Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album ''
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerable success throughout the late 1980s onward, with a total of ten studio albums for
Reprise Records. Later projects have been released on Audium (now
MNRK Music Group
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...
),
New West
New West Records is a record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia. It had offices in Burbank, California, and Beverly Hills, California. The label was established in 1998 by Cameron Strang "for artists who perform real musi ...
,
Warner, and
Sugar Hill Records.
His first three albums''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.'', ''
Hillbilly Deluxe'', and ''
Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room
''Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room'' is the third studio 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 Baker ...
''all reached number one on the ''
Billboard''
Top Country Albums
Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...
chart. Yoakam also has two number-one singles on
Hot Country Songs with "
Streets of Bakersfield
"Streets of Bakersfield" is a 1973 song written by Homer Joy and popularized by Buck Owens. In 1988, Owens recorded a duet version with country singer Dwight Yoakam, which became one of Yoakam's first No. 1 Hot Country Singles hits.
The song, wh ...
" (a duet with
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), 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 ...
) and "
I Sang Dixie", and twelve additional top-ten hits. He has won two
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
s and one
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
award. 1993's ''
This Time'' is his most commercially successful album, having been
certified
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
triple-platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Yoakam's musical style draws from a wide variety of influences including
neotraditional country
Neotraditional country (also known as new traditional country and hardcore country) is a country music style that emphasizes the instrumental background and a traditional country vocal style. Neo-traditional country artists often dress in the fash ...
,
honky-tonk
A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or 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 (tack piano) ...
,
Bakersfield sound,
bluegrass music,
country rock, and
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...
. He is known for his distinctive tenor singing voice, unconventional musical image, and the lead guitar work of his longtime producer and bandleader
Pete Anderson
Pete Anderson is an American guitarist, music producer, arranger and songwriter.
Anderson is most known for his guitar work with, and critically acclaimed production of, country music star Dwight Yoakam from 1984 through 2002, a partnership th ...
. Yoakam writes most of his own songs while also holding a large number of successes with
cover song
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s. Artists whom he has covered include
Johnny Horton,
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
,
The Blasters
The Blasters are an American rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin (vocals and guitar) and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Their self-described " American Music ...
,
Lefty Frizzell
William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer.
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. Frizzell released many songs that charted ...
, and
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
. He has collaborated with
Beck,
John Mellencamp
John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...
,
k.d. lang
Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances. Hits include the s ...
,
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of ...
, and members of
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Alison Krauss & Union Station is an American bluegrass and country band associated with singer Alison Krauss. It was initially composed of Krauss, Jeff White, Mike Harman and John Pennell. Later additions included Tim Stafford, Ron Block, Ada ...
.
As an actor, Yoakam has appeared in the movies ''
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, S ...
'', ''
Sling Blade
A sling blade or kaiser blade is a heavy, hooked, steel blade at the end of a long (around ) handle that is usually made of wood. The blade is double-edged, and both sides are usually kept sharp. It is used to cut brush, briar, and undergrowth. ...
'', ''
The Minus Man
''The Minus Man'' is a 1999 thriller film starring Owen Wilson and Janeane Garofalo. It is based on the novel by Lew McCreary, and directed by Hampton Fancher, who also wrote the screenplay. The film centers on a serial killer whom Fancher desc ...
'', and ''
Wedding Crashers
''Wedding Crashers'' is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin, written by Steve Faber and Bob Fisher, starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken with Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper and Jane Seymou ...
'', as well as ''
South of Heaven, West of Hell
''South of Heaven, West of Hell'' is a 2000 American western film starring Dwight Yoakam, who also co-wrote, directed, and scored the film. The film follows Valentine Casey (Yoakam), a Marshal in the Arizona territory, when he receives a surpri ...
'', his directorial debut. He also appeared in the TV series ''
P.S. I Luv U'' and ''
Under the Dome'', as well as the
Amazon Prime Video original series ''
Goliath''.
Biography
Dwight David Yoakam was born October 23, 1956, in
Pikeville, Kentucky.
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
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
.
After David Yoakam was discharged from the Army, the Yoakams moved to
Columbus, Ohio.
By this point the couple had a second son named Ronald and a daughter named Kimberly.
Meanwhile, David supported his family through a number of odd jobs which included factory work at
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was an American manufacturing company founded in 1886 by George Westinghouse. It was originally named "Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company" and was renamed "Westinghouse Electric Corporation" in ...
and ownership of a
Texaco
Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") 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 unt ...
gas station.
Yoakam's father had acquired a guitar manufactured by the
Kay Musical Instrument Company
Kay Musical Instrument Company (often referred to simply as Kay) 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 fina ...
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.
As a child, Yoakam took influence from the music that his parents listened to on
records
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, r ...
as well as
WMNI
WMNI (920 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio, known as "Fox Sports 920" with a sports format. Locally owned by North American Broadcasting Company, Inc., WMNI serves the Columbus metropolitan area. WMNI's studios are ...
, then an
AM country music radio station in Columbus.
Among these records were compilations by
Johnny Cash and
Johnny Horton.
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
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
acts he had seen on television, such as
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
.
The Yoakam family moved to another neighborhood of Columbus in 1968, where Yoakam attended
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
. 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
''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 '' ...
''. Yoakam later attributed this performance as giving him more confidence performing in front of others.
In his senior year of high school, Yoakam and some classmates formed a
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
band to compete in the school's talent show.
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
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, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
, but quickly dropped out in order to focus on his musical career.
While playing at a club in
Gahanna, Ohio
Gahanna ( ) is a city situated in northeast Franklin County, Ohio, Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 35,726 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. It was founded in 1849. ...
, Yoakam was approached by a man who promised a musical contract but later turned out to be a
con artist
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have ...
. Despite this, Yoakam chose to move to
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, 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
A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or 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 (tack piano) ...
and
bluegrass music at a time when such sounds were not popular compared to
country pop
Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...
and
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", "sophist ...
.
Yoakam then moved to
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, 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
Pete Anderson is an American guitarist, music producer, arranger and songwriter.
