Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings were both brought up in the same era of country music. The two legends began releasing music in the 1960s, and continued releasing music until they passed away, in 2016 and 2002, respectively.
Videos by Wide Open Country
While there was plenty of camaraderie among country music artists back then, Haggard and Jennings' friendship was cut short, due to one regrettable poker game.
Per Card Player, Jennings was struggling to make ends meet early in his career, playing in clubs, when he played poker with Haggard and Haggard's manager, Fuzzy Owens. In Waylon: An Autobiography, one night caused Jennings to lose all his money -- and a friend as well. Jennings lost an astonishing $5000 in one night, more than he could afford to part with.
"[They] cleaned me out ... they won everything," Jennings recalls in his book.
"They were there to get my money. That was it," he says. "I think Merle is a great singer and songwriter, and probably he was in as bad a shape as I was, but we've never been close since that night."
Merle Haggard's Music
It's unfortunate that Haggard and Jennings' friendship went by the wayside due to a poker game, but both of them continued to have stellar careers. Both men released dozens of song in the next several decades, including Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee," one of the most popular country music songs of all time.
"Okie From Muskogee" gave fans a glimpse into another, darker side of Haggard's life, spending time in and out of prison.
"When I was in prison, I knew what it was like to have freedom taken away. Freedom is everything," Haggard told The Boot. "During Vietnam, there were all kinds of protests. Here were these [servicemen] going over there and dying for a cause -- we don't even know what it was really all about -- and here are these young kids, that were free, b---hing about it."
"There's something wrong with that and with [disparaging] those poor guys," he continued. "We were in a wonderful time in America, and music was in a wonderful place. America was at its peak, and what the [heck] did these kids have to complain about? These soldiers were giving up their freedom and lives to make sure others could stay free. I wrote the song to support those soldiers."
