Bakersfield Honky-Tonk
tagStarted 1955Peak 1960–1972Last big hit 2016
Bakersfield honky-tonk is the dancehall subset of the Bakersfield sound: shuffles, train beats, sharp electric guitars, crying steel, and songs about bars, breakups, and making bad decisions with alarming efficiency. It feels leaner and more percussive than Texas honky-tonk, with less piano bounce and more treble attack.
History
The style took shape in Central Valley bars where loud bands had to keep couples dancing and drunks listening. Wynn Stewart, Buck Owens, and Merle Haggard defined its grammar, and later revivalists from Dwight Yoakam to contemporary hard-country acts kept those patterns in circulation.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- PBS Country Music
- Visit Bakersfield
- California Museum