Anderson is most known for his guitar work with, and critically acclaimed production of, country music star Dwight Yoakam from 1984 through 2002, a partnership th ...
at a Los Angeles bar in 1982. The two became friends when they realized they had common interest in musicians such as
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
.
Anderson also observed that
cowpunk
Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s - early 1980s. It combines punk rock or New wave music, new wave with country music, country, folk music, folk, and b ...
and
alternative country
Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
were popular in California through acts such as
Joe Ely,
Rank and File
Rank and file may refer to:
*A military term relating to the horizontal "ranks" (rows) and vertical "files" (columns) of individual foot-soldiers, exclusive of the officers
*A term derived from the above used to refer to enlisted troops, as oppose ...
, and
Lone Justice
Lone Justice is an American country rock band formed in 1982 by guitarist Ryan Hedgecock and singer Maria McKee. They have recently announced they are recording new material as per Marvin Etzioni July 2022. They are part of a new exhibit in Se ...
. By performing at clubs where these acts also performed, Yoakam was thus able to gain further exposure.
Musical career
19841986: ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''
By 1984, Yoakam had written a large number of songs. Anderson then encouraged him to record some of them on an
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. . He also served as producer and lead guitarist on the project, roles he would serve throughout most of Yoakam's career.
The EP was titled ''
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.'' and was released through the
Oak Records
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...
label. It consisted of five of Yoakam's original compositions, plus a cover of
Johnny Cash's "
Ring of Fire
The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. The Ring o ...
".
Songs from the extended play received airplay on independent radio stations throughout Los Angeles.
Later in the year Yoakam was chosen to serve as an opening act for
The Blasters
The Blasters are an American rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin (vocals and guitar) and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Their self-described " American Music ...
. This led to him being discovered by
Reprise Records executive Paige Levy, who helped Yoakam sign with the label in 1986.
Reprise re-issued ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.'' that year with four more tracks, thus making it his debut album.
One of the added tracks was "Bury Me", a duet with
Maria McKee
Maria Luisa McKee (born August 17, 1964) 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 (Hang Me in Rags)" from the film ''Pulp Fiction''. ...
.
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.
The song was even more successful in Canada, reaching the number one position on that nation's country music charts then published by ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
''. "Honky Tonk Man" also received a
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
, which in 1986 became the first by a country artist to air on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that 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 di ...
.
The album itself reached the number one position on ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums.
Two more singles followed, both of which Yoakam wrote himself. These were "
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 n ...
" and "
It Won't Hurt", both of which made Hot Country Songs.
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.
At the
29th Annual Grammy Awards
The 29th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1987, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.
Paul Simon won Album of the Year for ''Graceland'', and Burt Bacha ...
in 1987, the album was nominated for
Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance was awarded between 1965 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes:
*From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Male
*In 1968 it was a ...
and "Guitars, Cadillacs" was nominated for
Best Country Song
The Grammy Award for Best Country Song (sometimes known as the Country Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the songwriter(s) of the song, not to the artist, except if the artist is also the songwriter.
There ha ...
.
The
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...
(CMA) also nominated Yoakam for the Horizon Award (now called Best New Artist) and "Honky Tonk Man" for Music Video of the Year.
Yoakam also won Top New Male Vocalist at the 1986
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
(ACM) awards.
The album was reviewed favorably. Thom Jurek of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
wrote of the album that it contained influences of
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
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".
Ron Fell of ''
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 pu ...
'' compared Yoakam's musical image favorably to
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...
and
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
while also stating that Yoakam had "an authenticity to his persona". Writing for the ''
Rapid City Journal
The ''Rapid City Journal'' (formerly the ''Black Hills Journal'' and the ''Rapid City Daily Journal'') is the daily newspaper of Rapid City, South Dakota. As of 2021, it is the largest newspaper in South Dakota by total subscriptions, according ...
'', Leonard Running noted the use of
fiddle
A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...
,
steel guitar
A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...
, and
Dobro
Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar.
The Dobro was originally ...
in the production.
1987: ''Hillbilly Deluxe''
Yoakam's second Reprise album ''
Hillbilly Deluxe'' was released in 1987.
The album was also led off by a cover song; specifically,
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
's "
Little Sister". After this were Yoakam's original compositions "
Little Ways" and "
Please, Please Baby", followed by a cover of
Lefty Frizzell
William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer.
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. Frizzell released many songs that charted ...
's "
Always Late with Your Kisses". All four of these cuts made top ten on the country music charts between 1987 and early 1988.
"Little Ways" was a number one single on the Canadian ''RPM'' country charts. Also covered on the album was
Stonewall Jackson
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...
's "Smoke Along the Track".
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.
''Hillbilly Deluxe'' was certified platinum for shipments of one million copies,
and earned Yoakam another Grammy Award nomination in the category Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
It also reached number one on Top Country Albums.
Jurek praised the cover songs in his review for AllMusic, where he compared Yoakam's vocal phrasing favorably to
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
. He also noted the use of
lap steel guitar
The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ...
and fiddle in Anderson's production, as well as Yoakam's lyrics on "Readin', Rightin', Rt. 23".
An uncredited review in ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...
'' magazine stated, "The album features sophisticated, yet fresh country music with rollicking C&W guitar lines, supplemented with Yoakam's straight, yearning vocals."
19881989: ''Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room'' and ''Just Lookin' for a Hit''
His third Reprise album was 1988's ''
Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room
''Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room'' is the third studio 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 Baker ...
''. The album was his third and final to top the ''Billboard'' country albums chart.
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
Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), 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 ...
' "
Streets of Bakersfield
"Streets of Bakersfield" is a 1973 song written by Homer Joy and popularized by Buck Owens. In 1988, Owens recorded a duet version with country singer Dwight Yoakam, which became one of Yoakam's first No. 1 Hot Country Singles hits.
The song, wh ...
" which featured Owens on duet vocals, and "
I Sang Dixie".
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
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 Entertainm ...
. The commercial success of the studio version also led to Owens ending his retirement and re-signing with
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
later in the decade. 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.
This album once again featured Maria McKee on backing vocals, along with accompaniment by
Tejano
Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in the ...
accordionist
Flaco Jiménez
Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez (born March 11, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and accordionist from San Antonio, Texas. He is known for playing Norteño, Tex Mex and Tejano music. Jiménez has been a solo performer and session musician, as ...
