It all came from that evening, in spring 1946.
Merle Haggard was nine. He had been at a Church of Christ prayer meeting outside Bakersfield, California, with his mother, Flossie. The young boy didn’t like church. This night he meant to race home, where he knew his father, James Haggard –…

Source: RollingStone
Link: Merle Haggard: The Outlaw