DWIGHT YOAKAM
Name: Dwight David Yoakam
Born: October 23, 1956 Pikeville, Kentucky, USA
Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American country music singer,
songwriter, and actor. Active since the early 1980s, he has recorded more than
twenty albums and compilations, and has charted more than thirty singles on the
Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Yoakam was born in Pikeville, Kentucky, the son of Ruth Ann, a key-punch
operator, and David Yoakam, a gas-station owner. He was raised in Columbus,
Ohio, growing up with his mother and stepfather, who had a white-collar job in
the automotive industry. He graduated from Columbus' Northland High School on
June 9, 1974. During his high school years, he excelled in both music and drama,
regularly securing the lead role in school plays, such as "Charlie" in the stage
version of Flowers for Algernon, honing his skills under the guidance of teacher-mentors
Jerry McAfee (music) and Charles Lewis (drama). Outside of school, Yoakam sang
and played guitar with local garage bands, and frequently entertained his
friends and classmates as an amateur comedian, impersonating politicians and
other celebrities, such as Richard Nixon, who, at that time, was heavily
embroiled in the Watergate controversy.
Yoakam briefly attended The Ohio State University, but dropped out and moved to
Nashville in the late 1970s with the intent of becoming a recording artist.
When he began his career, Nashville was oriented toward pop "Urban Cowboy" music,
and Yoakam's brand of Bakersfield Honky Tonk music was not considered marketable.
Not making much headway in Nashville, Yoakam moved to Los Angeles. Yoakam's
vision of bringing traditional, Honky Tonk or "Hillbilly" music (as he himself
called it) forward into the 1980s wasn't fully realized until he teamed up with
lead guitarist and Producer Pete Anderson. While Yoakam wrote most of his songs
himself, Anderson had a hand in arranging the songs and shaping their direction,
as well as determining their ultimate sound as producer. Pete grew up in Detroit,
Michigan, where his family had moved North to find work in the Michigan auto
factories, a similar move to Yoakam's family's migration North from Kentucky. In
Detroit, Pete picked up Blues guitar, being influenced by local Blues guitarists
like John Lee Hooker. You can hear Pete playing some Hooker-inspired licks on
Yoakam's cover of "Honky Tonk Man", on his debut album. When Pete moved to Los
Angeles, he had to pick up other styles of guitar playing in order to work, and
he forged his Country style playing in local Country bands. Some of these bands
lacked a Steel guitarist, and so he worked out one of his most distinctive
techniques: imitating a Pedal Steel guitar on standard electric guitar. Pete has
tremendous skill and technique, but rarely over-plays, and has added quite a bit
to the unique, hard-hitting Country/Honky-Tonk sound Yoakam featured on most of
his albums. Pete has always produced records for other artists, and recently
left Yoakam's band to focus full-time on producing.
Continuing, as he was forced to, outside the mainstream Country music channels,
Yoakam did many shows in Rock and Punk clubs around Los Angeles, playing with
Roots/Punk/Rock & Roll acts like The Blasters, Los Lobos, and X. This helped him
diversify his audience well beyond the typical Country music fans; at many of
his shows you would see mohawked and leather-clad Punks alongside Rock & Rollers,
as well as the typical cowboy-shirt wearing Country crowd.
Yoakam's recording debut was on the independent album A Town South of
Bakersfield, which was a collection of "New Country" artists who were based in
Los Angeles, California, and was planned and produced by Pete Anderson in 1984.
He released an E.P. on independent label Oak Records; this was later re-released,
with several additional tracks, as his major-label debut LP, 1986's Guitars,
Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.. It instantly launched his career. "Honky Tonk Man," a
remake of the Johnny Horton song, and "Guitars, Cadillacs" were hit singles. The
follow-up LP, Hillbilly Deluxe, was just as successful. His third LP, Buenas
Noches From a Lonely Room, included his first #1, a duet with his musical idol,
Buck Owens, on "Streets of Bakersfield". 1990's If There Was a Way was another
best-seller.
Yoakam's song "Readin', Rightin', Route 23" pays tribute to his childhood move
from Kentucky, and is titled after a local expression describing the route that
rural Kentuckians took to take to find a job outside of the coal mines. (U.S.
