Dwight Yoakam

Dwight Yoakam was born in Pikeville, Kentucky.

Dwight David Yoakam was born October 23, 1956, in Pikeville, Kentucky.^[2][1] He is the oldest of three children to David Yoakam and Ruth Ann Tibbs. At the time of Yoakam's birth, his father was serving in the United States Army.^[4] After David Yoakam was discharged from the Army, the Yoakams moved to Columbus, Ohio.^[5] By this point the couple had a second son named Ronald and a daughter named Kimberly.^[4] Meanwhile, David supported his family through a number of odd jobs which included factory work at Westinghouse Electric Corporation and ownership of a Texaco gas station.^[4] Yoakam's father had acquired a guitar manufactured by the Kay Musical Instrument Company while in the Army, and gave it to Yoakam after being unable to learn to play it himself. Although Yoakam later broke this guitar, he received another one as a Christmas present while he was in the fourth grade. He also wrote his first song around this point.^[4] As a child, Yoakam took influence from the music that his parents listened to on records as well as WMNI, then an AM country music radio station in Columbus.^[4] Among these records were compilations by Johnny Cash and Johnny Horton.^[4] According to his mother, the family would also sing songs to each other when on road trips to visit Yoakam's maternal grandparents. Yoakam himself also stated that he took influence from rock and roll acts he had seen on television, such as Elvis Presley.^[4]

The Yoakam family moved to another neighborhood of Columbus in 1968, where Yoakam attended high school. His mother encouraged all three of her children to join the school's band, in which Yoakam played drums. He also attended drama class, which led to him playing the role of Charlie in a production of Flowers for Algernon. Yoakam later attributed this performance as giving him more confidence performing in front of others.^[4] In his senior year of high school, Yoakam and some classmates formed a rock and roll band to compete in the school's talent show.^[1][4] The band became popular enough that they began performing at a number of private parties throughout Columbus as The Greaser Band. Yoakam attended Ohio State University, but quickly dropped out in order to focus on his musical career.^[1] While playing at a club in Gahanna, Ohio, Yoakam was approached by a man who promised a musical contract but later turned out to be a con artist. Despite this, Yoakam chose to move to Nashville, Tennessee, to continue pursuing a career in country music. He faced difficulty in the Nashville music scene, as his style was more indebted to honky-tonk and bluegrass music at a time when such sounds were not popular compared to country pop and Nashville sound.^[1]

Yoakam then moved to Los Angeles, California, at the encouragement of Billy Alves, a former member of the Greaser Band. While he was initially unsuccessful there as well, he met guitarist and record producer Pete Anderson at a Los Angeles bar in 1982. The two became friends when they realized they had common interest in musicians such as Merle Haggard.^[1] Anderson also observed that cowpunk and alternative country were popular in California through acts such as Joe Ely, Rank and File, and Lone Justice. By performing at clubs where these acts also performed, Yoakam was thus able to gain further exposure.^[4]

Discover more about Biography related topics

Pikeville, Kentucky

Pikeville, Kentucky

Pikeville is a city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. During the 2020 U.S. Census, the population within Pikeville's city limits was 7,754. In Kentucky's current city classification system, Pikeville is a home rule-class city, a category that includes all of the state's more than 400 cities except for the two largest, Louisville and Lexington.

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest after Chicago, and the third-most populous U.S. state capital. Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. It is the core city of the Columbus metropolitan area, which encompasses 10 counties in central Ohio. It had a population of 2,138,926 in 2020, making it the largest metropolitan entirely in Ohio and 32nd-largest city in the U.S.

Texaco

Texaco

Texaco, Inc. is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company until its refining operations merged into Chevron, at which time most of its station franchises were divested to Shell plc through its American division.

Kay Musical Instrument Company

Kay Musical Instrument Company

Kay Musical Instrument Company was an American musical instrument manufacturer established in 1931 by namesake Henry "Kay" Kuhrmeyer and based in Chicago, Illinois. It was formed when Kuhrmeyer bought out his financial backers in the instrument manufacturer Stromberg-Voisinet. They produced guitars, mandolins, banjos, ukuleles and were known for their use of lamination in the construction of arched top instruments.

Phonograph record

Phonograph record

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AM broadcasting

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Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash

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Johnny Horton

Johnny Horton

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Rock and roll

Rock and roll

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Elvis Presley

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Flowers for Algernon

Flowers for Algernon

Flowers for Algernon is a short story by American author Daniel Keyes, later expanded by him into a novel and subsequently adapted for film and other media. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960. The novel was published in 1966 and was joint winner of that year's Nebula Award for Best Novel.

Ohio State University

Ohio State University

The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, Ohio State was founded in 1870 as the state's land-grant university and the ninth university in Ohio with the Morrill Act of 1862. Ohio State was originally known as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College and focused on various agricultural and mechanical disciplines, but it developed into a comprehensive university under the direction of then-Governor and later U.S. president Rutherford B. Hayes, and in 1878, the Ohio General Assembly passed a law changing the name to "the Ohio State University" and broadening the scope of the university. Admission standards tightened and became greatly more selective throughout the 2000s and 2010s.

1984–1986: Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.

Pete Anderson, seen here in 2009, produced and played lead guitar on the majority of Yoakam's albums.

By 1984, Yoakam had written a large number of songs. Anderson then encouraged him to record some of them on an extended play. He also served as producer and lead guitarist on the project, roles he would serve throughout most of Yoakam's career.^[6] The EP was titled Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. and was released through the Oak Records label. It consisted of five of Yoakam's original compositions, plus a cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire".^[4] Songs from the extended play received airplay on independent radio stations throughout Los Angeles.^[1] Later in the year Yoakam was chosen to serve as an opening act for The Blasters. This led to him being discovered by Reprise Records executive Paige Levy, who helped Yoakam sign with the label in 1986.^[4] Reprise re-issued Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. that year with four more tracks, thus making it his debut album.^[1] One of the added tracks was "Bury Me", a duet with Maria McKee.^[7] The first single off the album was a cover of Johnny Horton's 1956 single "Honky Tonk Man". Yoakam's rendition of the song charted at number three on Billboard Hot Country Songs in mid-1986.^[2] The song was even more successful in Canada, reaching the number one position on that nation's country music charts then published by RPM.^[8] "Honky Tonk Man" also received a music video, which in 1986 became the first by a country artist to air on MTV.^[9] The album itself reached the number one position on Billboard Top Country Albums.^[10]

Two more singles followed, both of which Yoakam wrote himself. These were "Guitars, Cadillacs" and "It Won't Hurt", both of which made Hot Country Songs.^[2] Thirteen years after its release, Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), honoring shipments of two million copies in the United States.^[11] At the 29th Annual Grammy Awards in 1987, the album was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and "Guitars, Cadillacs" was nominated for Best Country Song.^[12] The Country Music Association (CMA) also nominated Yoakam for the Horizon Award (now called Best New Artist) and "Honky Tonk Man" for Music Video of the Year.^[13] Yoakam also won Top New Male Vocalist at the 1986 Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards.^[14]

