“Country
Music Artist of the Month … Dwight Yoakam”
Dwight Yoakam was born October
23, 1956. As a singer who emerged onto
the country music scene in the mid-1980’s, he has a hillbilly sound quite
unique to himself. Dwight Yoakam’s
pining vocals define the purest of country music. His first major label recording debut was for
his album, Guitars, Cadillac’s, Etc.,Etc. It included the title track as well as two other hit country songs. The album was very commercially successful as
well as critically acclaimed, serving as an introduction to the singer’s distinguished
career.
Dwight Yoakam’s music, in the
tradition of “The Bakersfield Sound,” has established him a large niche of
loyal fans. The song, The Streets of Bakersfield, became a
number 1 hit on country radio in 1988.
It was a duet with Buck Owens, who is one of the originators of the
sound. This song, more than any other, marks
the sound of Dwight Yoakam.
Dwight Yoakam’s biggest album, This Time, was released in 1993. It sold more than 3 million copies and
contained the single, Ain’t that lonely
yet, which received the Grammy that year for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The song’s lasting eminence as brought it
popularity to this day. Other songs on
the album, such as A Thousand Miles fromNowhere and Fast as You were also
successful on country music radio.
However, the song, Ain’t That
Lonely Yet’s critical praise is matched by few other contemporary country
songs by any artist.
As well as being a singer, Dwight
Yoakam has achieved success as an actor.
Most noticeably were his roles in the movies Sling Blade, and in Bandidas,
in which he starred with Selma Hayek and Penelope Cruz. In addition to these two films in which Dwight
Yoakam starred, he also appeared or starred in a total of 33 film and
television roles.
Dwight Yoakam discography
contains 24 albums. From these albums, I
have chosen 5 songs that are among my personal favorites and are most definitive
of the artist. Along with the testimonial
to each song, the music video is also included.
I hope that you enjoy these five songs and I hope you enjoy the rest of
the collection from this artist.
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This cover of
Elvis Presley’s hit song has a quite different sound than the rockabilly original. The original version’s epoch longing remains,
however, the distinctive style of Dwight Yoakam has changed its connotation. Dwight Yoakam interprets the song as a lament
of an adult rather than an inconsequential crush of a child; bringing a
mourning feel to the song.
This track
off his 1993 Album, This Time,
supplemented the hit song, Ain’t that
lonely yet, as if it were scripted.
The song, with an upbeat, reverberating sound, discusses a lost love in
a distinctive and novel way. This song
tends to grow more poignant as the emotion that is conveyed becomes fully
understood.
Barroom antics
fit nicely with this song attributing the protagonist’s drunkenness on a
girlfriend who, “Taught him brand newways to be blue” The song tells the
story of a man attempting to get over the recent breakup by hitting the bars.
This song has
the distinction of being the first country song to be played on MTV. The song, once again, has a traditional,
bluegrass sound which matches the singers “Bakersfield Sound” roots.
This song, arguably
one of the best heart-broken country songs in all of country music, imbues the
feelings of loneliness upon its listeners.
Instead of preaching a longing to return to a failed relationship, it discusses
the man’s belief that what has transpired has reached an end, although a bitter
end. The lyrical interpretations of
Dwight Yoakam, as well as the masterful orchestration, etch this song as a song
for generations.
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I hope you enjoyed this “Country Music Artist of the Month … Dwight Yoakam” post. Keep an eye open for other country music features.
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