Origin: Bakersfield, CA

Decades: 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, and 2000's

As a performer and a songwriter, Merle Haggard was the most important country artist to emerge in the 1960s. Haggard 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. As a performer, ... Read More

Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers and Lefty Frizzell

Alabama, The Mekons, Jerry Jeff Walker, X, Grateful Dead, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Dierks Bentley, John Michael Montgomery, Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks, The Bellamy Brothers and The Blasters