Highway 23 runs north from Kentucky through Columbus, Ohio and Toledo, Ohio and
through the automotive centers of Michigan.) Rather than the standard line that
their Elementary schools taught the "Three Rs" of "Readin', 'Ritin', and 'Rithmetic",
Kentuckians used to say that the 3 Rs they learned were "Readin', 'Ritin, and
Route 23 North"!
Yoakam has also taken some acting roles, most notably as the abusive alcoholic
Doyle in Sling Blade, (1996) and as a sociopathic killer in 2002's Panic Room.
He has also appeared in Southern California live theater, combining his acting
talents with the talents of director Peter Fonda. More recently, he appeared in
a cameo role as the doctor for Chev Chelios in Crank.
Having diverged from pop-icon status in country-western fare, Yoakam is today
more likely to be identified as having an older, more traditional style. At one
point, Johnny Cash cited Yoakam as his favorite country singer. But along
with his bluegrass and honky-tonk roots, Yoakam has written or covered many
Elvis Presley-style rockabilly songs, including his popular covers of Queen's "Crazy
Little Thing Called Love" in 1999 and Presley's "Suspicious Minds" in 1992. He
recorded a cover of the Clash's "Train in Vain" in 1997, as well as Cheap Trick's
"I Want You to Want Me". Yoakam has never been associated only with Country
music; on many early tours, he played with Hardcore Punk bands like Hüsker Dü,
and, as noted above, played many shows around L.A. with Roots/Punk/Rock & Roll
acts. His middle-period-to-later records saw him branching out to different
styles, covering Rock & Roll, Punk, 60's, Blues-based "Boogie" like Z.Z. Top,
and writing more adventurous songs like the almost cinematic "A Thousand Miles
From Nowhere".
In the last few years, along with acting, Yoakam has continued as a musician;
released dwightyoakamacoustic.net, a record featuring solo acoustic versions of
many of his hits; left his major label; and started his own label. His latest
album of all-new tracks is 2005's Blame the Vain, on New West Records. Yoakam
will be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Yoakam also
released an album dedicated to Buck Owens, Dwight Sings Buck, on October 23,
2007. On November 7, 2007, the CMA presented Yoakam the International Artist
Achievement Award.
Yoakam currently resides in Southern California, but still maintains close ties
with his family in the Columbus area.
Name: Dwight David Yoakam
Born: October 23, 1956 Pikeville, Kentucky, USA
Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American country music singer,
songwriter, and actor. Active since the early 1980s, he has recorded more than
twenty albums and compilations, and has charted more than thirty singles on the
Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Yoakam was born in Pikeville, Kentucky, the son of Ruth Ann, a key-punch
operator, and David Yoakam, a gas-station owner. He was raised in Columbus,
Ohio, growing up with his mother and stepfather, who had a white-collar job in
the automotive industry. He graduated from Columbus' Northland High School on
June 9, 1974. During his high school years, he excelled in both music and drama,
regularly securing the lead role in school plays, such as "Charlie" in the stage
version of Flowers for Algernon, honing his skills under the guidance of teacher-mentors
Jerry McAfee (music) and Charles Lewis (drama). Outside of school, Yoakam sang
and played guitar with local garage bands, and frequently entertained his
friends and classmates as an amateur comedian, impersonating politicians and
other celebrities, such as Richard Nixon, who, at that time, was heavily
embroiled in the Watergate controversy.
Yoakam briefly attended The Ohio State University, but dropped out and moved to
Nashville in the late 1970s with the intent of becoming a recording artist.
When he began his career, Nashville was oriented toward pop "Urban Cowboy" music,
and Yoakam's brand of Bakersfield Honky Tonk music was not considered marketable.
Not making much headway in Nashville, Yoakam moved to Los Angeles. Yoakam's
vision of bringing traditional, Honky Tonk or "Hillbilly" music (as he himself
called it) forward into the 1980s wasn't fully realized until he teamed up with
lead guitarist and Producer Pete Anderson. While Yoakam wrote most of his songs
himself, Anderson had a hand in arranging the songs and shaping their direction,
as well as determining their ultimate sound as producer. Pete grew up in Detroit,
Michigan, where his family had moved North to find work in the Michigan auto
factories, a similar move to Yoakam's family's migration North from Kentucky. In
Detroit, Pete picked up Blues guitar, being influenced by local Blues guitarists
like John Lee Hooker. You can hear Pete playing some Hooker-inspired licks on
Yoakam's cover of "Honky Tonk Man", on his debut album. When Pete moved to Los
Angeles, he had to pick up other styles of guitar playing in order to work, and
he forged his Country style playing in local Country bands. Some of these bands
lacked a Steel guitarist, and so he worked out one of his most distinctive
techniques: imitating a Pedal Steel guitar on standard electric guitar. Pete has
tremendous skill and technique, but rarely over-plays, and has added quite a bit
to the unique, hard-hitting Country/Honky-Tonk sound Yoakam featured on most of
his albums. Pete has always produced records for other artists, and recently
left Yoakam's band to focus full-time on producing.
