The Bakersfield Sound

Originating in and around Bakersfield, California in the mid 1950’s, what became known as the Bakersfield Sound was a direct response to the slick, smooth Nashville Sound, and unsurprisingly quite the opposite.

An interesting mix of rockabilly, rock and roll and honky-tonk, this new genre of country music was altogether rawer, grittier and twangier than anything else at the time, and would itself later spawn another style called country-rock.

What made the Bakersfield Sound so different was the use of a heavy backbeat and other stylistic elements borrowed from rock & roll. This consisted of twin Fender Telecasters and ‘in your face’ pedal steel guitars among other things.

In 1954 a song called ‘Louisiana Swing’ was released by Bud Hobbs, and this is believed to be the first recording in the new ‘Bakersfield Sound’.

In the early 1960’s Buck Owens and the Buckaroos along with Merle Haggard and the Strangers bought the ‘Bakersfield Sound’ to mainstream audiences. By way of interest, Buck Owens played guitar on ‘Louisiana Swing’ with Bud Hobbs in 1954.

Unlike the elaborate compositions associated with the Nashville Sound, the Bakersfield Sound depended largely on individual musicians’ talents and spirit, and was considered quite rebellious for its time.

  

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