{"id":1307920,"date":"2019-04-06T04:00:28","date_gmt":"2019-04-06T10:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/articles.cmt.com\/?p=1764920"},"modified":"2019-04-06T04:00:28","modified_gmt":"2019-04-06T10:00:28","slug":"photos-merle-haggard-through-the-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/music-news\/photos-merle-haggard-through-the-years\/","title":{"rendered":"PHOTOS: Merle Haggard Through the Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

by CMT.com Staff<\/a><\/span> 18m ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n

Although \u201cThe Fugitive\u201d is one of the few Merle Haggard<\/a> hits that he didn\u2019t personally write, much of his life might be captured in the familiar lyrics, \u201cDown every road there\u2019s always one more city.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Country Music Hall of Famer died on April 6, 2016 at age 79. He will be remembered as an unrepentant road warrior who thrived on touring and performing. Along the way, he became a friend and an inspiration to countless country singers, songwriters and musicians, but he also rubbed shoulders with presidents, shared stages with Keith Richards and Jerry Lee Lewis and became a Kennedy Honors recipient alongside Paul McCartney and Oprah Winfrey.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at some of the people he encountered during a colorful career that\u2019s likely to be unmatched by any future country artist in honor of what would have been his 82nd birthday.<\/p>\n

Visiting President Richard Nixon at the White House in 1970<\/strong><\/p>\n

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