Ben and Noel Haggard, sons of late country music legend Merle Haggard, will honor their father by performing an Oct. 10 tribute concert at Muskogee Civic Center. The show will be held in conjunction with the unveiling of a Merle Haggard statue in front of a venue rich in Haggard history.
Merle Haggard and the Strangers performed Oct. 10, 1969, at Muskogee Civic Center. The concert was recorded for a live “Okie From Muskogee” released two months after the show. The platinum-selling recording won album of the year honors from the CMA and ACM.
The closing song of the show was “Okie From Muskogee,” which had been released the month before the Muskogee Civic Center show. The song “Okie From Muskogee” spent four weeks at No. 1 and was named the CMA’s single of the year in 1970. Before singing “Okie From Muskogee” in Muskogee, Merle Haggard talked about his Oklahoma roots…