Bakersfield sound

Bakersfield sound
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsMid- to late 1950s, California, United States
Typical instruments
Fusion genres
Other topics

The Bakersfield sound is a sub-genre of country music developed in the mid-to-late 1950s in and around Bakersfield, California.[1] Bakersfield is defined by its influences of rock and roll and honky-tonk style country, and its heavy use of electric instrumentation and backbeats.[2] It was also a reaction against the slickly produced, orchestra-laden Nashville sound, which was becoming popular in the late 1950s.[2] The Bakersfield sound became one of the most popular and influential country genres of the 1960s, initiating a revival of honky-tonk music and influencing later country rock and outlaw country musicians,[2] as well as progressive country.[3]

Wynn Stewart pioneered the Bakersfield sound,[2] while performing artists Buck Owens and Merle Haggard became two of the most successful artists of the original Bakersfield era while performing with the Buckaroos and the Strangers respectively.[1] Other major Bakersfield country artists include Jean Shepard and Susan Raye.

  1. ^ a b McNutt, Randy (2002). Guitar towns : a journey to the crossroads of rock 'n' roll. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press. pp. 152–168. ISBN 978-0-253-34058-0.
  2. ^ a b c d "Bakersfield Sound Genre Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  3. ^ "Progressive country". AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-07-22.