. Also covered on the album were
Hank Locklin
Hank Locklin (born Lawrence Hankins Locklin; February 15, 1918 – March 8, 2009) was an American country music singer-songwriter. He had 70 chart singles, including two number one hits on ''Billboard''s country chart. His biggest hits included ...
's "
Send Me the Pillow You Dream On
"Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" is a country song written and recorded by Hank Locklin. The song has become a standard for the Nashville sound, and has been covered by pop, country, and bluegrass artists.
Locklin first released the song in 78-di ...
" and Johnny Cash's "
Home of the Blues
"Home of the Blues" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Johnny Cash. The song was recorded on July 1, 1957 in Memphis, Tennessee, and was released as a single in August the same year. It was also included as the elev ...
". 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". ''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
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporation ...
at the
31st Annual Grammy Awards.
The latter also received a CMA nomination for Vocal Event of the Year.
Yoakam ended the 1980s with his first
greatest hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
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
The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is perhaps best known for its connection to band founders Gram Parsons and Chris ...
' "Sin City", the latter of which Yoakam recorded as a duet with
k.d. lang
Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances. Hits include the s ...
.
"Long White Cadillac" was issued as a single, reaching number 35 on the country music charts.
The "Sin City" cover received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.
19901992: ''If There Was a Way''
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.
This song led off his fourth studio album ''
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 ...
''. 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
"It Only Hurts When I Cry" is a song co-written by American country music artists Dwight Yoakam and Roger Miller, and recorded by Yoakam. It was released in December 1991 as the fourth single from his album '' If There Was a Way''. It peaked at ...
", "
The Heart That You Own", and the
Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957) is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first ...
duet "Send a Message to My Heart". Of these, all except "Send a Message to My Heart" were top-20 country hits.
"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.
Unlike his previous albums, Yoakam co-wrote several tracks on ''If There Was a Way'' with other writers. He wrote with
Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping Country music, country and pop hits "King of the Road (song), Ki ...
on "It Only Hurts When I Cry", a song to which Miller also contributed backing vocals.
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.
"Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" was one of the first successful cuts for Greek-American songwriter
Kostas.
Record producer
Tony Brown had sent Kostas'
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
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.
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.
Yoakam had written "You're the One" in 1978 about a woman with whom he had ended a relationship. In addition to Roger Miller, backing vocals on the album included
Amy Ray
Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American alto singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls. She also pursues a solo career and has released six albums under her own name, and founded a record company, Daemo ...
(of the
Indigo Girls
Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part o ...
) and bluegrass musician
Tim O'Brien.
Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1950, Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books. She is a 1972 graduat ...
of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' rated the album "A", stating that it continued on the "
hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term (often derogatory) for people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in southern Appalachia and the Ozarks. The term was later used to refer to people from other rural and mountainous areas west ...
" themes of his previous albums while also containing more
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
influence than its predecessors.
Jurek praised the album for rock influences as well, particularly the cover of "
Let's Work Together
"Let's Stick Together" is a blues-based rhythm and blues song written by Wilbert Harrison. In 1962, Fury Records released it as a single. Harrison further developed the song and in 1969, Sue Records issued it as a two-part single titled "Let's W ...
".
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
John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...
. Yoakam performed Mellencamp's composition "Common Day Man"; the two also joined
Joe Ely,
John Prine
John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...
, and
James McMurtry
James McMurtry (born March 18, 1962, in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American rock and folk rock/americana singer, songwriter, guitarist, bandleader, and occasional actor (''Daisy Miller'', ''Lonesome Dove'', and narrator of ''Ghost Town: 24 Hours i ...
on the track "Sweet Suzanne". Credited to Buzzin' Cousins, this song charted on Hot Country Songs for five weeks in early 1992. It also accounted for Yoakam's second CMA nomination in the category of Vocal Event of the Year.
Later in the year, Yoakam covered Elvis Presley's "
Suspicious Minds
"Suspicious Minds" is a 1968 song written and first recorded by American songwriter Mark James. After this recording failed commercially, it was cut by Elvis Presley with producer Chips Moman, becoming a No. 1 song in 1969, and one of the most ...
" for the soundtrack of ''
Honeymoon in Vegas
''Honeymoon in Vegas'' is a 1992 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Andrew Bergman and starring James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Plot
Private Detective ("Private eye") Jack Singer (Nicolas Cage) swore to hi ...
''. This rendition charted on Hot Country Songs by year's end.
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
Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of ...
on the latter's 1992 album '' Saturday Night & Sunday Morning''. This track was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.
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.
19931996: ''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
"Ain't That Lonely Yet" is a song written by Kostas and James House, and recorded by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released in March 1993 as the first single from his album '' This Time''. It peaked at number 2 for the wee ...
", which Kostas co-wrote with
James House. This song peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' country charts,
while also topping the American ''
Radio & Records
''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...
'' country music charts and Canadian ''RPM'' country charts. It won Yoakam the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1993, his first win from that association.
''This Time'' charted four more singles between 1993 and 1994. First were "
A Thousand Miles from Nowhere
"A Thousand Miles from Nowhere" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released in June 1993 as the second single from his album '' This Time''. Like his previous single, this song peaked at number 2 ...
" 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.
After these were "
Try Not to Look So Pretty" and "
Pocket of a Clown", which were less successful on the charts.
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."
He cited the track "Home for Sale" as an example, describing it as a "stone country" lyric backed by a
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 s ...
, an instrument not commonly used in country.
Jurek noted influences of
doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...
in "Pocket of a Clown" and of
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...
in "Ain't That Lonely Yet". In July 1994, Yoakam began the This Time Tour, a 75-city tour which featured
Alison Krauss and Union Station
Alison Krauss & Union Station is an American bluegrass and country band associated with singer Alison Krauss. It was initially composed of Krauss, Jeff White, Mike Harman and John Pennell. Later additions included Tim Stafford, Ron Block, Ada ...
as an opening act.
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.
The album achieved his highest RIAA certification, for triple-platinum in 1996.
