BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — For generations, a distinctive strain of country music has carried the name of Bakersfield far beyond Kern County, shaping what listeners hear across the United States and around the world.
Known as the Bakersfield Sound, the style emerged from the city’s streets and took hold in the 1950s and ’60s. Influenced by rockabilly, it was raw and stripped down, with an edge and energy that stood apart from the smoother sounds coming out of Nashville. Artists including Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and the Buckaroos helped lead the movement and put the sound on the map.
“Just a lot of bright-sounding music with drums mixed in there and heavy twangy guitars,” said George Storemont.
The honky-tonk, working-class rhythm went on to influence artists such as Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and the Eagles. Bakersfield’s Crystal Palace became a destination for musicians who wanted to perform and see where the sound came from, drawing major names including Garth Brooks and Dwight Yokam.
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“There’s nowhere he went in the world without saying Bakersfield, California and he loved the people here.”