The album was reviewed favorably. Thom Jurek of AllMusic wrote of the album that it contained influences of Bob Dylan and Bakersfield sound. His review also noted the number of personal songs written by Yoakam himself, as well as the cover versions of "Ring of Fire" and Ray Price's "Heartaches by the Number".^[7] Ron Fell of Gavin Report compared Yoakam's musical image favorably to Buddy Holly and Bruce Springsteen while also stating that Yoakam had "an authenticity to his persona".^[15] Writing for the Rapid City Journal, Leonard Running noted the use of fiddle, steel guitar, and Dobro in the production.^[16]

1987: Hillbilly Deluxe

Yoakam's second Reprise album Hillbilly Deluxe was released in 1987.^[1] The album was also led off by a cover song; specifically, Elvis Presley's "Little Sister". After this were Yoakam's original compositions "Little Ways" and "Please, Please Baby", followed by a cover of Lefty Frizzell's "Always Late with Your Kisses". All four of these cuts made top ten on the country music charts between 1987 and early 1988.^[2] "Little Ways" was a number one single on the Canadian RPM country charts.^[17] Also covered on the album was Stonewall Jackson's "Smoke Along the Track".^[18] One of the other tracks on the album was "Readin', Rightin', Rt. 23", an autobiographical song which Yoakam wrote about the towns along U.S. Route 23 in Kentucky near his grandparents' houses.^[4] Hillbilly Deluxe was certified platinum for shipments of one million copies,^[11] and earned Yoakam another Grammy Award nomination in the category Best Male Country Vocal Performance.^[12] It also reached number one on Top Country Albums.^[10] Jurek praised the cover songs in his review for AllMusic, where he compared Yoakam's vocal phrasing favorably to Merle Haggard. He also noted the use of lap steel guitar and fiddle in Anderson's production, as well as Yoakam's lyrics on "Readin', Rightin', Rt. 23".^[18] An uncredited review in Music & Media magazine stated, "The album features sophisticated, yet fresh country music with rollicking C&W guitar lines, supplemented with Yoakam's straight, yearning vocals."^[19]

1988–1989: Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room and Just Lookin' for a Hit

Yoakam had a number one single in 1988 with "Streets of Bakersfield", a duet with Buck Owens (pictured here in 1977).

His third Reprise album was 1988's Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room. The album was his third and final to top the Billboard country albums chart.^[10] Its first two singles were also his only number one entries on Hot Country Songs, both peaking there in 1988. These were a cover of Buck Owens' "Streets of Bakersfield" which featured Owens on duet vocals, and "I Sang Dixie".^[2] Before "Streets of Bakersfield" was recorded for the album, Yoakam had contacted Owens (who was retired from performing at the time) and convinced him to sing the song on a television special for CBS. The commercial success of the studio version also led to Owens ending his retirement and re-signing with Capitol Records later in the decade.^[20] The third single from Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room was "I Got You"; while this song reached number five on the country charts, the album's title track failed to enter top 40.^[2] This album once again featured Maria McKee on backing vocals, along with accompaniment by Tejano accordionist Flaco Jiménez. Also covered on the album were Hank Locklin's "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" and Johnny Cash's "Home of the Blues". Jurek thought that the album "shows the first signs of beginning to stretch out and be comfortable with his unique approach to hard honky tonk music, Bakersfield-style".^[21] Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room and "Streets of Bakersfield" were respectively nominated for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards.^[12] The latter also received a CMA nomination for Vocal Event of the Year.^[13]

Yoakam ended the 1980s with his first greatest hits album, Just Lookin' for a Hit. The album consisted of eight previously-released singles and two newly-recorded cover songs. These were of The Blasters' "Long White Cadillac" and The Flying Burrito Brothers' "Sin City", the latter of which Yoakam recorded as a duet with k.d. lang.^[6][22] "Long White Cadillac" was issued as a single, reaching number 35 on the country music charts.^[2][1] The "Sin City" cover received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.^[12]

1990–1992: If There Was a Way

Yoakam wrote several songs with Kostas in the 1990s.

In 1990, Yoakam entered the Billboard country charts for the thirteenth time with "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose", which peaked at number eleven.^[2] This song led off his fourth studio album If There Was a Way. The album would account for five more singles between 1990 and 1992: "You're the One", "Nothing's Changed Here", "It Only Hurts When I Cry", "The Heart That You Own", and the Patty Loveless duet "Send a Message to My Heart". Of these, all except "Send a Message to My Heart" were top-20 country hits.^[2] "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, Yoakam's fourth nomination in that category.^[12]

Unlike his previous albums, Yoakam co-wrote several tracks on If There Was a Way with other writers. He wrote with Roger Miller on "It Only Hurts When I Cry", a song to which Miller also contributed backing vocals.^[23] Yoakam had met Miller at the Grammy Awards and presented him with the title, and Miller agreed to co-write the song after Yoakam stated he was a fan of Miller's music.^[24] "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" was one of the first successful cuts for Greek-American songwriter Kostas.^[25] Record producer Tony Brown had sent Kostas' demo of the song to Pete Anderson because he thought the song sounded like Yoakam had written it. Because of this, Anderson suggested that Yoakam begin writing songs with Kostas.^[24] The two co-wrote both "Nothing's Changed Here" and "Send a Message to My Heart" on If There Was a Way, leading to further collaborations on subsequent albums.^[2] Yoakam had written "You're the One" in 1978 about a woman with whom he had ended a relationship.^[26] In addition to Roger Miller, backing vocals on the album included Amy Ray (of the Indigo Girls) and bluegrass musician Tim O'Brien.^[23] Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly rated the album "A", stating that it continued on the "hillbilly" themes of his previous albums while also containing more rock and roll influence than its predecessors.^[27] Jurek praised the album for rock influences as well, particularly the cover of "Let's Work Together".^[28]

Yoakam contributed to two movie soundtracks in 1992. First, he cut two songs for Falling from Grace, the 1992 directorial debut of rock singer John Mellencamp. Yoakam performed Mellencamp's composition "Common Day Man";^[29] the two also joined Joe Ely, John Prine, and James McMurtry on the track "Sweet Suzanne". Credited to Buzzin' Cousins, this song charted on Hot Country Songs for five weeks in early 1992.^[30] It also accounted for Yoakam's second CMA nomination in the category of Vocal Event of the Year.^[13] Later in the year, Yoakam covered Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds" for the soundtrack of Honeymoon in Vegas. This rendition charted on Hot Country Songs by year's end.^[2] In addition to these, he re-recorded "Miner's Prayer", a track from Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc., as a duet with bluegrass singer Ralph Stanley on the latter's 1992 album Saturday Night & Sunday Morning.^[31] This track was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.^[12] Finally, Yoakam released an album titled La Croix d'Amour for the European market in 1992. This consisted mainly of selections from other albums, as well as previously-unreleased cover songs.^[5]

