What is the "bakersfield" sound and tone?

[T_red7882]

I hear a lot of mention of the sound, tone, scene... whatever... and i know it has to do with buck owens... but can a few of you elaborate a lil bit for the ignorant like myself? Many thanks.

[Mark Davis]

Gene Moles Don Rich Roy Nichols Merle Buck and many others.

[eryque]

Two words: Buck Owens.

It's a little rougher around the edges than mainstream Nashville country of the early 60s (that's when the Bakersfield sound was established). The instrumental focus is more on the electric guitar, while Nasvhille country focused more on the pedal steel and fiddle for fills.

I'm not positive about this, but I think that before the Bakersfield sound was established, the most common guitar sounds in country music were Gibson hollowbodies. Thanks, in part, to Don Rich, the solidbody sound became more prevalent.

[jazztele]

it's the best kind of country music, IMHO.

basically, it's a little more stripped down. acoustic plays the rhythm, tele takes the fills...

dwight yoakam keeps the flame burning.

[T_red7882]

Originally Posted by eryque

Two words: Buck Owens.

It's a little rougher around the edges than mainstream Nashville country of the early 60s (that's when the Bakersfield sound was established). The instrumental focus is more on the electric guitar, while Nasvhille country focused more on the pedal steel and fiddle for fills.

I'm not positive about this, but I think that before the Bakersfield sound was established, the most common guitar sounds in country music were Gibson hollowbodies. Thanks, in part, to Don Rich, the solidbody sound became more prevalent.

As a pedal steeler myself, i gotta admit there is some nice steelin in that video, but not, its not massively prevalent. Nice sounding tele in that video for sure.

[cowboytwang]

Maddox Brothers & Rose; started playing dances in the San Joaquin Valley in 1937, were billed as "America’s Most Colorful Hillbilly Band" and known as the loudest honkytonk band in California. They are the godfather & godmother of THE BAKERSFIELD SOUND.


The seeds of the Bakersfield sound started in the '30s with the big dust bowl migration. Between 1932 and 1940 over 200,000 people left Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, and Kansas and moved to the San Joaquin Valley in California looking for migrant farm labor, construction, and oil field work. The music and musicians that they had favored back home in Oklahoma and Texas started showing up out there to entertain them.

By 1940's you had groups like the Maddox Brothers & Rose, Spade Cooley Band (with Tex Williams), Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys (who were based out of Fresno during the '40s), Junior Barnard, Cliffie Stone, Skeets McDonald, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Hank Thompson, Lefty Frizzell, Merle Travis and many others were playing, living and traveling up and down the San Joaquin Valley.
With all those great groups and so many places to hear music, that become an influence on all those kids that had moved out there with their families. For some kid working in the fields all day for a couple of bucks, then go to a dance at night and see the Maddox Brothers & Rose all dressed up in shinny outfits, or The Texas Playboys in their tour bus. Music had a big appeal and some of those kids started saying, hey I can do that.

So now you had this post WWII generation of kids getting into music. They were using broad influences, from hillbilly, western swing, jazz, jump blues, pop, early Rock-n-Roll and anything they heard on the radio or at dances and clubs.

Folks like Bill Woods, Ferlin Husky, Leonard Sipes (Tommy Collins), Billy Mize, Cousin Ebb Pilling, Fuzzy Owen, Lewis Talley, Tex Butler, Eugene Moles, Cousin Herb Henson, Wynn Stewart, Roy Nichols, Ralph Mooney, Buck Owens, Bonnie Owens, Merle Haggard, Joe and Rose Lee Maphis, Dallas Frazier, Billy Mize, Freddie Hart, Red Simpson, Jean Shepard, Wanda Jackson all came out of this scene.
From around 1949 till 1970 is when this explosion of West Coast music took place. Even though many point to Buck and Merle as the Bakersfield Sound, they were actually at the end of it, and were a little more polished & refined then some of those before them. Both grew up as sidemen for many of the others listed above.
Bill Woods is kind of considered the “Father” of the Bakersfield sound, along with Lewis Talley and Fuzzy Owen as founders.

Most of the places they played were big dance halls, and the crowds were big and loud.
Because of that most bands were using all electric instruments with drums. Electric guitars and electric bass (solid bodies were preferred so they wouldn’t feedback), electric steel guitars, pickups on mandolins and fiddles and complete trap set for the drummer. The songs were a mix of old standards, originals, and what ever was popular at the time. They played hillbilly, county, swing, pop and rockabilly, and they played it loud, rowdy, and everything with a strong beat.

