Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard, who returns to Milwaukee tonight for an 8 p.m. show at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino, was integral in popularizing some of country’s most memorable movements, from the rugged, electric Bakersfield sound to the outlaw country aesthetic and later the Western-swing revival. His true legacy, though, is his songwriting. Like so many of the genre’s greats, his canon is marked by conflicted patriotism and fluid politics. His signature song, “Okie from Muskogee,” is either a loving tribute to or a scathing indictment of conservative values, depending on the performance, and his turn-of-the-century output has documented his ever-firming opposition to the war in Iraq in real time. In keeping with the leisurely pace and casual mood that have defined his mostly excellent output this decade, Haggard’s latest album is an informal affair self-explanatorily titled The Bluegrass Sessions.