Dwight Yoakam
Encyclopedia
Dwight David Yoakam is an American
singer-songwriter
, actor and film director
, most famous for his pioneering country music
. Popular since the early 1980s, he has recorded more than twenty-one albums and compilations, has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
charts, and sold more than 25 million records.
, Kentucky
, the son of Ruth Ann, a key-punch operator, and David Yoakam, a gas-station owner. He was raised in Columbus, Ohio
. He graduated from Columbus's Northland High School in 1974. During his high school years, he excelled in both music and drama, regularly securing the lead role in school plays, such as "Charlie" in a stage version of Flowers for Algernon
, honing his skills under the guidance of teacher-mentors Jerry McAfee (music) and Charles Lewis (drama). Outside of school, Yoakam sang and played guitar with local garage bands, and entertained his friends and classmates with his impersonations, such as Richard Nixon
, who, at the time, was heavily embroiled in the Watergate controversy.
Yoakam briefly attended Ohio State University
, but dropped out and moved to Nashville in the late 1970s with the intent of becoming a recording artist.
" music, and Yoakam's brand of hip Honky Tonk
music was not considered marketable.
Not making much headway in Nashville, Yoakam moved to Los Angeles and worked towards bringing his particular brand of new Honky Tonk or "Hillbilly" music (as he himself called it) forward into the 1980s. Writing all his own songs, and continuing to perform mostly outside traditional country music channels, Yoakam did many shows in rock and punk rock
clubs around Los Angeles, playing with roots rock or punk rock acts like The Blasters
(Yoakam scored a small video hit with his version of their song "Long White Cadillac"), Los Lobos
, and X. This helped him diversify his audience beyond the typical country music fans, and his authentic, groundbreaking music is often credited with rock audiences accepting country music.
Yoakam's recording debut was the self-financed EP Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
on independent label Oak Records produced by lead-guitarist Pete Anderson; this was later re-released, with several additional tracks, as his major-label debut LP, 1986's Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
. It launched his career. "Honky Tonk Man
", a remake of the Johnny Horton song, and "Guitars, Cadillacs" were hit singles. His stylish video "Honky Tonk Man" was the first country music video ever played on MTV. The follow-up LP, Hillbilly Deluxe
, was just as successful. His third LP, Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room
, included his first #1, a duet with his musical idol, Buck Owens
, on "Streets of Bakersfield
". 1990's If There Was a Way
was another best-seller.
Yoakam's song "Readin', Rightin', Route 23" pays tribute to his childhood move from Kentucky, and is named after a local expression describing the route that rural Kentuckians took to take to find a job outside of the coal mines. (U.S. Route 23 runs north from Kentucky through Columbus and Toledo, Ohio and through the automotive centers of Michigan.) Rather than the standard line that their elementary schools taught "the three Rs" of "Readin', 'Ritin', and 'Rithmetic", Kentuckians used to say that the three Rs they learned were "Readin', 'Ritin, and Route 23 North".
Johnny Cash once cited Yoakam as his favorite country singer. Chris Isaak called him as good a songwriter that ever put a pen to paper. Time Magazine dubbed Yoakam "A Renaissance Man" and Vanity Fair declared "Yoakam strides the divide between rock's lust and country's lament." Along with his bluegrass and honky-tonk roots, Yoakam has written or covered many Elvis Presley-style rockabilly songs, including his covers of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" in 1999 and Presley's "Suspicious Minds" in 1992. He recorded a cover of the Clash's "Train in Vain" in 1997, a cover of the Grateful Dead song "Truckin'", as well as Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me". Yoakam has never been associated only with Country music; on many early tours, he played with Hardcore Punk bands like Hüsker Dü
, and played many shows around Los Angeles with Roots/Punk/Rock & Roll acts. His middle-period-to-later records saw him branching out to different styles, covering Rock & Roll, Punk, 1960's, Blues-based "Boogie" like ZZ Top, and writing more adventurous songs like "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere". In 2003, he provided background vocals on Warren Zevon's last album The Wind.
In the 21st century, Yoakam released dwightyoakamacoustic.net
, an album featuring solo acoustic versions of many of his hits; left his major label and started his own label.
His latest album of new material is 2005's well-reviewed Blame the Vain
, on New West Records. Yoakam also released an album dedicated to Buck Owens
, Dwight Sings Buck
, on October 23, 2007. His duet with Michelle Branch
, a song titled "Long Goodbye", was released as a free download on Branch's official website in early 2011.