This was a big difference between what was going on in Nashville at the time. Nashville was just starting to get more “uptown” or “Urban Nashville Sound” in the ‘50s and early ‘60s. If you heard anything that sounded like a drum, it was usually just brushes on a snare. The rhythm section was mostly all acoustic, and the only electric instruments were the steel guitar, and lead. They started adding back up choirs and string sections to songs.

There is couple of more people, who was very important to the Bakersfield Sound, and that is Leo Fender for all the instruments and amps(that was a big part of the sound) then also Capitol Records Producer and A&R man Ken Nelson. Without him most of those great Bakersfield acts would have never made a record. He and Cliffie Stone probably did more for getting that sound heard by the masses than anyone.

For some very cool Bakersfield Music Scene pictures go to Kern County Museum.
Also about 11 or 12 years ago the Bakersfield paper did a nice series of stories on the "Bakersfield Sound". They have them online at Bakersfield.com

[MandyMarie]

Mark, thanks so much for mentioning Gene Moles...you're the king, darlin'. And your talking about your home!

And, CowboyTwang, I seriously look forward to your posts like no other.

I can't really add anything...so I'm going to pick up a Tele and do my best to fake "Buckersfield Breakdown" *blush*

[tomkatf]

OMG...Don Rich playing an LP Professional! Haven't seen that before!

Best,
Tom

+1 Thanks to cowboytwang... great post!

[Tarnisher]

Originally Posted by tomkatf

OMG...Don Rich playing a LP Professional! Haven't seen that before!
Tom

Yeah, it's kind of a neat contrast. It still sounds like him, but it doesn't sound like a Tele. I guess the guitar DOES affect the tone!

Watching those videos got me thinking- how did Buck amplify his acoustics back then? They sound really clear, but it looks like he's just playing into his vocal mic. Hard to believe it sounded so good.

BTW, countrytwang, great post!

[marksound]

Originally Posted by Tarnisher

Watching those videos got me thinking- how did Buck amplify his acoustics back then? They sound really clear, but it looks like he's just playing into his vocal mic. Hard to believe it sounded so good.

Things were simpler then.

I knew Mathis Bros sponsored the show, and I remember seeing Bud Mathis hosting, but I didn't remember legendary broadcaster Danny Williams announcing.

Here's a clip from buckowens.com:

Buck’s first national TV appearances came in 1963 and 1964, with several guest spots on both ABC’s Jimmy Dean Show and NBC’s Kraft Music Hall. He first ventured into his own nationwide TV series in 1966. His friends Bud and Don Mathes, owners of Mathes Brothers Furniture in Oklahoma City, asked him to host a half-hour TV show. The show, to run 52 weeks a year, would be sponsored locally by Mathes. Buck saw an opportunity to expand his horizons by having the shows nationally syndicated, and at its peak, Buck Owens’ Ranch ran in 100 markets. Top artists taped a dozen or more performances at WKY in Oklahoma City, which were patched into the shows by Buck and his son Mike, who doubled as the show’s announcer. Among the regulars were eldest son Buddy, who performed as "Buddy Alan," and Oregon-bred vocalist Susan Raye, who began working with Buck’s shows in 1964.

[stevedenver]

dear mr twang
thanks for the edumacation-that was great!

[Chris S.]

Telecaster picked near the bridge + Twin Reverb w/reverb on 5 = Bakersfield sound CS

[mudbean]

Anyone have a definitve "short list" of essential albums to dig into this genre?

mud

[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.

[olewichita]

alvin, i knew you would put it straight... i started typing maddox and rose, tommy collins and skeets mcdonald and the trading post than i figured you'd do a much better job... btw, i also believe maddox and rose invented rockabilly... tj

[Johnny Isaacs]

You talk about Bakersfield without talking about one of my all-time favs, Wynn Stewart. Amazing singer, songwriter and what a band! If you ask Ralph Mooney even today, who he worked for, he always says he was Wynn Stewart's steel guitar player.

Wynn went to Las Vegas in the early 60's to open his Nashville Nevada club. In his band was Ralph Mooney on steel, Roy Nichols & Buck Owens on lead guitar and Merle Haggard on bass.

Listen to Wynn... Tommy Collins... Red Simpson... Dick Curless...

I love Buck Owens and Merle Haggard but listen to them all!

Johnny Isaacs

[getbent]

Another Alvin Blaine classic. You are gold amigo.

[Country Gent]

There's always wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakersfield_sound

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by Chris S.

