Musician Merle Haggard performs onstage during day one of 2015 Stagecoach, California's Country Music Festival, at The Empire Polo Club on April 24, 2015 in Indio, California.
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Haggard was a recipient of the 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors award.
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Haggard performs at Countryside Opry, Chicago, Illinois, October 31, 1980.
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Haggard circa 1987, the granddaddy of hat acts.
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Haggard performs at an outdoor 1980 Anaheim, California, concert at Anaheim Stadium, 1980
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Musicians Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard pose backstage during the 56th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 24, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
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Haggard demonstrates his considerable fiddling chops circa 1970
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Haggard performs on stage with a dog during a 1967 television show in Los Angeles, California.
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Haggard poses with his band "Merle Haggard & the Strangers" featuring guitarist Roy Nichols (far right) for a 1967 portrait.
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