1993–1996: This Time, Dwight Live, and Gone

For his next studio album, 1993's This Time, Yoakam wrote either by himself or in collaboration with Kostas. The only exception was the album's lead single "Ain't That Lonely Yet", which Kostas co-wrote with James House.^[32] This song peaked at number two on the Billboard country charts,^[2] while also topping the American Radio & Records country music charts and Canadian RPM country charts.^[33][34] It won Yoakam the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1993, his first win from that association.^[12] This Time charted four more singles between 1993 and 1994. First were "A Thousand Miles from Nowhere" and "Fast as You", which both achieved peaks of number two as well. The latter also became Yoakam's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 70.^[2] After these were "Try Not to Look So Pretty" and "Pocket of a Clown", which were less successful on the charts.^[2] Of the album, Anderson told Gavin Report that "It's really the first record we've made where we just took all the boundaries down", while Yoakam himself said that "I felt that my musical statements on the preceding albums were valid, but that they were complete statements and there was no need to further articulate them. It was time to allow my music latitude."^[24] He cited the track "Home for Sale" as an example, describing it as a "stone country" lyric backed by a Hammond organ, an instrument not commonly used in country.^[24] Jurek noted influences of doo-wop in "Pocket of a Clown" and of Roy Orbison in "Ain't That Lonely Yet".^[35] In July 1994, Yoakam began the This Time Tour, a 75-city tour which featured Alison Krauss and Union Station as an opening act.^[36][24] The Country Music Association nominated "Ain't That Lonely Yet" for Single of the Year in 1993, and Yoakam himself in the category Male Vocalist of the Year in 1994.^[13] The album achieved his highest RIAA certification, for triple-platinum in 1996.^[11]

Yoakam performing in 2008.

Yoakam released two albums in 1995. The first was Dwight Live, a live album composed of a July 1994 concert in San Francisco from the This Time Tour.^[1] Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote of this album that "nothing on the album improves on the original recorded versions",^[37] while Tony Scherman of Entertainment Weekly thought the album was "beautifully paced" and showed Yoakam's strengths as a vocalist.^[38] The album was certified gold in 1996.^[11] His other release for 1995 was the studio album Gone. Yoakam wrote the entire album, collaborating with Kostas on two songs. Among the backing vocalists were Carl Jackson, Jim Lauderdale, Joy Lynn White, and The Rembrandts.^[39] "Nothing", one of the collaborations with Kostas, was selected as the lead single and charted at number 20 on Hot Country Songs in 1995. The song's B-side "Gone (That'll Be Me)" and "Sorry You Asked?" were released as singles as well, though neither reached top 40.^[2] Jurek thought that individual tracks displayed influences of rhythm and blues, mariachi, Tejano music, and psychedelic rock.^[40] Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time wrote that Gone was "a critically received album, which did not do boffo numbers because Yoakam received very little airplay for what was probably his most musically diverse album. And in some parts of the country, his tour did not draw crowds either."^[41]

1997–1998: Under the Covers, Come On Christmas, A Long Way Home

Yoakam's next release for Reprise was 1997's Under the Covers, an album composed entirely of cover songs.^[1] Yoakam and Anderson had begun recording songs for this project prior to Gone, while other selections previously appeared on La Croix d'Amour.^[41] The project accounted for only one single in a rendition of The Everly Brothers' "Claudette".^[2] Bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley played banjo on a cover of The Clash's "Train in Vain", while Sheryl Crow sang duet vocals on a cover of Sonny & Cher's "Baby Don't Go". Jurek wrote of this album, "While this set is not perfect, it's still damn fine and warrants repeated listens to come to grips with Yoakam's visionary ambition."^[42] Remz praised the covers of Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" and "Train in Vain" in particular, but criticized the cover of The Beatles' "Things We Said Today".^[43] After this was an album of Christmas music titled Come On Christmas, released later in the year. Yoakam wrote the title track and "Santa Can't Stay", while the rest of the album largely consisted of traditional Christmas songs such as "Away in a Manger" and "Silver Bells". Thom Owens of AllMusic wrote that the album contained "high-spirited, entertaining country-rockers that may not add anything new to Yoakam's catalog, but they make the record an enjoyable holiday album."^[44]

Between 1995 and 1997, Yoakam received three consecutive Grammy nominations in the category of Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The songs nominated in this category were "Pocket of a Clown", "A Thousand Miles from Nowhere", and "Nothing". He also received three consecutive nominations for Best Country Album between 1996 and 1998, with the nominations going to Dwight Live, Gone, and Under the Covers.^[12] After these was his next studio album of original content, 1998's A Long Way Home.^[1] Yoakam wrote the entire project by himself, making it his first not to have any co-writers or cover songs.^[45] The album charted two singles in "Things Change" and "These Arms".^[2] This album also featured Ralph Stanley, this time as a duet partner on "Traveler's Lantern".^[46] Brian Steinberg of Country Standard Time thought that the album was "back to basics" and comparable to Yoakam's releases in the 1980s, stating that "This isn't Yoakam's most innovative work, but it contains enough moments to make it worth attention."^[46] Also in 1998, Yoakam funded a charity album for release on Little Dog Records, a label which his then-producer and guitarist Pete Anderson owned. This album was titled Will Sing for Food and featured other artists recording renditions of Yoakam's songs. Among the artists contributing were Sara Evans, Mandy Barnett, Kim Richey, Gillian Welch, and David Ball.^[47] Nash contrasted these two albums in a double review, calling A Long Way Home "a fresh, dynamic set, updating his trademark Bakersfield-does-L.A. sound without sacrificing his honky-tonk roots" while stating that Will Sing for Food had "stunningly original interpretations".^[48] Steinberg gave the latter a mixed review, praising the contributions of Bonnie Bramlett and Scott Joss while considering other cuts on the album too similar in sound to Yoakam's originals.^[49]

1998–1999: Last Chance for a Thousand Years: Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits from the 90's

Yoakam had a hit in 1999 with a cover of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".

In 1998, Columbia Records released A Tribute to Tradition, a multi-artist tribute album to 1960s and 1970s country music. Yoakam was one of several artists featured on the album's closing track "Same Old Train", an original composition by Marty Stuart.^[50] The track featured twelve other country musicians, including Earl Scruggs, Merle Haggard, Clint Black, and Randy Travis. It charted for five weeks on Hot Country Songs in late 1998.^[51] The song won Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, thus giving Yoakam his second win from the organization.^[12] It was also nominated for CMA Vocal Event of the Year.^[13]

Yoakam ended the decade with his second greatest-hits package, Last Chance for a Thousand Years: Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits from the 90's. In addition to tracks from his 1990s Reprise albums, the compilation included three new songs. These were covers of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and Waylon Jennings' "I'll Go Back to Her" and the new song "Thinking About Leaving", which Yoakam wrote with Rodney Crowell.^[52] The cover of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" served as the album's lead single, peaking at 12 on the country charts and 64 on the Hot 100.^[2] It was also his final number one on the Canadian country music charts published by RPM before that publication closed in 2000.^[53] "Thinking About Leaving" was also issued as a single, but did not enter the country music top 40.^[2] In 2000, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.^[12]

