PRISON FELLOWSHIP: Merle Haggard

County Music Singer Looking to ‘Captivate’ a New Audience in His Own Way
  • Reentry
  • Advocacy & Reentry
  • Feature Stories
County Music Singer Looking to ‘Captivate’ a New Audience in His Own Way

Country music has a long and unique relationship with the corrections system. Several of the genre’s biggest stars served prison sentences, and have written some of their most familiar songs about their time behind bars. Legendary albums have been recorded in unique settings such as San Quentin, Folsom Prison, and Angola.

By Steve Rempe
October 13, 2016
CMT | Cody Johnson | country music | Country Music Television | Johnny Cash | Johnny Paycheck | Merle Haggard | Second Chance Reauthorization Act
  • Advocacy & Reentry
  • Reentry
Remembering Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard performing in 2009 (Wikipedia Commons/whittlz).

When Merle Haggard passed away last week on his 79th birthday, country music lost one of its best storytellers.

For decades, Haggard built his legacy as a rough-and-tumble country outlaw, telling stories of his own troubled past, which involved repeated stints in both reform schools and, later, in prison.

By Steve Rempe
April 11, 2016
California | Merle Haggard | Reentry | San Quentin | Second Prison Project

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