The Bakersfield Sound: A Guide to California Country Music

The Bakersfield Sound refers to a style of California country music pioneered in the 1950s by Wynn Stewart, Buck Owens, Bonnie Owens, and Merle Haggard. Bakersfield country artists became known for their lean ensembles inspired by honky-tonk and rock ‘n’ roll bands. This distinguished it from what was called the Nashville Sound, which leaned heavily on glossy pop production and string orchestrations.

The Bakersfield Sound originated in its namesake city of Bakersfield, the seat of Kern County in California's San Joaquin Valley. However, its key figures came from all parts of the nation, and its influence rapidly spread up and down the West Coast.

• Rooted in western swing: In the 1950s, the country music records cut in Nashville took on a highly produced sheen, which pushed the genre away from its roots in honky-tonks and outdoor gatherings. Yet in the oil country of Bakersfield, California, musicians hewed closer to traditional country artists, such as Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Wills, in particular, came from the world of rockabilly and western swing, which would heavily influence the Bakersfield Sound.
• Formed in honky-tonks: Oil workers in Bakersfield liked to relax at honky-tonks—bars that specialized in live country music. Many of these honky-tonks, including the legendary Blackboard bar, hosted local artists like Wynn Stewart, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, Merle Haggard and the Strangers, and Jean Shepard. These artists eschewed the saccharine strings of Nashville and favored rawer-edged bands with simple instrumentation.
• A signature sound: Thanks to players like Wynn Stewart and Buck Owens, the Bakersfield Sound became known for its backbeat rhythms, its vocal harmonies, its roaring pedal steel guitar solos, and its preference for electric instruments. Electric guitars made by California brands like Fender (based in the Los Angeles suburb of Corona) and Mosrite (based in the Bakersfield suburb of Oildale) often appeared in the hands of Bakersfield players.
• “Nashville West”: As the Bakersfield Sound ramped up, the small town in California's Central Valley began rivaling Nashville itself as a hit-making capital. Bakersfield-linked artists who scored hits in the 1950s and 1960s included Fuzzy Owen, Red Simpson, Kay Adams, Susan Raye, Bobby Austin, Lewis Talley, Tommy Collins, Ferlin Husky, Herb Henson, Billy Mize, Roy Nichols, Don Rich, Bonnie Owens, Barbara Mandrell, and The Gosdin Brothers. Buck Owens had a crossover hit when The Beatles chose to cover his hit "Act Naturally" with Ringo Starr on vocals.
• Continued relevance: Although the Bakersfield Sound originated in the 1950s, it remains influential in today's country music. Dwight Yoakam, after a stint in Nashville, moved to Los Angeles and embraced the aesthetic of the Bakersfield Sound in his own music. His satellite radio channel, Dwight Yoakam and the Bakersfield Beat, explores the scene in depth. Country rock music, associated with groups like The Flying Burrito Brothers, also traces its roots to the Bakersfield Sound. Meanwhile, many of the originators of the Bakersfield Sound—such as Haggard, Owens, and Shepard—have been enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The Bakersfield Sound was based on a few core characteristics:

• Raw-edged instrumentation: Bakersfield country music was driven by electric guitars, pedal steel guitars, and the occasional fiddle. Drummers tended to use the same types of kits featured in rock and rockabilly bands.
• Strong backbeats: Inspired by western swing acts like Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Bakersfield songwriters wrote their tunes around the kinds of backbeat drumming heard in jazz and rock 'n' roll.
• Homage to old-fashioned country: The Bakersfield Sound skipped right over the slick pop production coming from Nashville in the 1950s. Instead, its artists called back to the sound of country pioneer Jimmie Rodgers, as well as the Maddox Brothers and Rose, which billed themselves as "America's Most Colorful Hillbilly Band."

The Bakersfield Sound produced some of the most celebrated artists in country music history.

1. 1. Buck Owens: As a guitarist and bandleader of The Buckaroos, Buck Owens helps bring rock and rockabilly instrumentation to California country music. Owens became famous for his intricate riffs on his Fender Telecaster electric guitar and, later, for hosting the televised Hee Haw variety show with Roy Clark. Owens also constructed the Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, which stands as Bakersfield's most famous music venue.
2. 2. Merle Haggard: Haggard was born in Oildale, California to dust bowl migrants from Oklahoma. He grew up poor as his parents—slurred as "Okies"—struggled to find sustainable work. A troubled childhood led to a stint in San Quentin State Prison, where Haggard witnessed Johnny Cash perform for the inmates. Inspired to turn his life around, he began playing music with artists like Wynn Stewart and eventually teamed up with Bakersfield band The Strangers for a string of hits.
3. 3. Wynn Stewart: Stewart did not score as many hits as Buck Owens or Merle Haggard, but he is considered a pioneer of the Bakersfield Sound thanks to his embrace of electric guitars, backbeat rhythms, and raw production inspired by live honky-tonk performances.
4. 4. Jean Shepard: Shepard is best known for her hit Capitol Records duet with Ferlin Husky, "A Dear John Letter." She thrived on the Bakersfield scene before exploring other hubs of country music. She consistently resisted glossy pop production in favor of traditional-sounding country music.
5. 5. Susan Raye: Mentored by Buck Owens, Susan Raye extended the string of Bakersfield Sound hits with 1971's "L.A. International Airport." Written by Leanne Scott and first recorded by David Frizzell in 1970, the song showcased traditional country instrumentation in an era that was otherwise dominated by strings, analog synthesizers, and effects-laden guitars.

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