2000–01: dwightyoakamacoustic.net and Tomorrow's Sounds Today

Yoakam's tenure with Reprise Records ended with a pair of albums both released in 2000. The first was dwightyoakamacoustic.net, composed entirely of acoustic recordings with just Yoakam's vocal and acoustic guitar. The only exception was a re-recording of "Guitars, Cadillacs", which Yoakam performed a cappella.^[54] Yoakam said that he was inspired to do such an album due to the success of similar acoustic renditions in his concerts. He had originally planned to release the album through his website until representatives of Reprise Records thought the album had sales potential. The album itself had minimalistic packaging as well, consisting solely of a sticker with the album's name on the front of an otherwise-clear CD case.^[55] Steve Huey of AllMusic thought that the album's minimalism allowed a greater focus on Yoakam's vocal interpretation than previous albums.^[54]

His other release in 2000 was Tomorrow's Sounds Today.^[1] The album accounted for two charted singles in "What Do You Know About Love" and a cover of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me".^[2] Yoakam co-wrote with Buck Owens on three tracks: "The Sad Side of Town", "Alright, I'm Wrong", and "I Was There", the latter two of which were also recorded as duets with him. Although the two had previously sung together on "Streets of Bakersfield", Owens rejected further collaborations throughout the 1990s as he considered Yoakam "too young", but ultimately agreed to collaborate again when the two met at a concert in 1999.^[56] Writing for AllMusic, Hal Horowitz thought the Owens collaborations showed Yoakam's continued influence of the Bakersfield sound of which Owens was a part. He also praised the guitar work of Pete Anderson and compared Yoakam's lyrical style to that of Hank Williams.^[57] Scherman was less favorable, considering the material "forgettable" despite describing Anderson's guitar work with favor.^[58] Yoakam received his final CMA nomination in 2001, when that institution nominated "Alright, I'm Wrong" for Vocal Event of the Year.^[13] At the end of his contract with Reprise, parent company Warner Records issued a box set album titled Reprise, Please, Baby: The Warner Bros. Years. The package consisted of 89 tracks from Yoakam's Reprise catalog, including previously-unreleased songs and early demos. Also included was a duet with Kelly Willis on a cover of George Jones and Tammy Wynette's "Golden Ring".^[59]

2002–04: Population Me and compilations

Yoakam spent much of 2001 and 2002 touring with Brooks & Dunn. He also founded a new record label called Electrodisc after his contract with Reprise expired.^[60] The label partnered with Audium Records (now MNRK Music Group) for distribution.^[61] His first Audium release was 2003's Population Me.^[1] This album charted two singles, both of which were covers: Gregg Henry's "The Back of Your Hand" and Mike Stinson's "The Late Great Golden State".^[2] Also covered on this album was Burt Bacharach's "Trains and Boats and Planes". Timothy B. Schmit provided backing vocals on "The Late Great Golden State", while Willie Nelson sang duet vocals on "If Teardrops Were Diamonds". Jurek found influences of Jackson Browne, the Eagles, and Chuck Berry in the album's sound.^[62] Messinger wrote of the album that "the complex, innovative sound he and Anderson have developed certainly merits repeated exploration."^[63]

Between 2003 and 2004, Yoakam released three more compilations of covers albums to fulfill contractual obligations with his labels.^[64] The first was 2003's In Others' Words on Reprise. This consisted entirely of cover songs mostly from movie soundtracks and tribute albums to which Yoakam contributed. The oldest track was a cover of the Grateful Dead's "Truckin'", which Yoakam cut in 1991.^[65] Jurek wrote that the compilation was "far from a stellar set but does fill in the gaps nicely."^[66] Rhino Records released a greatest-hits package titled The Very Best of Dwight Yoakam in 2004. This compilation was certified gold after its release.^[11] Erlewine thought that while the album did not contain many of his earlier songs, it otherwise showed the range of his styles and would have potential appeal to fans who preferred his more rock-influenced cuts such as the covers of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "I Want You to Want Me".^[67] His third and final compilation was Dwight's Used Records on Audium also in 2004. Among the collaborators on this project were Heather Myles, Deana Carter, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Artists covered included John Prine's "Paradise", ZZ Top's "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide", and Johnny Cash's "Understand Your Man".^[68] Country Standard Time writer Eli Messinger thought that, by drawing from a decade's worth of material, the album showed new variety in Yoakam's style over his traditional studio albums.^[69]

2005–2007: Blame the Vain and Dwight Sings Buck

In 2005, Yoakam signed with New West Records, an Americana music label based out of California. His first release for the label was 2005's Blame the Vain. It was also Yoakam's first credit as a producer, as he had ended his relationship with Pete Anderson in 2004. At the time, former RCA Records artist Keith Gattis had taken over as Yoakam's guitarist and bandleader.^[70] Yoakam said that he had contacted a number of producers until Gattis encouraged him to produce by himself.^[71] New West partnered with Columbia Records to release two singles to radio.^[71] These were "Intentional Heartache" and the title track, which both made the lower regions of the country charts in 2005 and accounted for Yoakam's last appearance there.^[2] In the book Dwight Yoakam: A Thousand Miles from Nowhere, Don McLeese thought that Anderson's absence gave the album "an unbridled lack of restraint", citing the hard rock sound and spoken-word coda of "Intentional Heartache" as examples.^[72] Ray Waddell of Billboard also noted a "hard-charging" sound to the album, comparing various tracks to Elvis Presley.^[73] Rhino Records re-issued Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc, Etc. in 2006 to honor the album's 20th anniversary. This re-issue included previously unreleased demos and live tracks, along with liner notes written by Yoakam.^[74]

After Buck Owens' death in 2006, Yoakam began performing covers of Buck Owens songs in concert. This culminated in his 2007 album Dwight Sings Buck, composed entirely of Buck Owens covers. Yoakam recorded the project with his touring band, which at the time included then-former Mavericks member Eddie Perez on lead guitar. Yoakam stated that he and the band listened to Owens' originals to draw inspiration from the recordings. Among the songs chosen were "Act Naturally", "Crying Time", and "Close Up the Honky Tonks", the last of which served as the lead single.^[75] A review in AllMusic was favorable, stating that "He doesn't set out to imitate Owens' style or delivery, but he does capture the essence of each song, playing them as Buck intended: no frills, no foolin' around".^[76]

2008–present: 3 Pears, Second Hand Heart, and Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars...

