He's the original bad boy gone good, or at least one of the originals. Merle Haggard's upbringing was anything but steady. Born in 1937 to impovershed parents, Merle turned to crime shortly after his dad died. At age 13, he was caught for his first crime of shoplifting (a crime to be repeated quite frequently) and he spent time in a juvenile detention center. After numerous more apprehensions, including a 3 year stint in San Quentin where he saw Johnny Cash perform, Haggard decided to turn his life around and pursue his dream of country music. It was in 1964 when he first released a national hit, "Sing A Sad Song," a cover of Wynn Stewart. From that point on, Merle has enjoyed thorough success. Although his last big hit was in the mid 80s, Merle continued to perform until he was diagnosed with cancer in one of his lungs in November of 2008. However, he has not only recovered from it, he is ready to hit the road again.