"I think country is as vibrant as certainly this series that we've just made tries to chronicle," Ken Burns says. Amy Sussman/Getty Images hide caption
Merle Haggard
Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Elsa Oldham play a Merle Haggard cover at "Drag City Limits." YouTube hide caption
Merle Haggard on stage in California in 2010. Haggard died at 79 on April 6. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images hide caption
Merle Haggard on World Cafe (2003)
Merle Haggard Travis Huggett/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Merle Haggard, shown performing in 1985, was a country music fixture for 50 years. He died Wednesday, on his 79th birthday. Ebet Roberts/Redferns/Getty Images hide caption
Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard's new album, Django And Jimmie, comes out June 2. Danny Clinch/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Paul Franklin (left) and Vince Gill. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Vince Gill & Paul Franklin On World Cafe
Charlie Louvin (right) and his brother Ira, a.k.a. The Louvin Brothers.
Courtesy of the artist's estate hide captionWorld Cafe Looks Back: Country And Bluegrass
Not coincidentally, Merle Haggard's "Working in Tennessee" documents a young ruffian who pulled himself up by his bootstraps.
Courtesy of the artist hide captionWorking in Tennessee
Buffalo Springfield, circa 1970 Michael Ochs Archives/Michael Ochs Archives hide caption
"I realized what a mess I made out of my life, and I got out of there and stayed out of there. Never did go back," Merle Haggard says of his time in prison. Courtesy of the artist hide caption