On November 3, 1960, 23-year-old Merle Haggard was released from San Quentin Prison and allowed to serve the more than two years remaining on his sentence while on parole. Seven years later, his semi-autobiographical song “Branded Man” became his second No. 1 hit on the Billboard country chart. The song served as the title track for his fourth studio album, Branded Man, which also reached No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart.
Introduction On November 3, 1960, 23-year-old Merle Haggard walked out through the heavy steel gates of San Quentin Prison, released on parole…