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.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote of this album that "nothing on the album improves on the original recorded versions", while Tony Scherman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' thought the album was "beautifully paced" and showed Yoakam's strengths as a vocalist. The album was certified gold in 1996.
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
Carl Eugene Jackson (born September 18, 1953) is an American country and bluegrass musician. Jackson's first Grammy was awarded in 1992 for his duet album with John Starling titled "Spring Training." In 2003 Jackson produced the Grammy Award-wi ...
,
Jim Lauderdale
James Russell Lauderdale (born April 11, 1957) is an American country, bluegrass, and Americana singer-songwriter. Since 1986, he has released 31 studio albums, including collaborations with artists such as Dr. Ralph Stanley, Buddy Miller, and ...
,
Joy Lynn White
Joy Lynn White (born October 2, 1961) (also known as Joy White) is an American country music singer-songwriter. White was born in Bentonville, Arkansas but raised in Mishawaka, Indiana. , and
The Rembrandts
The Rembrandts are an American alternative rock duo, formed by Danny Wilde and Phil Solem in 1989. They had previously worked together as members of Great Buildings in 1981. The Rembrandts are best known for the song " I'll Be There for You", ...
.
"
Nothing
Nothing, the complete absence of anything, has been a matter of philosophical debate since at least the 5th century BC. Early Greek philosophers argued that it was impossible for ''nothing'' to exist. The atomists allowed ''nothing'' but only i ...
", 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
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
"Gone (That'll Be Me)" and "Sorry You Asked?" were released as singles as well, though neither reached top 40.
Jurek thought that individual tracks displayed influences of
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
,
mariachi
Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...
,
Tejano music
Tejano music ( es, música tejana), also known as Tex-Mex music, is a popular music style fusing Mexican and US influences. Typically, Tejano combines Mexican Spanish vocal styles with dance rhythms from Czech and German genres – particular ...
, and
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
.
Jeffrey B. Remz of
Country Standard Time
''Country Standard Time'' is a website dedicated to country music and related genres including Americana, bluegrass and rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1993 by Jeffrey B. Remz as a p ...
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."
19971998: ''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.
Yoakam and Anderson had begun recording songs for this project prior to ''Gone'', while other selections previously appeared on ''La Croix d'Amour''.
The project accounted for only one single in a rendition of
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...
' "Claudette".
Bluegrass musician
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of ...
played banjo on a cover of
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
's "
Train in Vain
"Train in Vain" is a song by the British punk rock band the Clash. It was released as the third and final single from their third studio album, ''London Calling'' (1979). The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing, appearing ...
", while
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
sang duet vocals on a cover of
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector.
The pair f ...
's "
Baby Don't Go
"Baby Don't Go" is a song written by Sonny Bono and recorded by Sonny & Cher. It was first released on Reprise Records in 1964 and was a minor regional hit. Subsequently, following the duo's big success with "I Got You Babe" in the summer of 1965 ...
". 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." Remz praised the covers of
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodt ...
's "
Wichita Lineman
"Wichita Lineman" is a song written by the American songwriter Jimmy Webb in 1968. It was first recorded by the American country music artist Glen Campbell with backing from members of The Wrecking Crew and was widely covered by other artists.
...
" and "Train in Vain" in particular, but criticized the cover of
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' "
Things We Said Today
"Things We Said Today" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in July 1964 as the B-side to the single " A Hard Day's Night" and on their album of the sam ...
". After this was an album of
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...
titled ''
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 '' Billboards Top Country Albums chart.
Track listing
# "Come On Christmas" (Dwight Yoak ...
'', 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
"Away in a Manger" is a Christmas carol first published in the late nineteenth century and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain, it is one of the most popular carols; a 1996 Gallup Poll ranked it joint second. Although i ...
" 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."
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
The Grammy Award for Best Country Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the country music genre. Honors in ...
between 1996 and 1998, with the nominations going to ''Dwight Live'', ''Gone'', and ''Under the Covers''.
After these was his next studio album of original content, 1998's ''
A Long Way Home''.
Yoakam wrote the entire project by himself, making it his first not to have any co-writers or cover songs. The album charted two singles in "
Things Change" and "These Arms".
This album also featured Ralph Stanley, this time as a duet partner on "Traveler's Lantern".
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."
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
Sara Lynn Evans (; born February 5, 1971) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is also credited as a record producer, actress, and author. She had five songs reach the number one spot on the '' Billboard'' country songs ch ...
,
Mandy Barnett
Amanda Carol Barnett (born September 28, 1975) is an American country music singer and stage actress.
Early life and music career
Barnett has been singing since she was a child, performing at churches, local venues, as well as at Dollywood. In ...
,
Kim Richey
Kimberly Richey (born December 1, 1956) is an American singer and songwriter.
Career
Kim Richey came onto the music scene in the 1990s and entered her first recording contract at the age of 37. Kim signed with Mercury Nashville. She spent the n ...
,
Gillian Welch
Gillian Howard Welch (; born October 2, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, countr ...
, and
David Ball. 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". Steinberg gave the latter a mixed review, praising the contributions of
Bonnie Bramlett
Bonnie Bramlett (born Bonnie Lynn O'Farrell, November 8, 1944) is an American singer and occasional actress known for performing with her husband, Delaney Bramlett, as Delaney & Bonnie. She continues to sing as a solo artist.
Life and career ...
and
Scott Joss
Scott Joss (born 1962) is a songwriter, guitarist, mandolin player, singer, and fiddle player primarily in the American Country music traditionJohn 'Scott' Golosio: ''So, what kind of PEOPLE are these musicians?'', http://www.golosio.com/bios.ht ...
while considering other cuts on the album too similar in sound to Yoakam's originals.
19981999: ''Last Chance for a Thousand Years: Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits from the 90's''
In 1998,
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
released ''
A Tribute to Tradition
''Tribute to Tradition'' is a 1998 American tribute album released in 1998 via Columbia Records Nashville. The album mainly consists of cover songs of country songs from the 1950s through the 1970s, as done by then-contemporary country music artis ...
'', 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
John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before beginning work as a ...
