Written by Fantasma el Rey
Dwight Sings Buck is more than a tribute album. It’s a salute to country music pioneer and innovator, Buck Owens. Performed by Dwight Yoakam who is the best modern representative and torchbearer of Buck’s signature style known as the Bakersfield sound. What Buck began Dwight has taken and pushed forward, adding his personal touch to the sound making it something all his own. What better way to salute his hero than to record an entire CD of Buck’s popular songs that Dwight likes most.
The Bakersfield sound is an edgy, electrified/twangy guitar-led rockabilly approach to honky-tonk style country. Buck and Merle Haggard are seen as its founding fathers, although Merle has the rockin’ rebel attitude. His brand of the Bakersfield sound leans more towards straightforward honky tonk. Buck, the first star from Bakersfield, brought this edge to country music in the 1960s at a time when the music from Nashville was over-produced and string-laden. From early on Buck’s influence could be heard, especially in the new country sounds being made by a younger generation with names like Gram Parsons and Willie Nelson at the head of the pack.
Skip to the 1980s and another generation at the reins, fusing another element to the sound, giving it new life and sparking the flame a new. With Dwight Yoakam out front the Bakersfield sound would be blended with a punk attitude and even more rockabilly thunder. In the mid ‘50s Buck did record a few rockabilly sides under the alias Corky Jones; yeah, needless to say they went nowhere but do live in the hearts of fans. Dwight took it all up a notch and delivered to the world what I like to call “revved-up hillbilly music,” drawing heavily from his boyhood heroes Buck and Merle. Shaking the scene around with his debut album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. and eventually teaming with Buck on a remake of “Streets Of Bakersfield.”
Article comments
1 - The Ghost of Raoul Duke
"adding his personnel touch to the sound"?
---The author needs an editor.
And what's the purpose of the pseudonym (which is apparently a cover for another pseudonym)? It doesn't bode well for journalistic integrity.
2 - El Bicho
{Yawn} Why exactly would anyone care about the opinion of an unoriginal, anonymous, ignorant commentor? Seriously, if you are trying to rile someone up you should work a little harder. You suck at this even worse than you do your typing. Better luck next time.
3 - The Ghost of Raoul Duke
At least you fixed your grammatical mistake. I'm glad I could point that out for you. (That's what editors do, you know).
4 - JC Mosquito
Skip all that editorial hoo haw, gentlemen - let's talk about Dwight Sings Buck. El B - spot on with the review (as usual), but I wonder how Dwight's writing is coming along? I thought his last album of original tunes was pretty hot, so I hopep we don't have to wait 3 years while Dwight tours this album, which I know will be a good'un anyway. And you gotta love the logo his drummer's sporting on his kick drum - BUCK 'EM.
5 - El Bicho
JC, El Bicho and Fantasma are two different people, but thanks for the comments
6 - JC Mosquito
Ummmmmmmmmm... I knew that. Really. Just skipped my mind for a sec.