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. He graduated from Columbus's Northland High School in 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 a 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 entertained his friends and classmates with his impersonations, such as Richard Nixon, who, at the time, was heavily embroiled in the Watergate controversy.
Yoakam briefly attended Ohio State University, but dropped out and moved to Nashville in 1977 with the intent of becoming a recording artist. Later on, Ohio Valley University in Parkersburg, West Virginia awarded and presented Dwight with an honorary doctorate degree on May 7, 2005.
When he began his career, Nashville was oriented toward pop "urban cowboy" music, and Yoakam's brand of hip honky tonk music was not considered marketable.
Not making much headway in Nashville, Yoakam moved to Los Angeles and worked towards bringing his particular brand of new Honky Tonk or "Hillbilly" music (as he called it) forward into the 1980s. Writing all his own songs, and continuing to perform mostly outside traditional country music channels, Yoakam did many shows in rock and punk rock clubs around Los Angeles, playing with roots rock or punk rock acts like The Blasters (Yoakam scored a small video hit with his version of their song "Long White Cadillac"), Los Lobos, and X. This helped him diversify his audience beyond the typical country music fans, and his authentic, groundbreaking music is often credited with rock audiences accepting country music.
Yoakam's recording debut was the self-financed EP Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. on independent label Oak Records produced by lead-guitarist Pete Anderson; this was later re-released by Reprise records, with several additional tracks, as his major-label debut LP, 1986's Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.. It launched his career. "Honky Tonk Man", a remake of the Johnny Horton song, and "Guitars, Cadillacs" were hit singles. His stylish video "Honky Tonk Man" was the first country music video ever played on MTV. The follow-up LP, Hillbilly Deluxe, was just as successful. His third LP, Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room, included his first No. 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 named after a local expression describing the route that rural Kentuckians took to find a job outside of the coal mines. (U.S. Route 23 runs north from Kentucky through Columbus 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 three Rs they learned were "Readin', 'Ritin, and Route 23 North".
Johnny Cash once cited Yoakam as his favorite country singer. Chris Isaak called him as good a songwriter that ever put a pen to paper. Time Magazine dubbed Yoakam "A Renaissance Man" and Vanity Fair declared that "Yoakam strides the divide between rock's lust and country's lament." Along with his bluegrass and honky-tonk roots, Yoakam has written or covered many Elvis Presley-style rockabilly songs, including his 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, a cover of the Grateful Dead song "Truckin'", 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 played many shows around Los Angeles with Roots/Punk/Rock & Roll acts. His middle-period-to-later records saw him branching out to different styles, covering Rock & Roll, Punk, 1960's, Blues-based "Boogie" like ZZ Top, and writing more adventurous songs like "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere". In 2003, he provided background vocals on Warren Zevon's last album The Wind.
In the 21st century, Yoakam released dwightyoakamacoustic.net, an album featuring solo acoustic versions of many of his hits; left his major label and started his own label.
2005 saw the release of Yoakam's well-reviewed album Blame the Vain, on New West Records. Yoakam also released an album dedicated to Buck Owens, Dwight Sings Buck, on October 23, 2007. His duet with Michelle Branch, a song titled "Long Goodbye", was released as a free download on Branch's official website in early 2011.
In July 2011, Yoakam re-signed with Warner Bros. Nashville and announced plans to release a new album. 3 Pears was released on September 18, 2012 with twelve new tracks. The album, produced by Yoakam, includes collaborations with Kid Rock, Beck, and Ashley Monroe. 3 Pears was released to resounding critical acclaim and earned Yoakam the highest-charting debut of his career on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Country Albums charts. 3 Pears reached #1 on the Americana Radio chart on October 29, 2012 and went on to break the 2012 record for most weeks at #1 on Americana Radio.[4] By the end of 2012, the album was named on annual best of lists by NPR, Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, AOL's The Boot, Entertainment Weekly, The Village Voice, and Rhapsody, and has been included in more critic's "best of 2012" lists than any other artist in the country genre.
Yoakam won the Grammy Award for "Best Male Country Vocal Performance" in 1993 for the song "Ain't That Lonely Yet". He was also named "Artist of the Year" by CMT Europe in 1993 and given the International Touring Artist Award by CMA in 2007.
In 2011, Yoakam received the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award for his trailblazing achievements in the country music genre.
Readin' Rightin' RT. 23
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They learned readin', writin', Route 23
To the jobs that lay waiting in those cities' factories
They learned readin', writin', roads to the north
To the luxury and comfort a coal miner can't afford
They thought readin', writin', Route 23
Would take them to the good life that they had never seen
They didn't know that old highway
Have you ever been down Kentucky-way
Say south of Prestonburg
Have you ever been up in a holler
Have you ever heard
A mountain man cough his life away
From diggin' that black coal
In those dark mines, those dark mines
If you had you might just understand
The reason that they left is all behind
Chorus:
They learned readin', wrightin', Route 23
To the jobs that lay waitin' in those cities' factories
They learned readin', writin', roads to the north
To the luxury and comfort a coal miner can't afford
They thought readin', writin', Route 23
Would take them to the good life that they had never seen
They didn't know that old highway
Could lead them to a world of misery
Have you ever seen 'em
Put the kids in the car after work on Friday night
Pull up in a holler about 2 A. M.
