“He Mocked That Guard…Won The Whole Audience” – Merle Haggard Recalls Watching Johnny Cash Perform In San Quentin In 1960

The moment that changed the trajectory of Merle Haggard 's life. It's not often that folks get to say one of their greatest heroes became one of their friends, but that is the case for Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash . Merle Haggard grew up as what one would call a "repeat offender," getting arrested time after time in his younger years. 17 times, Haggard would find himself behind bars, escaping all 17 times....until he was sent to San Quentin Prison. Given how many times he escaped, Haggard was tagged as a flight risk, making his time at San Quentin anything but enjoyable. Entering the prison gates at 19 and leaving after his 21st birthday, Haggard changed the trajectory of his life there, and the help of a particular visitor was a significant reason Haggard cleaned up his act. On January 1st, 1960, the day that Johnny Cash played one of his iconic concerts at San Quentin State Prison, Haggard was an audience member during the performance. This was not when Haggard and Cash met but when Merle Haggard knew he wanted to pursue music once he was out. It's often mis-reported, but Cash also played San Quentin on 1958 but Merle wasn't there yet, and in 1959, but Merle wasn't at his show. "Oh, that was true. He didn't meet me, and I didn't meet him then." Haggard recalls on an ASX TV interview. "He'd been in San Fransisco out partying the night before, and he'd sung or talked his voice completely off. He...'I just barely talk.' (He mimicked in a breathly whisper) And I thought, well, this guy's in trouble. There are 5,000 men here, and he can't talk...can't sing. I was engrossed with how he was going to pull this off. Well, first of all, country music was not like it is now. Country music was down your nose at that time compared to what it is now. So the visit of Johnny Cash was not all that cool in the joint. Before he started his show, he asked for a glass of water and pointed at one of the guards, and this guard was standing in the daylight chewing gum. A nd Cash, when he asked for the water, of course, he had everyone in the audience looking at him. And he mocked that guard. Well he won the whole audience." After Cash won over those who gathered to watch him and gained the respect of the inmates, after Cash left San Quentin, many of the prisoners began picking up guitars and wanting to learn how to play. Knowing how to play guitar, Haggard soon found himself as the teacher to all. "All of a sudden, we were more popular; we had more clout because we understood what that guy did."

Haggard was released from San Quentin in 1960, and would later be given a pardon from then-California Governor Ronald Reagan after becoming a star himself. And at a later show, he would meet Johnny Cash in a bathroom before taking the stage. Haggard told Cash about being at San Quentin, and Cash, for his life, could not recall Haggard performing on the same day. Haggard had to tell Cash he was right...because he was in the audience. While you're here, take a look at Johnny Cash’s 1969 concert at San Quentin, which would also become a Grammy-nominated album, At San Quentin . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSLsfwTbo4Q