The live 'Okie from Muskogee' album was originally released in 1969 as an attack on the liberal hippies who represented American pop culture in the late '60s and the title song struck a chord in audiences across the country. It quickly climbed up to number one in the country charts. Merle Haggard then released another live album called 'The Fightin' Side of Me' at the beginning of 1970, and it also shot to number one. This album went out of print around 1974 and has remained so until today. This is the first time audiences will be able to own a digital/CD version of 'The Fighting Side of Me' live album. This comes alongside the 45th anniversary, remastered live edition of 'Okie from Muskogee' to create a unique Merle Haggard live experience, with impersonations of Johnny Cash and Buck Owens; multiple song medley's and capacity crowd's who's energy you can feel through their acclamations and applause.
As a performer and a songwriter, Merle Haggard was the most important country artist to emerge in the 1960s, and he became one of the leading figures of the Bakersfield country scene in the '60s. While his music remained hardcore country, he pushed the boundaries of the music quite far. Like his idol, Bob Wills, his music was a melting pot that drew from all forms of traditional American music -- country, jazz, blues, and folk -- and in the process, developed a distinctive style of his own.