (April 6, 2016) Merle Haggard / Country Music Icon
themusicsover Merle Haggard
April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016
Merle Haggard was a country music legend who, along with Buck Owens, created the blueprint for what would become known as the “Bakersfield Sound,” a reaction to the slickly produced pop leaning country records that were coming out of Nashville at the time. Developed in local honky-tonks, the sound was built around the foundation of traditional country, the twang of a Telecaster, and the rough edge of vocals like Haggard’s. Haggard also came to represent all that became “outlaw country.” Songs like “Skid Row,” “They’re Tearing the Labor Camps Down,” “Okie From Muskogee,” “The Bottle Let Me Down,” “The Fightin’ Side of Me,” and “White Line Fever” found a huge audience with fans who could personally identify with the lyrics. Over the course of a career that spanned five decades, Haggard scored nearly 40 #1 hit singles, a combined total of 25 ACM and CMA awards, three Grammys, and numerous other accolades. His most recent album, 2015’s Django & Jimmie, with Willie Nelson, hit #1 on the Country charts and #7 on the Top 200. Not bad for an album that was recorded in just three days. Merle Haggard passed away on April 6, 2016, his 79th birthday. Cause of death was not immediately released although he had been battling pneumonia.
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Born and raised in Georgia, Billy Joe Royal was a pop and country singer who had a string of hits during the ’50s and ’60s and ’80s. His biggest hit came by way of 1965’s “Down In The Boondocks,” which reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and helped define the soft rock sound of its day. Hits like “I Knew You When,” “Hush,” and “Cherry Hill Park” followed. During the ’70s, Royal experienced a comeback of sorts when his “Heart’s Desire” found fandom along the UK Northern Soul circuit. During the ’80s, Royal became one of the first pop stars to successfully crossover to country. He had several Top 10 hits including “I’ll Pin A Note On Your Pillow” and “Tell It Like It Is.” Billy Joe Royal was 73 when he died in his sleep on October 6, 2015. Cause of death was not immediately released.
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