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.
Streets of Bakersfield
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I couldn't find anywhere else
Hey, I'm not tryin' to be nobody
I just wanna change to be myself
I've spent a thousand miles of thumbin'
Yes, I've worn blisters on my heels
Trying to find me something better
Hey, you don't know me, but you don't like me
Say you care less how I feel
But how many of you have sit and judged me
Ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?
Spent some time in San Francisco
I spent a night there in the can
They threw this drunk man in my jail cell
I took fifteen dollars from that man
Left him my watch and my old house key
Don't want folks thinkin' that I'd steal
Then I thanked him as I was leaving
And I headed out for Bakersfield
Hey, you don't know me, but you don't like me
Say you care less how I feel
But how many of you have sit and judged me
Ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?
Hey, you don't know me, but you don't like me
Say you care less how I feel
But how many of you have sit and judged me
Ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?
How many of you have sit and judged me
Ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?
In Dwight Yoakam's song "Streets of Bakersfield," he sings about his travels and experiences trying to find his place in the world. The song's first verse speaks to his search for something, something that he couldn't find anywhere else. He wants to be himself, not trying to be anybody else, but he feels lost in a sea of people. The second verse talks about the pain and struggles he endured trying to find something better, walking thousands of miles and even wearing blisters on his heels. Despite his perseverance, he never found what he was looking for, and he ends up in Bakersfield, a place that may not have been his first choice, but one that he hopes will bring him closer to what he's seeking.
The chorus of the song addresses the people who judge him, the ones who don't know him and don't care how he feels. He questions how many of them have ever walked the streets of Bakersfield, implying that they don't understand his experiences or hardships. The final verse tells a story of Yoakam's time in San Francisco, where he was thrown in jail with a drunk man. He took fifteen dollars from the man, leaving behind his watch and house key, to avoid being accused of theft. As he left, he thanked the man and headed to Bakersfield, where he hoped to finally find what he was looking for.
Overall, "Streets of Bakersfield" is a song about the struggles of searching for a place to belong, and the criticism and judgment from those who don't understand what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes.
Line by Line Meaning
I came here looking for something
I arrived seeking something that was absent elsewhere
I couldn't find anywhere else
Which I wasn't able to locate anywhere else
Hey, I'm not tryin' to be nobody
Hello, I'm not attempting to impersonate anyone
I just wanna change to be myself
I only desire to transform into my truest self
I've spent a thousand miles of thumbin'
I've traversed a thousand miles by hitchhiking
Yes, I've worn blisters on my heels
Yes, I've obtained blisters on my feet
Trying to find me something better
In search of something better for myself
Here on the streets of Bakersfield
In this place called Bakersfield
Hey, you don't know me, but you don't like me
Hello, you don't know me, but you don't hold any regard for me
Say you care less how I feel
Asserting that my emotions matter even less to you
But how many of you have sit and judged me
But how many of you have sat and passed judgement on me
Ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?
Have you ever wandered the streets of Bakersfield?
Spent some time in San Francisco
I've spent time in San Francisco
I spent a night there in the can
I spent the night there behind bars
They threw this drunk man in my jail cell
They placed this inebriated man in my cell
I took fifteen dollars from that man
I acquired fifteen dollars from that man
Left him my watch and my old house key
I relinquished my watch and previous house key to him
Don't want folks thinkin' that I'd steal
I wouldn't want individuals to believe that I pilfered his possessions
Then I thanked him as I was leaving
Afterwards, I expressed gratitude to him as I was departing
And I headed out for Bakersfield
I then departed for Bakersfield
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Homer Joy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@playlists8805
I came here lookin' for somethin'
I couldn't find anywhere else
Well, I don't tryin' to be nobody,
Just want a chance to be myself.
I've done a thousand miles of thumbin',
Yes, I've worn blisters on my heels
Trying to find me something better
Here on the streets of Bakersfield.
[Chorus:]
You don't know me but you don't like me,
Say you care less how I feel
How many of you that sit and judge me
Ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?
[Instrumental]
Spent some time in San Francisco,
I spent a night there in the can
They threw this drunk man in my jail cell,
I took fifteen dollars from that man.
I left him my watch and my old house keys,
I didn't like folks thinking that I'd steal
Then I thanked him as he was sleeping,
And I headed out for Bakersfield.
[Chorus:]
You don't know me but you don't like me,
You say you care less how I feel
How many of you that sit and judge me
Ever walked the streets of Bakersfield
How many of you that sit and judge me
Ever walked the streets of Bakersfield...
@dagr.johnsen2164
So...let us all give Yoakam credit for bringing Mr. Owens out of retirement, for this wonderful performance...and (!) for having the great Flaco Jimenez on this one.
@Seanybiker
wow I never knew he got him out of retirement, thats pretty awesome.
@louiserawle8999
Absolutely.❤️❤️
@johnomahony4686
10-4 this is awesome
@candymike5045
@@Seanybiker Buck Owens basically quit performing after Don Rich died
@RickiViza-ip1cf
I absolutely love the music they did together. Every Friday night I exercise to it great cardio 😊
@barbaralilly9301
Two ICONS! So much talent! Buck is smiling down from above.
@kenmarshall9907
3 icons! Flaco is an icon too!
@renelongoria701
As a Mexican American, it gives me goosebumps to see all the love Flaco Jimenez is getting in the comments! A true national treasure, FLACO! Congratulations on your recent 81st birthday on March 11, hope you had a great day full of love! May many more years fill your heart Flaco!
@skydiverclassc2031
His brother Santiago is no slouch either.