Formed in 1965 in Bakersfield, California, The Strangers served mainly as Merle Haggard's backup band, but also released several independent albums.

Ben Haggard, Merle's youngest son, is an incredibly talented musician. He was the lead guitarist in his father's band and it's apparent from his many social media posts that Ben and his dad were very, very close. He was only 15 when he first took the stage with his dad, and played on several of Merle's records.

Merle's other musical son, Noel Haggard, is a country singer who has also opened many of his dad's shows. Noel's debut album was released in 1997, with two songs charting on Billboard.