This story is featured in CityBeat’s July 26 print edition.
The first thing we hear Dwight Yoakam utter in the opening moments of his debut album, 1986’s Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc., is the following declaration: “Well, I’m a honky-tonk man, and I can’t seem to stop.” Aptly dubbed “Honky-Tonk Man,” it’s one of many covers Yoakam would sprinkle throughout the 20 full-length albums he’s dropped over the last four decades (the most recent being 2016’s Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars…). It’s his way of honoring the type of country music that’s rarely played on the radio (today or ever) — a variety of styles that includes the “Bakersfield sound,” bluegrass, rockabilly and the outlaw stuff made famous by Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.
Yoakam, who was born in Pikeville, Kentucky, and grew up in Columbus, Ohio, has been riding that traditional train since day one.
“I have kids come up to me all the time and say, ‘I never really liked country music before,’” Yoakam told a magazine called Song Hits way back in 1987. “And I always tell them the same thing: ‘That’s probably because you’ve never had it presented to you in a way that you could like or that you’ve even heard real country music before.’”
Yoakam’s own music mines the past without coming off as pastiche, even if his lyrical concerns delve into well-worn tales of female trouble and alcoholic intakes run amok. Or, as Robert Christgau once described Yoakam’s approach, “Ricky Skaggs for sinners.”
The guy appreciates a well-crafted tune, whether it springs from his cowboy-hat-clad head or not. For proof, check out his ongoing radio show for Sirius XM, “Dwight Yoakam and The Bakersfield Beat,” in which he highlights various songs, interviews artists, performs live and more.
Expect Yoakam’s twangy tenor to animate a mix of covers and originals from across his discography on his current tour, which hits amphitheaters from California to Florida this summer. For his stop at Riverbend Music Center, it seems reasonable to expect a rendition of “South of Cincinnati,” another tune from his debut, this one an ode to a woman he hopes will get south of the Ohio River sometime soon.
Dwight Yoakam plays Riverbend Music Center at 7 p.m. Aug. 4. Info: riverbend.org.
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This article appears in Jul 12-25, 2023.