Music The Bakersfield Sound 1/20/22

The Bakersfield Sound

The impact of the Southern California city of Bakersfield on country music is hard to overstate. From Wynn Stewart to Buck Owens to Merle Haggard, the Bakersfield sound—with its twang and sharpened rawness—defined a movement in country music and influenced generations of musicians. The honky-tonks of rural California were the birthplace of an authentic sound of country roots that influenced the likes of Marty Stuart, Dwight Yoakam, The Outlaws, even The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, plus many more. Join noted musician and music educator Martin Gilmore as he reveals the origins, uniqueness and influence of the Bakersfield sound in this informative, four-session Buck Owens course. Discover the very beginnings of western swing music brought to California by the migration of “Okies” during the great depression and how honky-tonk came to define country music in Southern California. Explore the instruments—electric guitars, bass, drums and steel guitar—and how they became signature elements of the Bakersfield sound. See how Buck Owens and his band, The Buckaroos, delivered country music from the barrooms all the way to Carnegie Hall, as well as how Merle Haggard’s songs defied the orchestration of the Nashville studios. And finally, survey the virtuosic musicianship, driving beats and skilled songwriting that took Bakersfield artists to the top of the charts over and over again.

Four Zoom sessions

Thur., Jan. 20, 27, Feb. 3, 10, 2022, 6:30–8:30 pm MT ENRICH 0593 / $140

Martin Gilmore teaches folk and bluegrass music at the University of Northern Colorado and at Swallow Hill Music Association. He is the singer and guitarist in the award-winning bluegrass band Long Road Home and has toured the globe as a solo performer.