In July 2011, Yoakam re-signed with Warner Bros. Nashville and announced plans to release a new album in early 2012. Yoakam will co-produce the new album with rock producer Joe Chiccarelli.
alcoholic in Sling Blade
(1996), as a psychopathic
killer in Panic Room (2002), as the sheriff in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
(2002) and as a police detective in Hollywood Homicide
(2003). He appeared in a supporting role as Doc Miles, the doctor for Chev Chelios
, in Crank
and its sequel, Crank 2: High Voltage
. In addition, he also guest starred in the King of the Hill
episode Nine Very Angry Men as Lane Pratley. Yoakam also had a cameo appearance in the 2005 comedy movie Wedding Crashers
. In 2008, Yoakam played Pastor Phil in Four Christmases
, starring Vince Vaughn
and Reese Witherspoon
, and he appears in the upcoming film Dirty Girl
. He also appeared in The Last Rites of Ransom Pride
, an independent 2010 Western that also stars fellow country singer Kris Kristofferson
. In 1993, he played a truck driver in the Wyoming crime thriller, Red Rock West
.
Yoakam also starred alongside Penélope Cruz
and Salma Hayek
in the movie Bandidas
(2006).
In 2000, Yoakam co-wrote, starred in, produced and wrote the soundtrack for South of Heaven, West of Hell
, also starring Vince Vaughn and Bridget Fonda
.
Some of his songs are included in the film Big Eden.
Superstores, Walgreens
, Sam's Club
, and Kroger
.
for "Best Male Country Vocal Performance" in 1993 for the song "Ain't That Lonely Yet
". He was also named "Artist of the Year" by CMT Europe
in 1993.
Johnny Cash
once cited Yoakam as his favorite country singer. Chris Isaak
said Yoakam "is about as good a songwriter that ever put a pen to paper. I think he is someone who years from now will still be remembered, like Hank Williams or Buck Owens." Time magazine dubbed Yoakam "A Renaissance Man" and Vanity Fair
declared, "Yoakam strides the divide between rock's lust and country's lament."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, actor and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, most famous for his pioneering country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
. Popular since the early 1980s, he has recorded more than twenty-one albums and compilations, has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts, and sold more than 25 million records.
Early life
Yoakam was born in PikevillePikeville, Kentucky
Pikeville is a city in Pike County, Kentucky. The population was 6,903 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Pike County.-History:On March 25, 1822, the county's government officials decided to build a new county seat named Liberty, one and one-half mile below the mouth of the Russell Fork...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, the son of Ruth Ann, a key-punch operator, and David Yoakam, a gas-station owner. He was raised in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. He graduated from Columbus's Northland High School in 1974. During his high school years, he excelled in both music and drama, regularly securing the lead role in school plays, such as "Charlie" in a stage version of Flowers for Algernon
Flowers for Algernon
Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel Keyes. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960...
, honing his skills under the guidance of teacher-mentors Jerry McAfee (music) and Charles Lewis (drama). Outside of school, Yoakam sang and played guitar with local garage bands, and entertained his friends and classmates with his impersonations, such as Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, who, at the time, was heavily embroiled in the Watergate controversy.
Yoakam briefly attended Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, but dropped out and moved to Nashville in the late 1970s with the intent of becoming a recording artist.
Music career
When he began his career, Nashville was oriented toward pop "Urban CowboyUrban Cowboy
Released as a 2× vinyl record album, re-released on CD in 1995.Side A:#Hello Texas – Jimmy Buffett #All Night Long – Joe Walsh #Times Like These – Dan Fogelberg #Nine Tonight – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band...
" music, and Yoakam's brand of hip Honky Tonk
Honky tonk
A honky-tonk is a type of bar that provides musical entertainment to its patrons...
music was not considered marketable.
Not making much headway in Nashville, Yoakam moved to Los Angeles and worked towards bringing his particular brand of new Honky Tonk or "Hillbilly" music (as he himself called it) forward into the 1980s. Writing all his own songs, and continuing to perform mostly outside traditional country music channels, Yoakam did many shows in rock and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
clubs around Los Angeles, playing with roots rock or punk rock acts like The Blasters
The Blasters
The Blasters are a rock and roll music group formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin and Dave Alvin , with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Phil Alvin explained the origin of the band's name: "I thought Joe Turner’s backup band on Atlantic records – I had...
(Yoakam scored a small video hit with his version of their song "Long White Cadillac"), Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
, and X. This helped him diversify his audience beyond the typical country music fans, and his authentic, groundbreaking music is often credited with rock audiences accepting country music.