. The track featured twelve other country musicians, including
Earl Scruggs
Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-fin ...
,
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
,
Clint Black
Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 1989, Black's debut album '' Killin' Time'' produced four straight number one singles on the ...
, and
Randy Travis
Randy Bruce Traywick (born May 4, 1959), known professionally as Randy Travis, is an American country music and gospel music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor.
Active from 1978 until being incapacitated by a stroke in 2013, he has recor ...
. It charted for five weeks on Hot Country Songs in late 1998. The song won Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals at the
41st Annual Grammy Awards
The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill received the most nominations with 10, setting a record for the most no ...
, thus giving Yoakam his second win from the organization.
It was also nominated for CMA Vocal Event of the Year.
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
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
's "
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track is included on their 1980 album '' The Game'', and also appears on the band's compilation album ''Greatest Hits'' in 1981 ...
" and
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music.
Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...
' "I'll Go Back to Her" and the new song "Thinking About Leaving", which Yoakam wrote with
Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...
. 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.
It was also his final number one on the Canadian country music charts published by ''RPM'' before that publication closed in 2000. "Thinking About Leaving" was also issued as a single, but did not enter the country music top 40.
In 2000, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
200001: ''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
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
''.
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. Steve Huey of AllMusic thought that the album's minimalism allowed a greater focus on Yoakam's vocal interpretation than previous albums.
His other release in 2000 was ''
Tomorrow's Sounds Today
''Tomorrow's Sounds Today'' is the eleventh studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. This album was released on October 31, 2000. It rose to No. 7 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. There were two charting singles among it ...
''.
The album accounted for two charted singles in "
What Do You Know About Love
"What Do You Know About Love" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream at ...
" and a cover of
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...
's "
I Want You to Want Me
"I Want You to Want Me" is a song by the American rock band Cheap Trick. It is originally from their second album '' In Color'', released in September 1977. It was the first single released from that album, but it did not chart in the United S ...
".
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.
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
Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...
. Scherman was less favorable, considering the material "forgettable" despite describing Anderson's guitar work with favor. Yoakam received his final CMA nomination in 2001, when that institution nominated "Alright, I'm Wrong" for Vocal Event of the Year.
At the end of his contract with Reprise, parent company
Warner Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
issued a
box set
A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit.
Music
Artists and bands ...
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
Kelly may refer to:
Art and entertainment
* Kelly (Kelly Price album)
* Kelly (Andrea Faustini album)
* ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap
* "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland
* ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...
on a cover of
George Jones
George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...
and
Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...
's "
Golden Ring".
200204: ''Population Me'' and compilations
Yoakam spent much of 2001 and 2002 touring with
Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo ...
. He also founded a new record label called Electrodisc after his contract with Reprise expired. The label partnered with Audium Records (now
MNRK Music Group
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...
) for distribution. His first Audium release was 2003's ''
Population Me
''Population Me'' is the 13th studio album by Dwight Yoakam. It was released in June 2003 via the Audium Records label. The album spawned two singles, "The Back of Your Hand" and "The Late Great Golden State".
Background
After fulfilling his con ...
''.
This album charted two singles, both of which were covers:
Gregg Henry
Gregg Lee Henry (born May 6, 1952) is an American character actor and rock, blues and country musician.
He is best known for his performance as serial killer Dennis Rader in the made-for-television film '' The Hunt for the BTK Killer'', and f ...
's "The Back of Your Hand" and
Mike Stinson's "The Late Great Golden State".
Also covered on this album was
Burt Bacharach
Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...
's "
Trains and Boats and Planes
"Trains and Boats and Planes" is a song written by composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. Hit versions were recorded by Bacharach himself in 1965, by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas in the same year, and by Dionne Warwick in 1966.
Origi ...
".
Timothy B. Schmit
Timothy Bruce Schmit (born October 30, 1947) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He has performed as the bassist and vocalist for Poco and the Eagles (band), Eagles, having replaced bassist and vocalist Randy Meisner in both cases ...
provided backing vocals on "The Late Great Golden State", while
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...
sang duet vocals on "If Teardrops Were Diamonds". Jurek found influences of
Jackson Browne
Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States.
Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...
, the
Eagles
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
, and
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
in the album's sound. Messinger wrote of the album that "the complex, innovative sound he and Anderson have developed certainly merits repeated exploration."
Between 2003 and 2004, Yoakam released three more compilations of covers albums to fulfill contractual obligations with his labels. 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
The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...
's "
Truckin'
"Truckin" is a song by the Grateful Dead, which first appeared on their 1970 album ''American Beauty (album), American Beauty''. It was recognized by the United States Library of Congress in 1997 as a national treasure.''Grateful Dead: The Illus ...
", which Yoakam cut in 1991. Jurek wrote that the compilation was "far from a stellar set but does fill in the gaps nicely."
Rhino Records
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
released a greatest-hits package titled ''
The Very Best of Dwight Yoakam'' in 2004. This compilation was certified gold after its release.
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". His third and final compilation was ''
Dwight's Used Records
''Dwight's Used Records'' is a compilation album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released by Audium Records on June 29, 2004. The album peaked at number 57 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart.
Recording
The album ...
'' on Audium also in 2004. Among the collaborators on this project were
Heather Myles
Heather Myles (born July 31, 1962) is an American country music singer, with a honky tonk Bakersfield sound.
Early life
Myles was born in Riverside, California, United States, where her parents bred and trained horses for racing. Heather had ...
,
Deana Carter
Deana Kay Carter (born January 4, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter who broke through in 1996 with the release of her debut album ''Did I Shave My Legs for This?'', which was certified 5× Multi-Platinum in the United States ...
, and the
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band.
Constant ...
. Artists covered included
John Prine
John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...
's "
Paradise
In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...
",
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...
's "
I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide", and
Johnny Cash's "
Understand Your Man
"Understand Your Man" is a song written and recorded by American singer Johnny Cash. It was released in January 1964 as the first single from the album ''I Walk the Line''. The single went to #1 on the country charts for six weeks. The song also ...
". 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.
