Merle Haggard, born to Oklahoman parents who moved to Bakersfield, California to escape financial hardships during the depression, is an American country music singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Haggard, often called the “poet laureate of the hard hats” because of his intense, dedicated style as a musician who happened to write and perform traditional country songs, holds second place behind Conway Twitty as a record for the most number one country singles. Hardly a year has passed between 1963 and the mid 1980s that he has not had at least one original hit.

Things have not always gone well with Haggard. Following his father’s death when he was nine years old, the young and restless Haggard turned to a life of crime where he was in and out of reform schools. Finding the life of petty crime financially unrewarding, at the age of 20, he and some of his friends burglarized a Bakersfield tavern. They were caught, and Haggard was sent to San Quentin prison to serve three years for his part in the crime. While in prison, he met Johnny Cash who came to the prison to give a music concert. That experience and being so close to death row inmates eventually inspired Haggard to turn his life around.

Not long after prison, a more determined Haggard began to receive musical success. In 1963, he recorded his first successful single records. From that moment on, music became Merle Haggard’s sole life. By 1987, Haggard had 39 hit singles. In 1990, he signed with Curb records where Blue Jungle became the first album cut for the new recording company. Unfortunately, Haggard had a disagreement with Curb over the terms of his new recording contract, and as a result, a new album didn’t appear for nearly four years thereafter. In the meantime, Haggard found himself struggling financially and was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1993. The bankruptcy helped him to financially recover, and still performing today, Haggard released his newest album in April 2010, I Am What I Am.

As you should be able to see from this illustration, bankruptcy can happen at anytime and to anyone. Bankruptcy is not a respecter of persons or circumstances, unless of course, those circumstances happen to be more money than debt. Nevertheless, burglary is obviously not the solution to a persons financial woes. The solution to some financial woes is often exactly what Merle Haggard was forced to realize- to file for bankruptcy. After all, bankruptcy is a legal proceeding that is designed to protect both creditor and debtor and to allow the honest person to work their way out of a bad financial situation. As a society, we have come a long way since the days of debtor prisons and states. The Constitution provides for our protection against those antiquated ways when it gave Congress the power to legislate bankruptcy law making the primary laws governing bankruptcy federal. State laws supplement the federal laws by honing out some of the necessary details.

There are basically two types of bankruptcies an individual can file- a chapter 7 or a chapter 13. A Chapter 7, commonly called liquidation of your assets, is normally the simplest and quickest form of bankruptcy. It is available to individuals, married couples, corporations, and partnerships. A chapter 13 bankruptcy is the second bankruptcy available to individuals and is also called a wage earner’s plan. It enables individuals with regular income to develop a plan to repay all or part of their debts.

If you have an income and qualify for a chapter 13, there are certain advantages for filing one. These advantages are: to save your home from foreclosure; to reschedule secured debts; to provide protection for co-debtors; to consolidate your loans under one plan; to keep non-exempt property; to extend certain tax obligations, student loans, or other such qualifying debts; and to qualify for bankruptcy relief. Filing a chapter 7 will not afford you these various opportunities listed.

If you have found yourself in a situation similar to what Haggard found himself in, don’t burglarize your neighborhood bar. Instead, you may want to consider filing for a voluntary bankruptcy. If this is the case, please consider allowing a bankruptcy lawyer to properly help you understand how complex bankruptcy laws may apply in your situation.

If you have been flirting with bankruptcy, and you live in or around Bakersfield, California, contact us today at  and we will help you find a bankruptcy attorney in your area that will help you with any questions you may have on bankruptcy law.

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