Merle Haggard was integral in popularizing some of country's most memorable movements, from the rugged, electric Bakersfield sound to outlaw country and eventually the Western-swing revival. His true legacy, though, is his songwriting. Like so many of the genre's greats, his canon is marked by conflicted patriotism and fluid politics. His signature song, "Okie from Muskogee," is either a loving tribute to or a scathing indictment of conservative values, depending on the performance, while his 2000s output documented his ever-firming opposition to the war in Iraq in real time. Tonight he shares a bill with fellow country great Kris Kristofferson.
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