"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 Merle Haggard artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
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. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Merle Haggard on World Cafe (2003)
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 caption'Working in Tennessee' by Merle Haggard
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
Merle Haggard Travis Huggett/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Merle Haggard. courtesy of the artist hide caption