And see a light still shinin' bright
Those mountain folks sat up that late
Just to hold those little grandkids
In their arms, in their arms
And I'm proud to say that I've been blessed
And touched by their sweet hillbilly charm
Chorus:
They learned readin', writin', Route 23
To the jobs that lay waiting in those cities' factories
They learned readin', writin', roads to the north
To the luxury and comfort a coal miner can't afford
They thought readin', writin', Route 23
Would take them to the good life that they had never seen
They didn't know that old highway
Could lead them to a world of misery
Yeah, it turns out that that old highway,
Leads you to a world of misery
They found out that that old highway
Leads you to a world of misery...
The song "Readin' Rightin' RT. 23" by Dwight Yoakam is an empathetic tribute to the struggles that coal miners and their families faced in rural Kentucky. The lyrics highlight the lack of opportunities in these areas and the hope that people had that Route 23 would offer a way out. However, the reality was that the road led them to factory jobs in cities, which were not the ideal scenario they expected. The song emphasizes that those who left behind their homes and families to work in the cities realized too late that their decision had led to a life in misery.
The chorus repeats the idea that people thought that if they learned reading and writing and traveled Route 23, they would reach the good life they had never seen but were unaware that the same road would lead them to a world of misery. The song's second verse talks about the hard labor coal miners went through in the mines and how many got sick and died early from it. The final verse presents a more heartwarming scene, describing how some families still hold on to their traditions, and the grandparents wait up all night to spend time with their grandkids over the weekend.
In summary, "Readin' Rightin' RT. 23" is an emotional response to the socio-economic realities of the coal mining regions of rural Kentucky, and the song's lyrics provide a haunting description of the life in those areas.
Line by Line Meaning
Chorus:
The refrain of the song that highlights the main message of the song.
They learned readin', writin', Route 23
People learned basic education like reading and writing to find jobs in the factories located near Route 23.
To the jobs that lay waiting in those cities' factories
They were looking for opportunities in the cities' factories to earn a livelihood.
They learned readin', writin', roads to the north
They sought education to learn about the roads leading to the north to work in coal mines, which promised comfortable living, unlike the life of a coal miner.
To the luxury and comfort a coal miner can't afford
They were promised a life of luxury and comfort, which was impossibly beyond the reach of a coal miner.
They thought readin', writin', Route 23
They dreamed that education and gaining information about Route 23 would help them attain a better life.
Would take them to the good life that they had never seen
They believed that by knowing how to read, write, and navigate the roads, they could have a prosperous and fulfilling life.
They didn't know that old highway
People were unaware of the consequences that awaited them upon travelling along said road.
Could lead them to a world of misery
The highway could lead them to a miserable and unhappy life that they never thought they would experience.
Have you ever been down Kentucky-way
Asking if the audience has ever visited Kentucky.
Say south of Prestonburg
Referencing the specific location south of Prestonburg in Kentucky.
Have you ever been up in a holler
Asking the audience if they have ever been in a valley or uninhabitable land.
Have you ever heard
Asking if they have ever listened to something specific.
A mountain man cough his life away
The mines were claimed to be so unsafe that coal miners would often contract respiratory illnesses and other fatal diseases that would later lead to their early deaths.
From diggin' that black coal
Coal miners would often fall sick from the coal dust and hazardous air conditions in the mines.
In those dark mines, those dark mines
Mines were pitch black with no ventilation or sufficient light, making the job even more challenging.
If you had you might just understand
If the audience had seen or experienced the dreadful conditions, they might comprehend the hardships of the coal miners and their families.
The reason that they left is all behind
People left their homeland and their family members behind just to have a better life by working in the factories or mines located near Route 23.
Have you ever seen 'em
Asking the audience if they have seen some specific people.
Put the kids in the car after work on Friday night
After finishing their work on Friday nights, grandparents would drive to their children's homes to pick up their grandchildren.
Pull up in a holler about 2 A. M.
Referring to arriving late in a valley or remote region by their grandparents.
And see a light still shinin' bright
When they arrived, they saw that the light was still on, indicating that their grandchildren were still awake, waiting for them.
Those mountain folks sat up that late
People from the mountains would stay up late just to spend some time with their grandchildren.
Just to hold those little grandkids
Their only intention was to embrace and hug their grandchildren.
In their arms, in their arms
Emphasizing the physicality of the grandparents' love for their grandchildren.
And I'm proud to say that I've been blessed
The singer considers himself lucky and privileged to have seen and experienced the love and affection of these people.
And touched by their sweet Hillbilly charm
The sweet sweet nature and activities of the people he met forced a charming impression on the singer's heart.
Yeah, it turns out that that old highway,
Irony understood after realising the path leads to misery as all the hardships said in the song started with Route 23.
Leads you to a world of misery
The path can lead to a lifestyle that brings only misery and hardship.
They found out that that old highway
The people who moved to find jobs on the other end of Route 23 realized that it was not going to lead them to their dream life after all.
Leads you to a world of misery...
The road ended up leading people to a world full of problems and sadness.
Contributed by Sydney W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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