Merle Haggard on The Today Show!

from NBC News this is today he's known as the poet of the common man Merle Haggard has been selling out concerts for decades seeing the stories of working-class struggles and joys and despite setbacks he's still on the road at the age of 75 today contributing correspondent Jenna Bush Hager caught up with him in Tennessee the person to catch up with me morning Jenna he was a lot of fun you know to say that Merle Haggard is a legend and country music is an understatement he's had 40 number-one hits won countless awards and he received the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement back in 2010 I sat down with them to see if there's anything that can stop the hag Merle Haggard is hard to scare but after more than 50 years is one of country music's most influential singer songwriters earlier this year Haggard feared his show was over the first day in the hospital that they thought my cancer had returned so about the first 30 hours I was saying goodbye but this one time outlaw is still a fighter and beat pneumonia stomach ulcers and lung cancer now he is thankful but not slowing down I think when a man quits working I don't think kind of gives up on everything you know so retirements not in the picture at all actually just the opposite at 75 he's back on the road again belting out his unique voice every night to sold-out auditoriums called the poet of the common man Haggard started writing songs as a child a rebel is a teen Haggard was sent to reform schools small crimes led to larger ones and he landed in San Quentin prison for burglary one day Johnny Cash came to perform that was the concert Haggard says it changed his life I walk the line the most important thing was he identified with those convicts they knew that he was one of them and he conveyed that his honesty was evident I hear that train to come a Gert was released from prison in 1960 and didn't waste time getting his life on track he recorded his first song in 62 and had six major hits by 69 in the first nine years of his career he recorded 30 albums married five times he lived hard on and off the road he says redemption in a responsibility to connect with his audience gave him clarity to know who he was and what he wanted it seems like music is just really a lot of who you are that's about all I am you know as is that's what I'm for that's what I do I eat sleep read it and people around me if they can't handle it at least have to get away that's this is how it is played out gun daughter and sons are even in the band son Ben is getting rave reviews for his performance with his dad he's really critical it's good criticism though I cherish every minute of it and for a guy who is most comfortable writing lyrics on the back of a box top social media seems pretty foreign but Haggard is once again unafraid this tweeter thing I'll tell you what was 13,000 followers 13,000 followers in one one day they can't stop me now unstoppable even at 75 I still feel like uh that I'm one song missing there's one song that I'll write that would give me the most satisfaction to many and I'm still chasing that rush gun and you know Haggard says he doesn't give much thought to its legacy just that he wants to be remembered but clearly his legacy is the hundreds of songs he's written the iconic style he's created and his children who many of them will carry on his footsteps they're all in his band it's quite a family affair big shoes to fill but when you have a coach like that teaching you the lessons of country music you can't go wrong exactly the next woman said by all right Thank You Jenna good job we're back in a moment this is today on NBC

Channel: VanguardPublicity

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Keywords: vanguard, todayshow052812, merlehaggard

Id: OeTMuMk_yjc

Length: 4min 48sec (288 seconds)

Published: Tue May 29 2012