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Iconic country music singer Merle Haggard performs at The Club inside the Cannery Casino and Hotel on Saturday, May 8 at 8 p.m. One of the most influential artists in country music, Haggard has scored 40 #1 hits, won countless awards as a performer and songwriter, including three Grammys, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Tickets are available now in three levels: Gold $54.95, Prime $44.95, or Reserved $29.95. Tickets can be purchased at the Cannery Casino & Hotel’s ticket sales counter located at the front desk, by calling (702) 507-5757 or online at www.cannerycasinos.com .

After growing up in poverty and spending his adolescent years in jail for various crimes, Haggard began singing and making an impression at clubs in the developing Bakersfield, Calif. honky-tonk music scene. His first single, “Sing a Sad Song,” climbed into the top twenty on the charts and in 1967, he released his first of many #1 hit singles, “The Fugitive.”

Encouraged by Johnny Cash to write songs based on his own life experiences, Haggard penned the hits “Sing Me Back Home,” about a friend from prison executed after a failed escape, and “Hungry Eyes,” about a family struggling in poverty. During the height of the Vietnam War, Haggard became a voice in the political movement when he released “Fightin’ Side of Me” and “I Wonder If They Ever Think of Me.” He says his most popular song, “Okie From Muskogee,” started as a joke, but clearly defined his opposition to the anti-war and counterculture movements.

Haggard also used his personal relationships as writing material, as heard through the songs “Always Wanting You” and “Things Aren’t Funny Anymore.” Throughout the 1980s, Haggard produced the chart topping singles “My Favorite Memory,” “Big City” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star.” After collaborating with Clint Eastwood for “Barroom Buddies,” George Jones for “Yesterday’s Wine” and Willie Nelson for “Pancho and Lefty,” Haggard added three more #1 hits to his repertoire.

Continuing to tour and record, Haggard has released six studio albums since 2000 and is set to release his newest album, “I Am What I Am” in April.

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