Yoakam performed at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2008, where he was joined by Faith Hill. This was Yoakam's first appearance at the event in over 20 years.^[77] He otherwise performed very few concerts in 2009 and 2010, citing the Great Recession and the rise of digital music distribution as a reason behind the slower pace of his career at the time. Despite this, he still stated that he planned to continue releasing albums.^[78] In July 2011, he re-signed with Warner for his next album, 2012's 3 Pears.^[79] The album included production from rock musician Beck on two tracks. Upon release it became his highest entry on the Billboard 200 albums chart, reaching number 18.^[1] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times thought the album displayed a "softer side" than Yoakam's previous efforts.^[80] Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote of the album, "Yoakam has surprised by digging deeper into every one of his obsessions, creating a record that captures the careening, adventurous spirit of the '60s without ever feeling doggedly retro. It's as fresh as any music he's ever made, and one of his very best albums."^[81]

His next Warner album was 2015's Second Hand Heart. It reached the number two position on Top Country Albums after its release, his highest peak on that chart since Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room in 1988.^[82] It consisted almost entirely of original songs written by Yoakam, except a cover of the standard "Man of Constant Sorrow" and Anthony Crawford's "V's of Birds". Erlewine found influences of The Beatles, Buck Owens, and cowpunk in the album's arrangements.^[83] Ann Powers of NPR's First Listen shared a similar opinion of the album, also praising the "brightness" of its sound.^[84]

In 2016 Yoakam was contacted by a label executive of Sugar Hill Records, who wanted him to record a bluegrass music album for them.^[85] This album, Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars..., was released that same year. It mostly comprises re-recordings of previous songs in his career, including "Guitars, Cadillacs" and "Please, Please Baby".^[86] Yoakam co-produced with Jon Randall and Gary Paczosa.^[87] The album included musical accompaniment by Alison Krauss & Union Station members Adam Steffey and Barry Bales on mandolin and upright bass respectively. Also contributing were guitarist Bryan Sutton, fiddler Stuart Duncan, and banjoist Scott Vestal.^[85] In addition to his own material, Yoakam covered Prince's "Purple Rain".^[86] Yoakam chose to cover the song the day Prince died, as he had seen the news of the musician's death on television prior to recording.^[88] Chuck Dauphin of Sounds Like Nashville thought the album brought out the bluegrass influences already present in such songs as "What I Don't Know".^[86] Deming called the album "a stylistic detour for Dwight Yoakam, but its execution sums up many of his greatest strengths as an artist".^[89] Also in 2016, Yoakam released covers of The Monkees' "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" and Johnny Rivers' "Mountain of Love" on limited edition vinyl through Third Man Records, a label owned by Jack White.^[90]

Although he has not released any albums since 2016, Yoakam has continued to tour and perform.^[85] In 2017, Yoakam covered "Wichita Lineman" at a tribute ceremony to songwriter Jimmy Webb held at Carnegie Hall.^[91] In 2018, Yoakam was selected by SiriusXM satellite radio to curate his own show, Bakersfield Beat, on that company's Prime Country channel. The success of this led to Yoakam receiving his own channel also named Bakersfield Beat, in which he plays his own songs as well as those in the genres of Bakersfield sound, cowpunk, and country rock.^[92]

In 2022, he started the LSD Tour with Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle.^[93] He also performed a concert with Old Crow Medicine Show in 2022 to honor the 30th anniversary of Hillbilly Deluxe.^[94]

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Extended play

Extended play

An extended play (EP) is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. Contemporary EPs generally contain four or five tracks, and are considered "less expensive and time-consuming" for an artist to produce than an album. An EP originally referred to specific types of records other than 78 rpm standard play (SP) and LP, but it is now applied to mid-length CDs and downloads as well. In K-pop they are usually referred to as mini albums. Ricardo Baca of The Denver Post said, "EPs—originally extended-play 'single' releases that are shorter than traditional albums—have long been popular with punk and indie bands." In the United Kingdom, the Official Chart Company defines a boundary between EP and album classification at 25 minutes of maximum length and no more than four tracks.

Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.

Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.

Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. is country music artist Dwight Yoakam's first album. It was also the first of three consecutive No. 1 Billboard Country albums for him. This was Yoakam's first time working with record producer-guitarist Pete Anderson, who would become a long-term collaborator.

Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash

John R. Cash was an American country singer-songwriter. Most of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his career. He was known for his deep, calm bass-baritone voice, the distinctive sound of his Tennessee Three backing band characterized by train-like chugging guitar rhythms, a rebelliousness coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor, free prison concerts, and a trademark all-black stage wardrobe, which earned him the nickname the "Man in Black".

Maria McKee

Maria McKee

Maria Luisa McKee is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her work with Lone Justice, her 1990 song "Show Me Heaven", and her song "If Love Is a Red Dress " from the film Pulp Fiction.

Johnny Horton

Johnny Horton

John LaGale Horton was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Initially performing traditional country, Horton later performed rockabilly songs. He is best known for a series of history-inspired narrative country saga songs that became international hits. His 1959 single "The Battle of New Orleans" was awarded the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. The song was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award and in 2001 ranked No. 333 of the Recording Industry Association of America's "Songs of the Century". His first No. 1 country song was in 1959, "When It's Springtime in Alaska ".

Honky-Tonk Man

Honky-Tonk Man

"Honky-Tonk Man" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer Johnny Horton. It was released in March 1956 as his debut single on Columbia Records, and the album of the same name reaching number 9 on the U.S. country singles charts. Horton re-released the song six years later, taking it to number 11 on the same chart.

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music industry. Its music charts include the Hot 100, the 200, and the Global 200, tracking the most popular albums and songs in different genres of music. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows.

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.

Music video

Music video

A music video, sometimes abbreviated to M/V, is a video of variable duration that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. These videos are typically shown on music television and on streaming video sites like YouTube, or more rarely shown theatrically. They can be commercially issued on home video, either as video albums or video singles.

MTV

MTV

MTV is a 24-hour American cable music video channel officially launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global.

Guitars, Cadillacs

Guitars, Cadillacs

"Guitars, Cadillacs" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released in June 1986 as the second single and partial title track from his debut album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.. It peaked at number 4 in the United States, and number 2 in Canada.

It Won't Hurt

It Won't Hurt

"It Won't Hurt" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released in November 1986 as the third and final single from his debut album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.. While it missed the top 30 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, it became a top ten hit in Canada, peaking at number 7 on the Canadian RPM country singles chart. The song can be heard during the outro to Yoakam's music video for "Honky-Tonk Man".

Yoakam starred in the 1996 movie Sling Blade, written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton.

Yoakam holds several acting roles in both film and television. One of his first was a recurring role in the 1991 CBS crime drama P.S. I Luv U. He also had a role in the 1993 movie Red Rock West.^[95] In 1996, actor-director Billy Bob Thornton cast Yoakam as the character Doyle Hargraves in the film Sling Blade.^[96] Yoakam had been recommended the role by his manager, and told the website Country Daily in 2016 that Sling Blade was the first role in his acting career which he thought would have a lasting impact.^[97] Yoakam and the rest of the film's cast were nominated in 1997 for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.^[98] He appeared in the 1998 Richard Linklater film The Newton Boys, and wrote most of the songs for his album A Long Way Home at this film's shooting locations throughout Austin, Texas.^[45] In 1999, Yoakam and Sheryl Crow appeared in the thriller The Minus Man.^[99]

A year later he co-wrote, directed, and starred in a Western film titled South of Heaven, West of Hell. He also composed a soundtrack of the same name.^[100] The movie was a financial failure, leading to many of its crew members filing claims against Yoakam in small claims court.^[101] In addition, Yoakam fired Pete Anderson from his touring band in 2002 as a means of recouping the finances lost by this movie.^[102] Zac Johnson of AllMusic criticized the soundtrack for including snippets of film dialogue between tracks, although he praised the individual songs and their inclusion of collaborators such as Bekka Bramlett, Mick Jagger, and Billy Gibbons.^[103]

