Merle Haggard getting statue in Muskogee

In this May 28, 2003 file photo, country music legend Merle Haggard smiles at the Smithsonian in D.C. after his family donated belongings taken on their Dust Bowl-era move from Oklahoma to California on Route 66. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

By Shane Cutchall

MUSKOGEE, Okla. — While he’s technically not an Okie, Merle Haggard is getting a statue in Muskogee in honor of his life and country music career.

The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame says the bronze statue will be located outside the Muskogee Civic Center. At this venue, Haggard recorded ‘Okie from Muskogee’ during a live concert in 1969.

Haggard was born in Oildale, California just a couple of years after his parents’ barn in Checotah, Oklahoma burned down in 1934.

Although Haggard was born in California, he considered “home” to be Muskogee because the town was referred to as “back home” throughout his childhood.

Haggard was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1997. Between the 1960s and 1980s, Haggard racked up 38 No. 1 hits on U.S. country music charts.

The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and the Merle Haggard Statue Committee are looking for professional artists who are interested in making the bronze statue.

You can find the full details on the Request for Proposal, as well as specifications, themes, and other information here.