Dwight Yoakam Celebrates Buck Owens

Dwight Yoakam photo by Cambria Harkey, courtesy of New West Records.

February 20, 2008 - Dwight Yoakam, who is GAC's Artist of the Month, helped rekindle the legend of Buck Owens when they recorded a duet of "Streets Of Bakersfield" 20 years ago. So it was only appropriate that after Buck's death in 2006, Dwight decided to do a tribute album.

The idea grew rather naturally. Except for "Bakersfield," Dwight had never done Buck's songs in concert, but he felt that his band should work up several of the Buckaroo classics for a couple weeks as a mini-tribute while he was on the road.

"For my audience and those members of my audience that were fans of Buck's, we allowed them the opportunity to say goodbye with us," Dwight told CMA Closeup magazine.

It was a particularly healing step for Dwight, who had had a four-hour conversation with Buck just days he died. Buck had unveiled 10 bronze statues of major country stars at his Crystal Palace the previous summer, and he still had it in his mind to expand the honors.

"He was talking about writing his memoirs," Dwight recalled. "He was also talking about wanting to do more bronze statues for the Crystal Palace. He literally was talking the future, for the most part. I could never imagine four days later he would not be here."

Appropriately, Dwight titled the album Dwight Sings Buck, and he stocked it with such familiar titles as "Act Naturally," "Together Again" and "I've Got A Tiger By The Tail." Also appropriately, Dwight released it last fall on the anniversary of the Crystal Palace's opening night.

Dwight will be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame tomorrow.