20052007: ''Blame the Vain'' and ''Dwight Sings Buck''
In 2005, Yoakam signed with
New West Records
New West Records is a record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia. It had offices in Burbank, California, and Beverly Hills, California. The label was established in 1998 by Cameron Strang "for artists who perform real music ...
, an
Americana music
Americana (also known as American roots music) is an amalgam of American music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the musical ethos of the United States, specifically those sounds that are emerged from the ...
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
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
artist
Keith Gattis
Keith Gattis (born May 26, 1970) is an American country music artist, songwriter, guitarist and producer. Gattis has released two studio albums and charted one single while signed to RCA Nashville on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tra ...
had taken over as Yoakam's guitarist and bandleader. Yoakam said that he had contacted a number of producers until Gattis encouraged him to produce by himself.
New West partnered with
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
to release two singles to radio.
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.
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
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
sound and spoken-word coda of "Intentional Heartache" as examples. Ray Waddell of ''Billboard'' also noted a "hard-charging" sound to the album, comparing various tracks to
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
. 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.
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
''Dwight Sings Buck'' is country music artist Dwight Yoakam's 17th studio album, and a tribute album to Buck Owens. The album was released on October 23, 2007 (Yoakam's 51st birthday), by New West Records.
Background
Buck Owens and the Bakersfie ...
'', composed entirely of Buck Owens covers. Yoakam recorded the project with his touring band, which at the time included then-former
Mavericks
Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to:
History
* Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick
Aviation
* AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design
* General Aviation Design Bureau ...
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
"Act Naturally" is a song written by Johnny Russell, with a writing credit given to Voni Morrison and publishing rights transferred to Buck Owens. It was originally recorded by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, whose version reached number one on ...
", "
Crying Time
"Crying Time" is a song from 1964 written and originally recorded by the American country music artist Buck Owens. It gained greater success in the version recorded by Ray Charles, which won two Grammy Awards in 1967. Numerous other cover versio ...
", and "Close Up the Honky Tonks", the last of which served as the lead single. 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".
2008present: ''3 Pears'', ''Second Hand Heart'', and ''Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars...''
Yoakam performed at the
CMA Music Festival
The CMA Music Festival is a four-day music festival centered on country music, hosted each June by the Country Music Association (CMA) in Nashville, Tennessee. Beginning in 1972 under the name Fan Fair, the event now draws over 400 artists and c ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, in 2008, where he was joined by
Faith Hill
Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.
Hill' ...
. This was Yoakam's first appearance at the event in over 20 years. He otherwise performed very few concerts in 2009 and 2010, citing the
Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...
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. In July 2011, he re-signed with Warner for his next album, 2012's ''
3 Pears''. 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.
Mikael Wood of the ''Los Angeles Times'' thought the album displayed a "softer side" than Yoakam's previous efforts. 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."
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. It consisted almost entirely of original songs written by Yoakam, except a cover of the standard "
Man of Constant Sorrow
"Man of Constant Sorrow" (also known as "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow") is a traditional American folk song first published by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. The song was originally titled "Farewell Song" in a songbook ...
" and
Anthony Crawford's "V's of Birds". Erlewine found influences of The Beatles, Buck Owens, and
cowpunk
Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s - early 1980s. It combines punk rock or New wave music, new wave with country music, country, folk music, folk, and b ...
in the album's arrangements. Ann Powers of
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
's First Listen shared a similar opinion of the album, also praising the "brightness" of its sound.
In 2016 Yoakam was contacted by a label executive of
Sugar Hill Records, who wanted him to record a
bluegrass music album for them.
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".
Yoakam co-produced with
Jon Randall
Jon Randall Stewart (born February 17, 1969) is an American producer, songwriter, and musician.
His career began as a guitarist for Emmylou Harris' Nash Ramblers with whom he won his first Grammy for their ''Live at the Ryman'' album in 1992. B ...
and
Gary Paczosa
Gary Paczosa is an audio engineer, producer and A&R rep for Sugar Hill Records. He has been nominated 11 times for the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
He is best known for working with Alison Krauss and Dolly Parton numer ...
. The album included musical accompaniment by
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Alison Krauss & Union Station is an American bluegrass and country band associated with singer Alison Krauss. It was initially composed of Krauss, Jeff White, Mike Harman and John Pennell. Later additions included Tim Stafford, Ron Block, Ada ...
members
Adam Steffey
Adam Steffey (born November 24, 1965) is an American mandolin player, best known for playing in the bluegrass and old-time styles. He spent time as a member of bands such as Alison Krauss & Union Station, Mountain Heart, Lonesome River Band, ...
and
Barry Bales
Barry Turner Bales (born August 23, 1969 in Kingsport, Tennessee, United States) is an American musician best known as the long time bass player and harmony vocalist for Alison Krauss and Union Station. He has been in the band for around 25 years. ...
on
mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
and
upright bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
respectively. Also contributing were guitarist
Bryan Sutton
Bryan Sutton is an American musician. Primarily known as a flatpicking acoustic guitar player, Sutton also plays mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and electric guitar. He also sings and writes songs.
Biography Early career
Sutton's grandfather and ...
, fiddler
Stuart Duncan
Stuart Duncan (born April 14, 1964) is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and banjo.
Life
Duncan was born in Quantico, Virginia, and raised in Santa Paula, California, where he played in the school band. He ...
, and banjoist
Scott Vestal
Scott Vestal is an American banjoist, songwriter and luthier, known for his innovative approach to playing and designing the banjo.
Biography Early years
The older of two children, Scott Vestal was raised in Duncan, Oklahoma in a musical fam ...
.
In addition to his own material, Yoakam covered
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
's "
Purple Rain".
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. 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".
Deming called the album "a stylistic detour for Dwight Yoakam, but its execution sums up many of his greatest strengths as an artist". Also in 2016, Yoakam released covers of
The Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...
' "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" and
Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...
' "
Mountain of Love
"Mountain of Love" is a song written by Harold Dorman. Dorman released his version as a single in 1960. It was originally recorded in late 1959 at the Royal Recording Studios in Memphis before the backing vocals (and strings, much later) were ov ...
