Dwight Yoakam Sings for Friend Buck Owens

Dwight Yoakam photo courtesy of New West Records.

Photo Courtesy of New West Records

July 27, 2007 — Dwight Yoakam will release Dwight Sings Buck, a tribute to Buck Owens, on October 23. The album will be available as both a CD and a limited edition 180-gram vinyl record from New West Records.

The 15-track collection of many of Buck's most memorable singles includes 11 top five hits, eight of which reached No. 1 on the country charts: "Act Naturally," "My Heart Skips a Beat," "I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me)," "Only You (Can Break My Heart)," "Love's Gonna Live Here," "Your Tender Loving Care," "Think of Me" and "Together Again." "Close Up the Honky Tonks" will be released as the album's first single.

"After his death, it was the clearest way I could express my love for him and acknowledge the depth of our friendship," Dwight said. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the album will be donated to the Buck Owens American Music Foundation, a charity devoted to the preservation of the Bakersfield sound and the Buck Owens legacy.

The Bakersfield sound, developed in the 1950s and '60s, added electric instruments and other stylistic elements borrowed from rock and roll. Buck was one of the first to bring the Bakersfield sound to mainstream audiences, and his music also influenced many country artists.