On This Day in 1966, Merle Haggard Recorded His First No. 1 Hit—Written by Another Country Star’s Parents

On this day (August 1) in 1966, Merle Haggard recorded “The Fugitive” during sessions for his album I’m a Lonesome Fugitive. Written by Liz and Casey Anderson, parents of Lynn Anderson, the song was Haggard’s first No. 1 single.

Haggard released his debut single, “Singin’ My Heart Out,’ in 1962. By the beginning of 1966, he had scored a single top 10 hit with “(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers.” He notched two more early in the year with “Swinging Doors” and “The Bottle Let Me Down,” which went No. 5 and No. 3, respectively. “The Fugitive,” titled “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive” when it was released, opened the floodgates. He scored nine more top five hits before the end of the decade. Seven of those topped the chart.

While Haggard didn’t write the song, he had lived it. After being arrested for the burglary that landed him in prison, he escaped from the Bakersfield jail. He was a fugitive for a day before the authorities caught up with him.

Merle Haggard Almost Passed on “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive”

Merle Haggard almost missed the chance to record the song that became his first chart-topper. “I was playing Sacramento one night, and I’d had a couple of hit records that went into the top five, but I hadn’t had a No. 1,” Haggard recalled. “This lady came to the show, and she had these songs. She wanted us to go out and hear these songs and cut records for her. I didn’t want to go,” he said. Fortunately, his brother talked him into going out and seeing what the lady had to offer.

“We got out there, and she sang me about five No. 1 songs, and ‘The Fugitive’ was one of them. Her name was Liz Anderson,” he added. Another of the hit songs she sang for him that evening was “(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers,” his first top 10 hit.

Anderson also wrote hits for Lynn Anderson, Tex Williams, Faron Young, and Del Reeves.

Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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