Although Haggard didn’t clarify which “Independence Day” he was talking about, it stands to reason that he meant Martina ...

Growing up poor and raised by a single mother, Merle Haggard also connected to the song, and months before Parton released her version, he featured the song first on his 1968 album Mama Tried.

A somewhat troubled childhood led to years spent behind bars for Merle Haggard.