The Story of Merle Haggard
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Thank you for joining us for a unique evening honoring Merle Haggard, one of the greatest performers in the history of country music. Through songs and stories, JUNO-nominated singer Jess Lee transported us to Haggard’s amazing life and times in “The Story of the Hag.” With his songs about outlaws, underdogs, the heartbroken, and the hard-living, Haggard had an amazing six-decade career that took him from poverty and prison to international fame.
Haggard wrote songs for the working class to drink to, dance to, and cry to. He notched 40 No. 1 hits including ‘Working Man Blues‘, ‘Mama Tried‘, ‘Silver Wings‘ and one of the most famous country songs of all time, ‘Okie from Muskogee‘.
The dinner show also included stories from Haggard’s life that echo the songs he sang; he was born poor, raised in a converted railway boxcar and turned 21 in prison before turning his life around to become a country music hero. ‘The Story of The Hag‘ was a must-see for Haggard fans and music fans alike.
