2013 collection from the Country icon. Merle Haggard is a household name, one of the best-known Country Music singers of all time. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the awards, honors, and accolades in his long career are too numerous to list. Haggard is simply one of the greatest Country stars in the history of the genre. From 'Swinging Doors' in 1965 until the end of the decade, Haggard had an incredible string of hit records. 'The Fugitive' was his first #1 single, and was a composition by Liz Anderson, Lynn Anderson's mother. This collection closes with Merle Haggard's final single of the 1960s: 'Okie from Muskogee.' the song drew strong reactions as Haggard and the Strangers were testing it out on audiences before recording it, and according to pedal steel guitarist Norm Hamlet (Strangers 1967-present), 'The first time we played it, the audience just went crazy. We knew it was going to be huge.' the single was indeed another #1 smash, but it was also something else entirely. It was the song that would change Merle Haggard's career.