In 2002, Yoakam had a role in the David Fincher movie Panic Room. Before the movie's release, he told the Associated Press that he did not consider acting significantly different from recording music because both roles were "fragmented" and required "repetition of performance".^[104] Between 2005 and 2006, he also appeared in the movies Bandidas, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, and Wedding Crashers.^[71] In 2014, Yoakam had a recurring role in season two of the CBS science fiction series Under the Dome.^[105] He also reunited with Thornton for season one of the Amazon Prime Video original series Goliath.^[106]

Discover more about Acting related topics

Sling Blade

Sling Blade

Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars in the lead role. Set in Arkansas, it is the story of intellectually challenged Karl Childers, and the friendship he develops with a boy and his mother. Karl was released from a psychiatric hospital, where he had grown up due to having killed his mother and her lover when he was 12 years old. It also stars Dwight Yoakam, J. T. Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black, Natalie Canerday, James Hampton, and Robert Duvall.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller One False Move, and received international attention after writing, directing, and starring in the independent drama film Sling Blade (1996), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He appeared in several major film roles in the 1990s following Sling Blade, including Oliver Stone's neo-noir U Turn (1997), political drama Primary Colors (1998), science fiction disaster film Armageddon (1998), the highest-grossing film of that year, and the crime drama A Simple Plan (1998), which earned him his third Oscar nomination.

CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainment Group division of Paramount Global.

P.S. I Luv U

P.S. I Luv U

P.S. I Luv U is an American crime drama television series that aired on CBS from September 15, 1991 to January 4, 1992 as a part of its 1991–92 schedule. The title derived from the phone number of fictitious Palm Security and Investigations, which was 774-5888, which can be reached by dialing "PSI-LUVU" on a standard North American telephone.

Red Rock West

Red Rock West

Red Rock West is a 1993 American neo-noir thriller film directed by John Dahl and starring Nicolas Cage, Lara Flynn Boyle, J. T. Walsh, and Dennis Hopper. It was written by Dahl and his brother Rick, and shot in Montana, Willcox, Arizona, Sonoita, Arizona and Elgin, Arizona.

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film. It is the final award presented during the ceremony.

Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater

Richard Stuart Linklater is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for films that revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies Slacker (1990) and Dazed and Confused (1993); the Before trilogy of romance films, Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013); the music-themed comedy School of Rock (2003); the adult animated films Waking Life (2001), A Scanner Darkly (2006), and Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood (2022); the coming-of-age drama Boyhood (2014); and the comedy film Everybody Wants Some!! (2016).

Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city in the United States, the fourth-most-populous city in Texas, the second-most-populous state capital city, and the most populous state capital that is not also the most populous city in its state. It has been one of the fastest growing large cities in the United States since 2010. Downtown Austin and Downtown San Antonio are approximately 80 miles (129 km) apart, and both fall along the Interstate 35 corridor. Some observers believe that the two regions may some day form a new "metroplex" similar to Dallas and Fort Worth. Austin is the southernmost state capital in the contiguous United States and is considered a Beta−level global city as categorized by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American musician, singer and songwriter. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three live albums, and contributed to several film soundtracks. Her most popular songs include "All I Wanna Do" (1994), "Strong Enough" (1994), "If It Makes You Happy" (1996), "Everyday Is a Winding Road" (1996), "My Favorite Mistake" (1998), "Picture" and "Soak Up the Sun" (2002).

Small claims court

Small claims court

Small-claims courts have limited jurisdiction to hear civil cases between private litigants. Courts authorized to try small claims may also have other judicial functions, and go by different names in different jurisdictions. For example, it may be known as a county or magistrate's court. These courts can be found in Australia, Brazil, Canada, England and Wales, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Greece, New Zealand, Philippines, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Nigeria and the United States.

Bekka Bramlett

Bekka Bramlett

Rebekka Ruth Lazone Bramlett is an American singer. She is the daughter of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, of the music duo Delaney & Bonnie.

Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger

Sir Michael Philip Jagger is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnership with Keith Richards is one of the most successful in history. Jagger's career has spanned over six decades, and he has been widely described as one of the most popular and influential frontmen in the history of rock music. His distinctive voice and energetic live performances, along with Richards' guitar style, have been the Rolling Stones' trademark throughout the band's career. Jagger gained press notoriety for his romantic involvements and illicit drug use, and was often portrayed as a countercultural figure.

Yoakam's style is defined by a variety of influences both inside and outside country music. These influences include rockabilly,^[3] honky-tonk, neotraditional country, Bakersfield sound, and country rock. Colin Larkin wrote in The Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music that Yoakam's music showed influences of "the honky-tonk country music of Buck Owens and Lefty Frizzell" and "a distinct antipathy toward the Nashville pop/country scene."^[5] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated that "With his stripped-down approach to traditional honky tonk and Bakersfield country, Dwight Yoakam helped return country music to its roots in the late '80s."^[1] Erlewine also noted that Yoakam's fanbase typically consisted of people who listened to roots rock and rock and roll.^[1] Thom Jurek of AllMusic thought that Pete Anderson's electric guitar work was also an important part of his sound, comparing such work to Don Rich of Buck Owens' backing band The Buckaroos.^[28] Jurek also thought that the prominent uses of electric guitar and Hammond organ were examples of Yoakam's rock influences.^[28]

Yoakam describes his own songwriting style as "fragmented". He told Al Caudell of American Songwriter that he usually wrote songs by coming up with a melody and then determining the intended mood. From there, he said he would come up with a "thesis" for the song. He also stated that he preferred not to write in a linear fashion, as he thought writing a song in one sitting would cause him to feel creatively burnt out.^[107] He also said that memories of his childhood were influential in his songwriting style, particularly in the bluegrass music to which he listened; he told American Songwriter that he enjoyed the "irony that's always been part of bluegrass in that it sets melodic, lilting melodies and upbeat tempos with the most tragic lyrics."^[107]

Cyndi Hoelzle of Gavin Report noted Yoakam's appeal outside traditional country music, stating in 1993 that "[h]is records sold across the board-to middle-aged Stonewall Jackson fans and to young punk rockers who'd seen Dwight do his thing in L.A., opening shows for Los Lobos and the Violent Femmes."^[24] Richard Cromelin of The Los Angeles Times noted that Yoakam's musical image was that of a "brooding, intensely private figure driven by restless ambition and an edgy intellectuality more commonly found in rock stars."^[108] In the same article, Yoakam stated that "I found out early that one of the ways I was able to make contact was through musical expression."^[108] Similarly, he told Gavin Report in 1993 that "My nature is to be absolutely dissectively analytic. But with songwriting I have to leave it in a place that's not."^[24] Al Caudell of American Songwriter called Yoakam "a bluntly outspoken advocate of hardcore honky-tonk music".^[107] Yoakam received negative attention from the Nashville music scene early in his career due to his constant criticism of the genre. Among his critcisms were Columbia Records dropping Johnny Cash and MTV refusing to play country music videos.^[109] Of these criticisms, he later stated that "I learned a couple albums in... that my opinions and observations on the industry were not pertinent to what I needed to do as an artist, so I just really began to focus solely on what I was doing at the time."^[56]

