Country legend Merle Haggard went to play at the great honky-tonk in the sky 10 years ago.

He died April 6, 2016, at age 79, during a deeply personal time for Rusty Jackson, director and co-founder of Northwest Country Music and Americana.

"It was about that same time that my wife of 32 years was diagnosed with terminal cancer," Jackson told The Press via email April 29. "She passed less than a year later, and one of the things that hit me was that if I wanted to do things like put on shows at theaters and do concerts that it was time that I stopped thinking about it and started doing it."

Each year since Haggard's passing, Jackson has taken the stage with a simple goal: To honor the man and the music.

"The first time I rented the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane to do the show, I was really taking a big risk and hoping that I wasn't going to just drain my bank account," Jackson said.

That leap of faith led to the creation of Hagfest Northwest, which returns to Lake City Center at 7 p.m. May 16.

"I was first introduced to Merle Haggard's music when I was 12, which is a very impressionable age," Jackson said. "I immediately identified with the honesty and his lyrics and the excellence of his voice. It was truly an incredible combination."

Now celebrating nearly a decade milestone, Jackson said enough tickets have always sold to pay the expenses for Hagfest, but the biggest thing is the response from the music community.

"We've had dozens of artists come out and pay tribute to Merle Haggard, and many of them are 20-somethings because Merle's music truly is timeless," Jackson said.

The twanging of guitars, relatable lyrics and Haggard's recognizable old-school country sound continue to speak to audiences when songs such as "The Bottle Let Me Down," "Today I Started Loving You Again" and "The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde" play on airwaves and jukeboxes or during live shows.

Country music goes through phases. It's always changing, Jackson said, but from time to time, nostalgia kicks in and the old becomes new again. He said a resurgence of what people call "'90s country" is currently taking place, with Washington's own Zach Top a popular country singer-songwriter.

"I write and record my own music, but I love paying tribute to the artist that inspired me in the first place and Merle holds a very high place on that list of inspirations," Jackson said. “I always felt like Merle’s story needed to be told along with the songs. It’s one thing to hear the music; it’s another to understand where it came from."

"Perhaps more than anyone else, Merle Haggard decided to just go ahead and tell his own true story about his time in prison and his struggles in life and his worldview."

Hagfest Northwest will feature a full band and about 30 songs to celebrate Haggard's memory and music as performance blends with tales that follow his storied journey — growing up as a troubled youth in a converted boxcar, serving time in prison, finding redemption through music and ultimately becoming one of the most respected artists in country music history. 

Tickets are available at hagfestcda.eventbrite.com. Admission is $39 for general admission, $29 for seniors 55 and older and $19 for youth younger than 18. Online fees apply. Senior tickets bought at the door will be discounted to $25.

Lake City Center is at 1916 N. Lakewood Drive.

    From left, Duane Becker (seated, playing the steel guitar), Robert Moss, Mel Dalton and Rusty Jackson perform at the Spokane Tribe Casino in Airway Heights during Hagfest 2025. The celebration of Merle Haggard's music and life will return to Coeur d'Alene when Hagfest 2026 starts at 7 p.m. May 16 at Lake City Center.