Continuing, as he was forced to, outside the mainstream Country music channels,
Yoakam did many shows in Rock and Punk clubs around Los Angeles, playing with
Roots/Punk/Rock & Roll acts like The Blasters, Los Lobos, and X. This helped him
diversify his audience well beyond the typical Country music fans; at many of
his shows you would see mohawked and leather-clad Punks alongside Rock & Rollers,
as well as the typical cowboy-shirt wearing Country crowd.
Yoakam's recording debut was on the independent album A Town South of
Bakersfield, which was a collection of "New Country" artists who were based in
Los Angeles, California, and was planned and produced by Pete Anderson in 1984.
He released an E.P. on independent label Oak Records; this was later re-released,
with several additional tracks, as his major-label debut LP, 1986's Guitars,
Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.. It instantly launched his career. "Honky Tonk Man," a
remake of the Johnny Horton song, and "Guitars, Cadillacs" were hit singles. The
follow-up LP, Hillbilly Deluxe, was just as successful. His third LP, Buenas
Noches From a Lonely Room, included his first #1, a duet with his musical idol,
Buck Owens, on "Streets of Bakersfield". 1990's If There Was a Way was another
best-seller.
Yoakam's song "Readin', Rightin', Route 23" pays tribute to his childhood move
from Kentucky, and is titled after a local expression describing the route that
rural Kentuckians took to take to find a job outside of the coal mines. (U.S.
Highway 23 runs north from Kentucky through Columbus, Ohio and Toledo, Ohio and
through the automotive centers of Michigan.) Rather than the standard line that
their Elementary schools taught the "Three Rs" of "Readin', 'Ritin', and 'Rithmetic",
Kentuckians used to say that the 3 Rs they learned were "Readin', 'Ritin, and
Route 23 North"!
Yoakam has also taken some acting roles, most notably as the abusive alcoholic
Doyle in Sling Blade, (1996) and as a sociopathic killer in 2002's Panic Room.
He has also appeared in Southern California live theater, combining his acting
talents with the talents of director Peter Fonda. More recently, he appeared in
a cameo role as the doctor for Chev Chelios in Crank.
Having diverged from pop-icon status in country-western fare, Yoakam is today
more likely to be identified as having an older, more traditional style. At one
point, Johnny Cash cited Yoakam as his favorite country singer. But along
with his bluegrass and honky-tonk roots, Yoakam has written or covered many
Elvis Presley-style rockabilly songs, including his popular covers of Queen's "Crazy
Little Thing Called Love" in 1999 and Presley's "Suspicious Minds" in 1992. He
recorded a cover of the Clash's "Train in Vain" in 1997, as well as Cheap Trick's
"I Want You to Want Me". Yoakam has never been associated only with Country
music; on many early tours, he played with Hardcore Punk bands like Hüsker Dü,
and, as noted above, played many shows around L.A. with Roots/Punk/Rock & Roll
acts. His middle-period-to-later records saw him branching out to different
styles, covering Rock & Roll, Punk, 60's, Blues-based "Boogie" like Z.Z. Top,
and writing more adventurous songs like the almost cinematic "A Thousand Miles
From Nowhere".
In the last few years, along with acting, Yoakam has continued as a musician;
released dwightyoakamacoustic.net, a record featuring solo acoustic versions of
many of his hits; left his major label; and started his own label. His latest
album of all-new tracks is 2005's Blame the Vain, on New West Records. Yoakam
will be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Yoakam also
released an album dedicated to Buck Owens, Dwight Sings Buck, on October 23,
2007. On November 7, 2007, the CMA presented Yoakam the International Artist
Achievement Award.
Yoakam currently resides in Southern California, but still maintains close ties
with his family in the Columbus area.