[emiller45]

West coast country, more specifically Bakersfield, was the caldron that produced country "twang" as we percieve it today. The Nashvile folks were playing Gibsons etc and Leo Fender was located in Fullerton, CA, close to the west coast music scene. Telecasters were relatively inexpensive in the overall context, and the Tele/Twin sound became a west coast signature.

Buck Owens recognized that most of the music would be heard either in honkey tonks or on the car radios which were AM at the time. He actually mixed with fewer lows and more highs to make the recordings cut through the background noise and match better with the tiny (by today's standards) AM radio speakers. Combine this with the Tele twang and there you have it.

In the early 60's Buck Owens was the biggest country act on the planet, however, the Nashville establishment would not give any of the west coast artists any recognition whatsoever - no CMA award nominations etc. It was at this time that Buck founded the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and to recognize west coast talent, many of whom were in the Buck Owens stable of artists. Tony Booth, Kaye Adams, The Hagger Twins, Merle Haggard, Susan Raye, and many others.