Telecaster picked near the bridge + Twin Reverb w/reverb on 5 = Bakersfield sound CS

Yep thats it be sure the Twin has JBL's for the full effect.

[cowboytwang]

I tried to make a short list of "Bakersfield Sound" albums for mudbean, but every time I try it gets longer.

OK to start off
"America's Most Colorful Hillbilly Band: Vol. 2" by Maddox Brothers & Rose
You have to start with this one, because this was the energy that started the Bakersfield sound. This album has, the first recordings of a long career, by a young Roy Nichols(he was 14 and 15 years old when part of the group). This album is worth the price to hear just one cool Roy Nichols solo, yet it's full of them.


Next would be
"The Capitol Collection" by Tommy Collins
This one has all the classic Tommy Collins hits, with Buck playing much of the guitar parts. Of all the Bakersfield guys, I would say that Buck took more of Tommy's sound then anyone. Maybe because he work in Tommy's band for so many years.


Next
"The Very Best of Wynn Stewart 1958-62" by Wynn Stewart
Wynn was the King of the Bakersfield Sound!
There is another CD that came out a few years ago called "California Country: The Best of the Challenge Masters Released" It's out of print now, but if you can find it GET IT.
This is the sound and style that became Merle and Buck's sound in the late '60s. Lot's of rockin' shuffles with Ralph Mooney pickin' all over the place.


For Buck I would go with
"Carnegie Hall Concert" by Buck Owens & His Buckaroos
There are tons of Buck albums out there(thanks to Sundazed Records), but this one is live and really captures the classic mid-'60s Bakersfield Sound. Everyone on earth should own the album!

[cowboytwang]

For Merle, any of the "Tally Recordings"(hard to find) or some of the early Capitol. Bear Family has released a couple of Merle Box sets with all the Capitol Recordings. It's a very cool thing to have, but if you can't afford those try this one;
Strangers/Swinging Doors & The Bottle Let Me Down [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
It's a combination of Merle's first and third Capitol Albums.


That would be the short list, but if you want more good music....

"Queen of the Coast" Bonnie Owens


"Flash, Crash and Thunder" The Farmer Boys
Lots of Buck on this one also, some real rockin' Bakersfield hillbilly stuff!


"The Best of Red Simpson:Country Western Truck Drivin' Singer"

[Lerb21]

Greatest Live Album Ever IMHO, btw.

Speaking of the good ol' Bakersfield Sound (not to hijack the thread), could you guys take a listen to this song I wrote and recorded?

[MandyMarie]

Why doesn't everyone on the planet know and love The Farmer Boys? Why? ...why?

[woodman]

i love the Bakersfield sound and country music in general, and i've read a lot about the history, but Alvin's probably forgotten much more than i'll ever know! thanks for the insightful and entertaining posts, 'Twang.

[pbenn]

And just in time for this thread:

December '08 Vintage Guitar Magazine (Howard Leese cover):

Fretprints, p. 98: Buck Owens and Don Rich, by Wolf Marshall

[blue metalflake]

Originally Posted by mudbean

Anyone have a definitve "short list" of essential albums to dig into this genre?

mud

The short list wouldn't be short. I'd start with all the Hag & Buck stuff, but if there was one album, I'd opt for Buck @ Carnegie Hall.

[emiller45]

FYI - Gene Breeden played guitar with Maddox and Rose for a time during the early/mid 50s, either right after or right before Roy Nichols - I don't remember which. Gene is also a great player who produced Red Simpson from 1971 through the rest of the decade.

[J. Hayes]

thanks for the old photo of the Maddox Brothers & Rose. I played guitar in Fred's band in the middle sixties for a while. Fred was the one in the photo playing the upright bass and was sort of the comedian of the group. We also had an electric bass player as Fred used it more for a prop. We'd do some "great" tunes such as "Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down" and "I'm So Lonesome Since My Best Friend Ran Away With My Wife, Gosh I Miss HIM So!".......I'd just crank my Tele on full treble through an old Fender piggyback 2-12 Bassman amp and a portable reverb unit an it'd make your teeth crack.... Pretty fun gig though...........JH in Va.

[mudbean]

GREAT thread, guys!!

Thanks, Alvin!

mud

[jukebox]

That was pretty good. Ienjoyed it alot!

[olewichita]

johnny winkle was replaced by roy nichols and roy nichols was replaced by gene breeden... they all sounded different... and like alvin said one roy nichols solo is worth the price of admission but he recorded dozens of great solos with maddox and rose... i think he's on about 100 tracks and they're almost all HOT... tj