" on limited edition vinyl through
Third Man Records
Third Man Records is an eclectic, vinyl-focused independent record label founded and owned by Jack White, Ben Blackwell and Ben Swank. The company operates out of three locations—Nashville, Tennessee, Detroit, Michigan, and Soho, London—with ...
, a label owned by
Jack White
John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...
.
Although he has not released any albums since 2016, Yoakam has continued to tour and perform.
In 2017, Yoakam covered "Wichita Lineman" at a tribute ceremony to songwriter
Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "MacArthur Park", "Wichita Lineman", "Worst ...
held at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
. In 2018, Yoakam was selected by
SiriusXM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius S ...
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
Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s - early 1980s. It combines punk rock or New wave music, new wave with country music, country, folk music, folk, and b ...
, and
country rock.
In 2022, he started the LSD Tour with
Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...
and
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music g ...
. He also performed a concert with
Old Crow Medicine Show
Old Crow Medicine Show is an Americana string band based in Nashville, Tennessee, that has been recording since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on September 17, 2013. Their ninth album, '' Remedy'', released in 2014, won the Gr ...
in 2022 to honor the 30th anniversary of ''Hillbilly Deluxe''.
Acting
Yoakam holds several acting roles in both film and television. One of his first was a recurring role in the 1991
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 Entertainm ...
crime drama ''
P.S. I Luv U''. He also had a role in the 1993 movie ''
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, S ...
''.
In 1996, actor-director
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) 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, a ...
cast Yoakam as the character Doyle Hargraves in the film ''
Sling Blade
A sling blade or kaiser blade is a heavy, hooked, steel blade at the end of a long (around ) handle that is usually made of wood. The blade is double-edged, and both sides are usually kept sharp. It is used to cut brush, briar, and undergrowth. ...
''. 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. Yoakam and the rest of the film's cast were nominated in 1997 for a
. He appeared in the 1998
Richard Linklater
Richard Stuart Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) 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 '' ...
film ''
The Newton Boys
''The Newton Boys'' is a 1998 American Western crime film directed by Richard Linklater, who co-wrote the screenplay with Claude Stanush and Clark Lee Walker. It is based on Stanush's 1994 book of the same name, which tells the true story of the ...
'', and wrote most of the songs for his album ''A Long Way Home'' at this film's shooting locations throughout
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
. In 1999, Yoakam and
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
appeared in the thriller ''
The Minus Man
''The Minus Man'' is a 1999 thriller film starring Owen Wilson and Janeane Garofalo. It is based on the novel by Lew McCreary, and directed by Hampton Fancher, who also wrote the screenplay. The film centers on a serial killer whom Fancher desc ...
''.
A year later he co-wrote, directed, and starred in a
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
film titled ''
South of Heaven, West of Hell
''South of Heaven, West of Hell'' is a 2000 American western film starring Dwight Yoakam, who also co-wrote, directed, and scored the film. The film follows Valentine Casey (Yoakam), a Marshal in the Arizona territory, when he receives a surpri ...
''. He also composed a
soundtrack of the same name. The movie was a financial failure, leading to many of its crew members filing claims against Yoakam in
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 b ...
. In addition, Yoakam fired Pete Anderson from his touring band in 2002 as a means of recouping the finances lost by this movie.
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
Rebekka Ruth Lazone Bramlett (born April 19, 1968) is an American singer and session background singer. She is the daughter of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, of the music duo Delaney & Bonnie.
She has been a member of Mick Fleetwood's band the Z ...
,
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) 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 partnershi ...
, and
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American musician who is the guitarist and lead singer of the rock band ZZ Top. He began his career in the band the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded a full-length album entitled, ''Flas ...
.
In 2002, Yoakam had a role in the
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...
movie ''
Panic Room
''Panic Room'' is a 2002 American thriller film directed by David Fincher. The film stars Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter whose new home is invaded by burglars, played by Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Yoaka ...
''. Before the movie's release, he told the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
that he did not consider acting significantly different from recording music because both roles were "fragmented" and required "repetition of performance". Between 2005 and 2006, he also appeared in the movies ''
Bandidas
''Bandidas'' is a 2006 Western action comedy film starring Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz directed by Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg and produced and written by Luc Besson. It tells the tale of two very different women in ...
'', ''
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
''The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada'' (also known as ''Three Burials'') is a 2005 neo-Western film directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones and written by Guillermo Arriaga. '', and ''
Wedding Crashers
''Wedding Crashers'' is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin, written by Steve Faber and Bob Fisher, starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken with Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper and Jane Seymou ...
''.
In 2014, Yoakam had a recurring role in season two of the CBS science fiction series ''
Under the Dome''. He also reunited with Thornton for season one of the
Amazon Prime Video original series ''
Goliath''.
Musical styles and influences
Yoakam's style is defined by a variety of influences both inside and outside country music. These influences include
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...
,
honky-tonk
A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or 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 (tack piano) ...
,
neotraditional country
Neotraditional country (also known as new traditional country and hardcore country) is a country music style that emphasizes the instrumental background and a traditional country vocal style. Neo-traditional country artists often dress in the fash ...
,
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
Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), 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 ...
and
Lefty Frizzell
William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer.
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. Frizzell released many songs that charted ...
" and "a distinct antipathy toward the
Nashville pop/country scene."
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."
Erlewine also noted that Yoakam's fanbase typically consisted of people who listened to
roots rock
Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid subgenres from the later 1960s, including blues rock, country rock, Southern rock, ...
and
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
.
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
Donald Eugene Ulrich (August 15, 1941 – July 17, 1974), 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 ...
of Buck Owens' backing band
The Buckaroos
The Buckaroos were an American band led by Buck Owens in the 1960s and early 1970s, who, along with Merle Haggard's The Strangers (American band), The Strangers, were involved in the development and presentation of the "Bakersfield sound." Their ...
.
Jurek also thought that the prominent uses of electric guitar and
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 s ...
were examples of Yoakam's rock influences.
Yoakam describes his own songwriting style as "fragmented". He told Al Caudell of ''
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.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
'' 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.
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."
Cyndi Hoelzle of ''
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 pu ...
