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Response Bakotopia the March Issue “What is the Bakersfield Sound” “:

Firstly, the front cover is a masterpiece, a heartfelt image of Buck Owens in saddle art painstankly crafted by “Pain Is Beauty Tattoo Shop on18thStreeet.

In, “OH My Word”  , Matt Munoz, Bakotopia  Editor, asked the question “did the Bkersfield Sound” leave us that rainy day?”  (The day Buck Owens passed away).  Certainly a driving force , one the founders mentors of the style  was gone but his influence will not soon diminish. The main focus of mainstream country music is American Idol, hardly the sound of early Buck Owens recordings. The truth is however,

Buck   himself wavered from the distinct sound himself in later years.  His recording of “Big In Vegas” has orchestra in it. The Bakersfield sound may no tbe huge in Bakersfield but it has transcended State and International lines and has pockets  and all over the world.

“A call to Arms” by Chase Brockett , is a  pungent cry from the  darkness to unite Bakersfields’ fragmented music scene and create a new Bakersfield sound.   Truly he is passionate about his music, I don’t see much encouragement  of the music that has been named “Bakersfield sound”  and it would be a nice backlash to the “American Idol” country music that now rules the roost. 

Bakersfield has pioneered many types of music,

Even Rural Punk, Korn  Ther is even other types of country from Bakersfield and also Blues , Jazz, Norteno,  Mariachi, Asian , Arabic Music, African styling - Matts’ own styling and so on-  and you could go on forever, But this does not relinquish the fact the  there was a new country music styling invented called “The Bakersfield Sound”  .Listen to it, it is obvious, it may only have been partly evolved in Bakersfield but it is  a very different and distinct sound- defiantly exits and Buck Owens had a big part of the development. No Chrisanova it is no myth and many millions of fans and bands all over the world have heard of the Bakersfield Sound.  The sad part is that folks here  seem to be almost  embittered by the concept  and want the style to die here  so a new music can take the name. Korn can not be undervalued for their influence and success and are  the pride of Bakersfield, but this was not the topic set fourth by Matt.

 Here is a Bakersfield sound  definition adapted from Wikapedia :

The Bakersfield sound , a highly stylistic breakaway from Nashville crap,   was developed at honky-tonk bars such as The Blackboard in Oildale, California, and on local television stations in Bakersfield airing “The Buck Owens’ Ranch” and throughout California in the 1950s and 1960s. The town, known mainly for agriculture and oil production, was the destination for many Dust Bowl migrants and others from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and other parts of the Southwest. The mass migration of these "Okies" to California also meant that their music would follow and thrive, finding an audience in California's Central Valley (Okies, is the defamatory and derogatory ). Bakersfield country was a reaction against the slickly-produced, string orchestra-laden Nashville Sound, which was becoming popular in the late 1950s. Artists like Wynn Stewart used electric instruments and added a backbeat, as well as other stylistic elements borrowed from rock and roll, this included the tawngy leads on the Fender Telecaster and an in your face steelguitar style. In the early 1960s, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, Clarence White with “Nashville West” (Clarence invented the “B” Bender and pioneered its’ use) among others, brought the Bakersfield sound to mainstream audiences, and it soon became one of the most popular kinds of country music, also influencing later country stars  the had the samae sound but were from no where near Bakersfield, California such as Dwight Yoakam, Marty Stuart (Marty uses Clarences Guitar), The Mavericks, and The Derailers.

 THE BLACBOARD STAGE IS BACK!! AT ROCKWELL'S TROUTS IN OILDALE'