Yoakam's musical image is also defined by his typical outfits when onstage. Colin Larkin of The Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music wrote that "like Don Williams and others, he retains the traditional Stetson hat."^[5] Alanna Nash wrote in a review of If There Was a Way that "When Dwight Yoakam first came on the scene, with his hip retro-attitude, concha-studded jeans, and music that often grazed the edge of rock & roll, it was hard to tell whether the California cowboy was for real. The verdict was clear by his third album, Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room, whose key cycle of songs is a classic murder tale that echoes the pride, heartbreak, betrayal, and vengeance of the age-old hillbilly experience."^[27] Al Caudell of American Songwriter noted that Yoakam frequently wore "ripped jeans".^[107] Darryl Smyers of the Dallas Observer wrote that "With his absurdly large hat and Flying Burrito Brothers fashion sense, Yoakam was championed by a surprising mix of punks, rockabilly hounds, and hard-core honky-tonkers."^[110]

Leonard Running of the Rapid City Journal referred to Yoakam's singing style as a "plaintive, yodel-edged voice".^[16] An uncredited review of Gone in No Depression stated, "His voice is pure and sweet, but a precise tool. Only rarely, like on 'Try Not to Look So Pretty'...does it really fall down into an emotional fit."^[111] J. D. Considine of The Baltimore Sun wrote of Yoakam's singing voice that it was a "high, lonesome twang" and a "sweetly nasal tenor".^[112] Similarly, the editors of The Encyclopedia of Country Music described Yoakam as having a "twangy tenor... simply too spellbinding for country radio to ignore."^[6] These editors also thought that Yoakam was more able to break through into mainstream country music than contemporaries such as Lyle Lovett and Steve Earle because "mainstream country has found it easier to digest distorted guitars than ironic lyrics".^[6]

Discover more about Musical styles and influences related topics

Honky-tonk

Honky-tonk

A honky-tonk is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano used to play such music. Bars of this kind are common in the South and Southwest United States. Many eminent country music artists, such as Jimmie Rodgers, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Ernest Tubb, Johnny Horton, and Merle Haggard, began their careers as amateur musicians in honky-tonks.

Bakersfield sound

Bakersfield sound

The Bakersfield sound is a sub-genre of country music developed in the mid-to-late 1950s in and around Bakersfield, California. Bakersfield was the first subgenre of country music significantly influenced by rock and roll, relying heavily on electric instrumentation and a strongly defined backbeat. It was also a reaction against the slickly produced, orchestra-laden Nashville sound, which was becoming popular in the late 1950s. The Bakersfield sound became one of the most popular and influential country genres of the 1960s, initiating a revival of honky-tonk music and influencing later country rock and outlaw country musicians.

Country rock

Country rock

Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal styles, and additional instrumentation, most characteristically pedal steel guitars. Country rock began with artists like Buffalo Springfield, Michael Nesmith, Bob Dylan, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, The International Submarine Band and others, reaching its greatest popularity in the 1970s with artists such as Emmylou Harris, the Eagles, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Linda Ronstadt, Poco, Charlie Daniels Band, and Pure Prairie League. Country rock also influenced artists in other genres, including The Band, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, and George Harrison's solo work, as well as playing a part in the development of Southern rock.

Buck Owens

Buck Owens

Alvis Edgar Owens Jr., known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music chart. He pioneered what came to be called the Bakersfield sound, named in honor of Bakersfield, California, Owens's adopted home and the city from which he drew inspiration for what he preferred to call "American music".

Lefty Frizzell

Lefty Frizzell

William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer.

Nashville sound

Nashville sound

The Nashville Sound originated during the mid-1950s as a subgenre of American country music, replacing the chart dominance of the rough honky tonk music, which was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s, with "smooth strings and choruses", "sophisticated background vocals" and "smooth tempos" associated with traditional pop. It was an attempt "to revive country sales, which had been devastated by the rise of rock 'n' roll" as a distinct genre from the rockabilly spawned from it.

Don Rich

Don Rich

Donald Eugene Ulrich, best known by the stage name Don Rich, was an American country musician who helped develop the Bakersfield sound in the early 1960s. He was a noted guitarist and fiddler, and a member of The Buckaroos, the backing band of Don's best friend, country singer Buck Owens. Rich was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1974 at the age of 32.

Hammond organ

Hammond organ

The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated sound by creating an electric current from rotating a metal tonewheel near an electromagnetic pickup, and then strengthening the signal with an amplifier to drive a speaker cabinet. The organ is commonly used with the Leslie speaker.

American Songwriter

American Songwriter

American Songwriter is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Gavin Report

Gavin Report

The Gavin Report was a San Francisco–based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The publication was also responsible for running the Gavin Seminar, a convention for radio industry members. In February 2002, United Business Media, who had owned the Gavin Report since 1992, decided to close the publication. Gavin executives cited a lack of cooperation on the part of media conglomerates, as well as poor convention attendance as reasons for the closure.

Los Lobos

Los Lobos

Los Lobos are an American rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños. The band rose to international stardom in 1987, when their version of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba" peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and also topped the charts in the United Kingdom, and several other countries. Songs by Los Lobos have been recorded by Elvis Costello, Waylon Jennings, Frankie Yankovic, and Robert Plant. In 2015, they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2018, they were inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. They are also known for performing the theme song for Handy Manny.

Columbia Records

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the American Graphophone Company, the successor to the Volta Graphophone Company. Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in the recorded sound business, and the second major company to produce records. From 1961 to 1991, its recordings were released outside North America under the name CBS Records to avoid confusion with EMI's Columbia Graphophone Company. Columbia is one of Sony Music's four flagship record labels, alongside former longtime rival RCA Records, as well as Arista Records and Epic Records.

In 1992, Yoakam began dating actress Sharon Stone.^[5][109] He appeared alongside her at that year's Academy Awards ceremony.^[5][9] This encounter led to both of them receiving media attention from tabloids, along with rumors from fans that songs on This Time were about Stone. Yoakam denied these rumors and stated that the two only dated for five weeks.^[24] Yoakam met MTV personality Karen Duffy at a party in 1994 and began dating soon afterward.^[113] The two ended their relationship in 1996.^[114] Yoakam married Emily Joyce on May 4, 2020, in Santa Monica, California. Because their wedding occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, only ten guests were in attendance.^[115] The couple had their first child on August 16, 2020.^[116]

Longtime producer and guitarist Pete Anderson filed a lawsuit against him in 2004, stating that he had breached an oral contract by failing to perform a number of concert dates in mid-2002. The lawsuit claimed that by failing to perform these concerts, Yoakam had cost Anderson over $44,000 in salary.^[117] Yoakam and Anderson settled the lawsuit out of court, with the former stating that some of the financial issues stemming from these concerts were due to money lost in the commercial failure of South of Heaven, West of Hell. This financial dispute also ended the two's musical partnership, with Anderson saying that Yoakam "didn't want [him] around anymore".^[118] Anderson told Style Weekly in 2011 that he still respected Yoakam's artistry but had no intention of working with him again.^[102] Yoakam filed a lawsuit against Warner Music in 2021 when the label withdrew several of his songs from streaming services due to expiration of contract. He claimed that the label was denying his reclamation of copyright toward the songs.^[119] The dispute was resolved in February 2022 and the songs re-appeared on streaming services soon afterward.^[120]

Discover more about Personal life related topics

Sharon Stone

Sharon Stone

Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a nomination for an Academy Award. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1995 and was named Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France in 2005.