'' noted Yoakam's appeal outside traditional country music, stating in 1993 that "
s records sold across the board-to middle-aged
Stonewall Jackson
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...
fans and to young punk rockers who'd seen Dwight do his thing in L.A., opening shows for
Los Lobos
Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") 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, ...
and the
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes are an American folk punk band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band consists of founding members Gordon Gano (guitar, lead vocals) and Brian Ritchie (bass, backing vocals), joined by multi-instrumentalist Blaise Garza (joined 2004 ...
."
Richard Cromelin of ''
The Los Angeles Times
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' 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."
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."
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."
Al Caudell of ''American Songwriter'' called Yoakam "a bluntly outspoken advocate of hardcore honky-tonk music".
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
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
dropping
Johnny Cash and MTV refusing to play country music videos.
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."
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
Donald Ray Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American country singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing popular ballads and amassing seventeen number ...
and others, he retains the traditional
Stetson
Stetson is a brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company. "Stetson" is also used as a generic trademark to refer to any campaign hat, in particular, in Scouting.
John B. Stetson gained inspiration for his most famous hats when he ...
hat."
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."
Al Caudell of ''American Songwriter'' noted that Yoakam frequently wore "ripped jeans".
Darryl Smyers of the ''
Dallas Observer
''Dallas Observer'' is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The ''Observer'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...
'' wrote that "With his absurdly large hat and
Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is perhaps best known for its connection to band founders Gram Parsons and Chris ...
fashion sense, Yoakam was championed by a surprising mix of punks, rockabilly hounds, and hard-core honky-tonkers."
Leonard Running of the ''Rapid City Journal'' referred to Yoakam's singing style as a "plaintive,
yodel
Yodeling (also jodeling) is a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register (or "chest voice") and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. The English word ''yodel'' is derived from th ...
-edged voice".
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." J. D. Considine of ''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' wrote of Yoakam's singing voice that it was a "high, lonesome
twang
Twang is an onomatopoeia originally used to describe the sound of a vibrating bow string after the arrow is released.Hensleigh Wedgwood, ''A Dictionary of English Etymology: Q - Z'' (1865), p. 433. By extension it applies to the similar vibrati ...
" and a "sweetly nasal tenor". Similarly, the editors of ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music'' described Yoakam as having a "twangy tenor... simply too spellbinding for country radio to ignore."
These editors also thought that Yoakam was more able to break through into mainstream country music than contemporaries such as
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957) Lyle Lovett Pageat Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007 is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Active since 1980, he has recorded 13 albums and relea ...
and
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music g ...
because "mainstream country has found it easier to digest distorted guitars than ironic lyrics".
Personal life
In 1992, Yoakam began dating actress
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) 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 ...
.
He appeared alongside her at that year's
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
ceremony.
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.
Yoakam met MTV personality
Karen Duffy
Karen "Duff" Duffy (born May 23, 1961) 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 ...
at a party in 1994 and began dating soon afterward. The two ended their relationship in 1996. Yoakam married Emily Joyce on May 4, 2020, in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
. Because their wedding occurred during the
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 identif ...
, only ten guests were in attendance. The couple had their first child on August 16, 2020.
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. 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
imaround anymore". Anderson told ''
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.
Style was originally owned by Landmark Media Enterpri ...
'' in 2011 that he still respected Yoakam's artistry but had no intention of working with him again.
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. The dispute was resolved in February 2022 and the songs re-appeared on streaming services soon afterward.
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.'' (1986)
*''
Hillbilly Deluxe'' (1987)
*''
Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room
''Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room'' is the third studio 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 Baker ...
'' (1988)
*''
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 ...
'' (1990)
*''
This Time'' (1993)
*''
Gone'' (1995)
*''
A Long Way Home'' (1998)
*''
dwightyoakamacoustic.net'' (2000)
*''
Tomorrow's Sounds Today
''Tomorrow's Sounds Today'' is the eleventh studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. This album was released on October 31, 2000. It rose to No. 7 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. There were two charting singles among it ...
'' (2000)
*''
South of Heaven, West of Hell
''South of Heaven, West of Hell'' is a 2000 American western film starring Dwight Yoakam, who also co-wrote, directed, and scored the film. The film follows Valentine Casey (Yoakam), a Marshal in the Arizona territory, when he receives a surpri ...
'' (Soundtrack) (2001)
*''
Population Me
''Population Me'' is the 13th studio album by Dwight Yoakam. It was released in June 2003 via the Audium Records label. The album spawned two singles, "The Back of Your Hand" and "The Late Great Golden State".
Background
After fulfilling his con ...
'' (2003)
*''
Blame the Vain'' (2005)
*''
3 Pears'' (2012)
*''
Second Hand Heart'' (2015)
*''
Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars...'' (2016)
Cover albums
*''
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 '' Billboards Top Country Albums chart.
Track listing
# "Come On Christmas" (Dwight Yoak ...
'' (1997)
*''
Under the Covers'' (1997)
*''
In Others' Words'' (2003)
*''
Dwight's Used Records
''Dwight's Used Records'' is a compilation album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released by Audium Records on June 29, 2004. The album peaked at number 57 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart.
Recording
The album ...
'' (2004)
*''
Dwight Sings Buck
''Dwight Sings Buck'' is country music artist Dwight Yoakam's 17th studio album, and a tribute album to Buck Owens. The album was released on October 23, 2007 (Yoakam's 51st birthday), by New West Records.
Background
Buck Owens and the Bakersfie ...
'' (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)
References
;Works cited
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yoakam, Dwight
1956 births
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American singers
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American singers
American alternative country singers
American country rock singers
American country singer-songwriters
American male film actors
American male singer-songwriters
American rockabilly guitarists
Country musicians from California
Country musicians from Ohio
Grammy Award winners
Country musicians from Kentucky
Living people
Ohio State University alumni
MNRK Music Group artists
Musicians from Columbus, Ohio
People from Los Angeles
People from Pikeville, Kentucky
Oak Records artists
Reprise Records artists
Singer-songwriters from California
Sugar Hill Records artists
New West Records artists
Warner Records artists
Musicians from Appalachia
Singer-songwriters from Kentucky
Singers from Los Angeles
Singer-songwriters from Ohio
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American male singers
21st-century American male singers