Dwight Yoakam
NewMusicForOldFolks says …
Why is it we seem to trust singers that become actors, but not the other way around? From Frank Sinatra to David Bowie to Will Smith to Ludacris the list of singer-to-actors is long and certainly more well-received than actors-to-singers (Bruce Willis and Russell Crowe). This really doesn't have a lot to do with Dwight Yoakam's music, but it should be pointed out that he's been a successful actor on TV and in movies. He made his name with a twangy guitar and his own twist on Honky Tonk, Country music. Yoakam is not Nashville Country, he's Bakersfield, Calif., Country with a little Texas mixed in. If that appeals to you, Yoakam's newest album, Second Hand Heart, is very good. In fact, they're all good. I particularly like Hillbilly Deluxe.
Artist's Info
Website: dwightyoakam.com
See him live: Tour dates
Record company: Warner Bros./Reprise
Genre: Alternative Country, Roots
If you like this, look into: Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, Ryan Bingham
Bio (From AllMusic.com)
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. Like his idols Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Hank Williams, Yoakam never played by Nashville's rules; consequently, he never dominated the charts like his contemporary Randy Travis. Then again, Travis never played around with the sound and style of country music like Yoakam. On each of his records, he twists around the form enough to make it seem like he doesn't respect all of Country's traditions. Appropriately, his core audience was composed mainly of Roots rock and Rock ’n Roll fans, not the mainstream country audience. Nevertheless, he was frequently able to chart in the country Top Ten, and he remained one of the most respected and adventurous recording country artists well into the '90s. (more)
Spotify sampler
Recordings
Most Recent
SECOND HAND HEART (2015): “In another time and place,” sings Dwight Yoakam on the buoyant “In Another World,” the opening track on Second Hand Heart, the new album that takes the pioneering honky-tonker back to Warner Bros./Reprise, where he began his major-label recording career thirty years ago. Yoakam’s distinctive, supple vocals, accented with his Kentucky croon, sound as strong today as they did on his debut, 1985’s Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc. Etc. Its release immediately yielded hit singles, and over the course of some 21 albums — totaling more than 25 million in sales worldwide — Yoakam has continued to passionately sing, write, and play music brimming with hard country and rock & roll. Second Hand Heart was self-produced by Yoakam, and reflects where he’s been, but even more so, where he’s going: “’In Another World’ guided the rest of the album,” says Yoakam. “It became its statement — about surviving and hope.”
Others
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)
Under the Covers (1997)
Come On Christmas (1997)
A Long Way Home (1998)
dwightyoakamacoustic.net (2000)
Tomorrow's Sounds Today (2000)
South of Heaven, West of Hell (Soundtrack) (2001)
In Others' Words (2003)
Population Me (2003)
Dwight's Used Records (2004)
Blame the Vain (2005)
Dwight Sings Buck (2007)
3 Pears (2012)