Academy Awards

Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the film industry. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), in recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy's voting membership. The Academy Awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment industry in the United States and worldwide. The Oscar statuette depicts a knight rendered in the Art Deco style.

Karen Duffy

Karen Duffy

Karen "Duff" Duffy is an American writer, model, television personality, and actress. She is a certified hospital chaplain, a former Coney Island Mermaid Queen, and one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 1993. In 1995, Duffy was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease sarcoidosis called neurosarcoidosis. Since then, she's written two books about her experience living with chronic pain and is a member of the Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Pain Patients.

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to its climate, beaches, and hospitality industry. It has a diverse economy, hosting headquarters of companies such as Hulu, Universal Music Group, Lionsgate Films, and The Recording Academy.

COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified in an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. Attempts to contain it there failed, allowing the virus to spread to other areas of Asia and later worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic on 11 March 2020. As of 10 March 2023, the pandemic had caused more than 676 million cases and 6.88 million confirmed deaths, making it one of the deadliest in history.

Style Weekly

Style Weekly

Style Weekly is an online alternative media outlet that was previously an alternative weekly newspaper started in November 1982 for news, arts, culture and opinion in Richmond, Virginia.

Studio albums

• Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. (1986)
• Hillbilly Deluxe (1987)
• Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room (1988)
• If There Was a Way (1990)
• This Time (1993)
• Gone (1995)
• A Long Way Home (1998)
• dwightyoakamacoustic.net (2000)
• Tomorrow's Sounds Today (2000)
• South of Heaven, West of Hell (Soundtrack) (2001)
• Population Me (2003)
• Blame the Vain (2005)
• 3 Pears (2012)
• Second Hand Heart (2015)
• Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars... (2016)

Cover albums

• Come On Christmas (1997)
• Under the Covers (1997)
• In Others' Words (2003)
• Dwight's Used Records (2004)
• Dwight Sings Buck (2007)

Compilation albums

• Just Lookin' for a Hit (1989)
• Dwight Live (1995)
• Last Chance for a Thousand Years (1999)
• Reprise, Please Baby (2002)
• The Very Best of Dwight Yoakam (2004)

Discover more about Discography related topics

Dwight Yoakam albums discography

Dwight Yoakam albums discography

Dwight Yoakam is an American country music singer-songwriter. Since his debut in 1984, Yoakam has released 17 studio albums. His debut album, Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc., was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, while This Time is certified triple-platinum by the same organization. Yoakam achieved the greatest success of his career in the 1980s and 1990s, however, in the 2000s, he left Reprise Records/Warner Bros. Nashville for an independent record label Audium/Koch Records in 2003 and released Population Me. In 2005, he released Blame the Vain on New West Records. The album was a commercial success on the charts, however, no singles that were released cracked the Top 40 of the Hot Country Songs chart.

Dwight Yoakam singles discography

Dwight Yoakam singles discography

Dwight Yoakam is an American country music singer-songwriter. Since his debut single, "Honky Tonk Man" in 1986, he has released 46 singles, including two Billboard Hot Country Songs number one singles, as well as 4 number ones in Canada. In addition to having two number one singles in the United States, Yoakam also has thirteen Top 10 singles on the country chart.

Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.

Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.

Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. is country music artist Dwight Yoakam's first album. It was also the first of three consecutive No. 1 Billboard Country albums for him. This was Yoakam's first time working with record producer-guitarist Pete Anderson, who would become a long-term collaborator.

Hillbilly Deluxe (Dwight Yoakam album)

Hillbilly Deluxe (Dwight Yoakam album)

Hillbilly Deluxe is the second album by American country music singer-songwriter, Dwight Yoakam. Released in 1987, it was Yoakam's second consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Four tracks were released as singles with each becoming Top 10 hits on the Hot Country Singles chart in 1987 and 1988.

Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room

Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room

Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room is the third album by American country music singer Dwight Yoakam, released on August 2, 1988. The album contains Yoakam's first two No. 1 Hot Country Singles singles. The first was "Streets of Bakersfield," a duet with country music veteran Buck Owens, who had originally released a version of the song in 1973. The second was an original composition of Yoakam's titled "I Sang Dixie." A third song on the album, "I Got You," also an original composition, peaked at No. 5. The title song, "Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room ," also charted, but only to the No. 46 position.

If There Was a Way

If There Was a Way

If There Was a Way is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released on October 30, 1990. Five of its tracks would rise into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1991 and 1992. They were "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" at No. 11, "You're the One" at No. 5, "Nothing's Changed Here" at No. 15, "It Only Hurts When I Cry" at No. 7 "Send a Message to My Heart", at No. 47, and finally the No. 18 "The Heart That You Own".

Gone (Dwight Yoakam album)

Gone (Dwight Yoakam album)

Gone is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released on October 31, 1995 by Reprise Records. The album peaked at #5 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. It produced three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "Nothing" at #20, "Gone " at #51, and "Sorry You Asked?" at #59. The final single, "Heart of Stone", failed to chart in the United States. This was also the first album of his career not to produce a Top Ten country hit.

A Long Way Home (album)

A Long Way Home (album)

A Long Way Home is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released on June 9, 1998. It reached No. 11 on the Billboard Country Album, with two of its tracks charting on the Hot Country Singles chart. "Things Change" reached No. 17, while "These Arms" peaked at No. 57. Yoakam wrote all the songs on the album himself.

Dwightyoakamacoustic.net

Dwightyoakamacoustic.net

dwightyoakamacoustic.net is the tenth studio album released in 2000 by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It features 25 of his songs recorded in an acoustic manner, save for "Little Sister" which also features Pete Anderson on electric guitar. The album peaked at #24 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #195 on The Billboard 200.

Blame the Vain

Blame the Vain

Blame the Vain is the 16th studio album by country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released in June 2005, and his first not to be produced by guitarist producer Pete Anderson. Yoakam wrote all the songs and produced the album himself. He also directed the videos for "Intentional Heartache" and the title track.

3 Pears

3 Pears

3 Pears is the 18th studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released on September 18, 2012 via Warner Bros. Records. The album, which includes collaborations with Beck, Kid Rock and Ashley Monroe of Pistol Annies, has been one of the most critically acclaimed recordings of Yoakam's career.

Come On Christmas

Come On Christmas

Come On Christmas is the eighth studio album, and the first Christmas album by Dwight Yoakam released in 1997 on Reprise Records. It peaked at No. 32 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.