Bakersfield sound

E245811

The Bakersfield sound is a twangy, electric-guitar-driven style of country music that emerged in mid-20th-century Bakersfield, California, as a raw, honky-tonk alternative to the polished Nashville sound.

All labels observed (7)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (89)

Predicate Object
instanceOf country music subgenre ⓘ
music genre ⓘ
contrastWith Nashville sound ⓘ
countrypolitan ⓘ
countryOfOrigin United States ⓘ
culturalOrigin Dust Bowl migrants in California ⓘ
Okie community in Bakersfield ⓘ
derivative alt-country ⓘ
country rock ⓘ
outlaw country ⓘ
hasCharacteristic barroom performance aesthetic ⓘ
barroom storytelling lyrics ⓘ
blue-collar perspective ⓘ
driving backbeat ⓘ
emotional, working-class lyrics ⓘ
emphasis on electric instruments ⓘ
fiddle used in a more aggressive style ⓘ
honky-tonk dance rhythms ⓘ
limited use of background choruses ⓘ
limited use of string sections ⓘ
live-band feel ⓘ
minimal orchestration ⓘ
nasal vocal style ⓘ
prominent Telecaster guitar tone ⓘ
raw production style ⓘ
rebellious attitude toward Nashville establishment ⓘ
strong backbeat influenced by rock ⓘ
telecaster lead lines with sharp attack ⓘ
themes of heartbreak and drinking ⓘ
twangy electric guitar ⓘ
up-tempo shuffle grooves ⓘ
use of pedal steel guitar ⓘ
hasInfluenceOn Americana ⓘ
Red Dirt music ⓘ
rock music ⓘ
hasQuality alternative to polished Nashville production ⓘ
associated with migrant and oilfield workers ⓘ
more aggressive and edgy than Nashville sound ⓘ
influenced Alan Jackson ⓘ
Brad Paisley ⓘ
Dwight Yoakam ⓘ
Marty Stuart ⓘ
The Derailers ⓘ
Yoakam–Buck Owens collaborations ⓘ
alt-country movement ⓘ
country rock of the 1970s ⓘ
modern neo-traditional country ⓘ
musicFusionGenre country music ⓘ
rock and roll ⓘ
musicSceneCenter Bakersfield honky-tonks ⓘ
The Blackboard Cafe ⓘ
Trouts (Oildale) ⓘ
notableArtist Bonnie Owens ⓘ
Buck Owens ⓘ
Don Rich ⓘ
Ferlin Husky ⓘ
Fuzzy Owen ⓘ
Maddox Brothers and Rose ⓘ
Merle Haggard ⓘ
Red Simpson ⓘ
Susan Raye ⓘ
The Buckaroos ⓘ
Tommy Collins ⓘ
Wynn Stewart ⓘ
notableSong Act Naturally ⓘ
Mama Tried ⓘ
Streets of Bakersfield ⓘ
The Bottle Let Me Down ⓘ
Tiger By The Tail ⓘ
Together Again ⓘ
peakPeriod 1960s ⓘ
placeOfOrigin Bakersfield, California ⓘ
linked to: Bakersfield

California ⓘ
recognizedAs foundation of West Coast country music identity ⓘ
major alternative to Nashville country in the 1960s ⓘ
recordLabelAssociation Capitol Records ⓘ
Tally Records ⓘ
startTime 1950s ⓘ
mid-1950s ⓘ
stylisticOrigin Western swing ⓘ
honky-tonk ⓘ
rhythm and blues ⓘ
rock and roll ⓘ
typicalInstrument Fender Telecaster ⓘ
acoustic rhythm guitar ⓘ
drum kit ⓘ
electric bass ⓘ
fiddle ⓘ
pedal steel guitar ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (87)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Bakersfield → knownFor → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Bakersfield → hasMusicGenreOrigin → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Merle Haggard → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Merle Haggard → movement → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Nashville sound → contrastedWith → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Streets of Bakersfield → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Streets of Bakersfield → isPartOf → Bakersfield sound canon ⓘ
linked to: Bakersfield sound
A Thousand Miles from Nowhere → influencedBy → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Hillbilly Deluxe → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Gone → hasMusicalInfluence → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
A Long Way Home → hasMusicalInfluence → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
This Time → hasInfluence → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
The Country Music Capital of the West Coast → linkedToSubgenre → West Coast country music ⓘ
linked to: Bakersfield sound
Merle Haggard → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
subject linked to: Merle
The Strangers → activeIn → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
The Strangers → partOf → Bakersfield country music scene ⓘ
linked to: Bakersfield sound
Okie from Muskogee → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Mama Tried → subgenre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
The Fightin' Side of Me → hasSubgenre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Sing Me Back Home → subgenre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Workin' Man Blues → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Branded Man → subgenre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Lefty Frizzell → influencedGenre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Bonnie Owens → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Dwight Yoakam (EP) → hasMusicalStyle → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Bury Me → musicStyle → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Just Lookin’ for a Hit → hasStyle → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
A Heart Like Mine → hasMusicalInfluence → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Tom Brumley → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Roy Nichols → influencedGenre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Desert Rose Band → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. → movement → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Buck Owens → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
subject linked to: Buck
Buck Owens → partOf → Bakersfield music scene ⓘ
subject linked to: Buck
linked to: Bakersfield sound
The Buckaroos → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Buddy Alan → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Love's Gonna Live Here → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
I've Got a Tiger By the Tail → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me) → hasNotableEra → Bakersfield sound era ⓘ
linked to: Bakersfield sound
Waitin' in Your Welfare Line → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Susan Raye → musicalStyle → Bakersfield sound ⓘ
Don Rich → genre → Bakersfield sound ⓘ