Dwight Yoakam

Back in 1969, Buck Owens was at the top of his game. Flash forward 16 years and a young "buck” with a big voice and a no-shit attitude by the name of Dwight forged a friendship with the elder country statesman, luring him out of a self-imposed retirement. When Owens died in 2006, it was a death felt across the music industry. It’s apropos that the rousing rebel Yoakam decided the best way to honour this lost friend was with a kick-ass country record. The disc features reinventions of some of the King of Bakersfield’s best-known classics and number one hits, adding different instrumentation and tinkering with the rhythms, bringing these classics to a new generation. Two examples are "Think of Me,” which Yoakam reworks with more of a rockabilly rhythm than the calypso country Buck recorded it as, and "Close Up the Honky Tonks.” Dwight Sings Buck is a touching tip of the ole cowboy hat that ensures the magic of Owen’s music stays alive.