Bakersfield Era
tagStarted 1956Peak 1963-1972Last big hit 1975From Bakersfield, California, United States
Located in 1 route
California's gritty rebuttal to Nashville polish: stinging Fender Telecaster twang, prominent pedal steel, driving 2/4 backbeat, and lean, honky-tonk-rooted arrangements with a rock 'n' roll edge. Hard-edged, working-class vocals cut sharp and bright. Raw electric attack where Music Row layered strings.
History
Built in the dance halls and bars of Bakersfield, California, by Dust Bowl migrants, the sound crystallized around Buck Owens and his Buckaroos (Don Rich's lead Tele) in the early 1960s. Merle Haggard turned it into a vehicle for blue-collar storytelling. It dominated mid-1960s charts as a deliberate alternative to the Nashville Sound's softness.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- Bill C. Malone, Country Music U.S.A.
- Gerald Haslam, Workin' Man Blues
- AllMusic Bakersfield Sound essay