Okie from Muskogee is a 1969 country song recorded by Merle Haggard and The Strangers, written by Haggard and Roy Edward Burris. It was released as the first single and title track from the album Okie from Muskogee on September 29, 1969, and was recorded July 17, 1969. The song tells a character study of a proud Okie from Muskogee who defends traditional values amid Vietnam War protests and counterculture, and it began as a joke between band members before becoming one of Haggard’s best known songs. It topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for four weeks and reached number 41 on the Hot 100; a popular live version appears on The Fightin' Side of Me. The song and the album won the CMA Single of the Year and Album of the Year in 1970, and over the years it has been widely covered and parodied, cementing its place as a landmark anthem of the era.
