Haggard wrote 'Workin' Man Blues' because he 'needed my own 'Folsom Prison Blues.' It became a blue-collar anthem, and is still one of his most popular songs.
This collection closes with Merle Haggard's final single of the 1960s: 'Okie From Muskogee.' The song drew strong reactions and according to pedal steel guitarist Norm Hamlet, 'The first time we played it, the audience just went crazy. We knew it was going to be huge.' The single was indeed another #1 smash, but it was also something else entirely. It was the song that would change Merle Haggard's career.