Grammy Special: Merle Haggard

Fresh Air | By Terry Gross

Published February 3, 2006 at 1:04 PM EST

Dozens of songs written by Merle Haggard have been in the Top 10.

Country music legend Merle Haggard is set to receive a 2006 Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in a ceremony held the day before the Feb. 8 awards show. Haggard has been on the country music scene since the early 1960s.

Two tribute albums of his songs have been released: Mama's Hungry Eyes and Tulare Dust. Haggard is already an inductee of the Country Music Hall of Fame. This interview originally aired on Aug. 14, 1995.

Terry Gross

Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by the unique approach of host and executive producer Terry Gross. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San Francisco Chronicle.