On This Day in 1969, Merle Haggard Hit No. 1 With a Tribute to the Blue-Collar People Who Helped Make Him a Star

On this day (August 16) in 1969, Merle Haggard topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with “Workin’ Man Blues.” The song was a tribute to blue-collar workers, who formed the core of his devoted fanbase. As a result, the song’s success resulted in more than record sales and a week at No. 1. It was the first of three consecutive songs that solidified his image as a pro-worker, pro-war patriot.

Today, most fans know that Haggard spent time in prison before starting his music career. In the early 1960s, those who didn’t know about his past may have assumed. “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive,” “Mama Tried,” and “Sing Me Back Home” built an image of an ex-convict who was beginning to turn his life around. As the decade drew to a close, he shifted gears.

“Workin’ Man Blues” stands as an ode to working-class men who work hard to take care of their families and keep society moving. They were also a large fraction of his audience, especially early in his career when he was playing dance halls and bars in and around Bakersfield, California. Those early crowds were largely populated by ranch hands and oilfield roughnecks looking to blow off steam. More than a hat-tip to the American worker, this song showed that his beliefs aligned with theirs. He further solidified that image with his next two singles–“Okie from Muskogee” and “The Fightin’ Side of Me.”

Merle Haggard Was No Stranger to Hard Work

Merle Haggard had an unquestionable work ethic. While in prison, he worked a variety of jobs. After being fired from many of them and doing some time in solitary confinement, he took a job at the textile shop and worked until his release date.

When he got out of prison, before his music career took off, he dug ditches for his brother’s electrical contracting company. In the early days of his recording career, he took gigs playing bass for various bands.

[RELATED: Merle Haggard’s Ode to His Grandmother Was at No. 1 Exactly 3 Years After a Song Inspired by His Mom Was at the Top]

His work ethic didn’t fade when he became one of the biggest stars in country music. He released two or three studio albums every year throughout the 1960s and 70s. In fact, he released at least one album every year between 1965 and 1987. Even in the 2000s and 2010s, when his output was at its slowest, he never went more than five years between albums.

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