Yoakam's recording debut was the self-financed EP Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. is country music artist Dwight Yoakam's début album. It was also the first of three consecutive No. 1 Billboard Country Albums for him. Three of its tracks rose into the Top 40 of the Hot Country Singles chart in 1986. Yoakam's first single was "Honky Tonk Man"...
on independent label Oak Records produced by lead-guitarist Pete Anderson; this was later re-released, with several additional tracks, as his major-label debut LP, 1986's Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. is country music artist Dwight Yoakam's début album. It was also the first of three consecutive No. 1 Billboard Country Albums for him. Three of its tracks rose into the Top 40 of the Hot Country Singles chart in 1986. Yoakam's first single was "Honky Tonk Man"...
. It launched his career. "Honky Tonk Man
Honky Tonk Man (song)
"Honky Tonk Man" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Horton. It was released in March 1956 as his debut single, reaching #9 on the U.S. country singles charts...
", a remake of the Johnny Horton song, and "Guitars, Cadillacs" were hit singles. His stylish video "Honky Tonk Man" was the first country music video ever played on MTV. The follow-up LP, Hillbilly Deluxe
Hillbilly Deluxe (Dwight Yoakam album)
Hillbilly Deluxe is the second album by country music singer/songwriter Dwight Yoakam.The second consecutive No. 1 Billboard album by Yoakam, four of its tracks would find their way into the Top 40 of the Hot Country Singles chart in 1987 and 1988, all topping out in the lower half of the Top Ten....
, was just as successful. His third LP, Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room
Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room
Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room is the third consecutive No. 1 Billboard Country Album by Dwight Yoakam. It features Yoakam's first two No. 1 Hot Country Singles hits. The first was "Streets of Bakersfield," a duet with country music veteran Buck Owens, and the second was Yoakam's own...
, included his first #1, a duet with his musical idol, Buck Owens
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
, on "Streets of Bakersfield
Streets of Bakersfield
"Streets of Bakersfield" is a 1973 song written by Homer Joy and popularized by Buck Owens.-Cover versions:*In 1988, the song was recorded by country music artist Dwight Yoakam with his hero Buck Owens and was the lead-off single to his 1988 album Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room...
". 1990's If There Was a Way
If There Was a Way
If There Was a Way is the fourth album by Dwight Yoakam. Five of its tracks would rise into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1991 and 1992. They were "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" at No. 11, "You're the One" at No. 5, "Nothing's Changed Here" at No. 15, "It Only...
was another best-seller.
Yoakam's song "Readin', Rightin', Route 23" pays tribute to his childhood move from Kentucky, and is named after a local expression describing the route that rural Kentuckians took to take to find a job outside of the coal mines. (U.S. Route 23 runs north from Kentucky through Columbus and Toledo, Ohio and through the automotive centers of Michigan.) Rather than the standard line that their elementary schools taught "the three Rs" of "Readin', 'Ritin', and 'Rithmetic", Kentuckians used to say that the three Rs they learned were "Readin', 'Ritin, and Route 23 North".
Johnny Cash once cited Yoakam as his favorite country singer. Chris Isaak called him as good a songwriter that ever put a pen to paper. Time Magazine dubbed Yoakam "A Renaissance Man" and Vanity Fair declared "Yoakam strides the divide between rock's lust and country's lament." Along with his bluegrass and honky-tonk roots, Yoakam has written or covered many Elvis Presley-style rockabilly songs, including his covers of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" in 1999 and Presley's "Suspicious Minds" in 1992. He recorded a cover of the Clash's "Train in Vain" in 1997, a cover of the Grateful Dead song "Truckin'", as well as Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me". Yoakam has never been associated only with Country music; on many early tours, he played with Hardcore Punk bands like Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart....
, and played many shows around Los Angeles with Roots/Punk/Rock & Roll acts. His middle-period-to-later records saw him branching out to different styles, covering Rock & Roll, Punk, 1960's, Blues-based "Boogie" like ZZ Top, and writing more adventurous songs like "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere". In 2003, he provided background vocals on Warren Zevon's last album The Wind.
In the 21st century, Yoakam released dwightyoakamacoustic.net
Dwightyoakamacoustic.net
dwightyoakamacoustic.net is the title of a studio album released in 2000 by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It features twenty-five of his songs recorded in an acoustic manner, save for "Little Sister" which also features Pete Anderson on electric guitar...
, an album featuring solo acoustic versions of many of his hits; left his major label and started his own label.
His latest album of new material is 2005's well-reviewed Blame the Vain
Blame the Vain
Blame the Vain is an album by country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released in June 2005, and his first not to be produced by guitarist producer Pete Anderson. Yoakam wrote all the songs and produced the album himself...
, on New West Records. Yoakam also released an album dedicated to Buck Owens
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
, Dwight Sings Buck
Dwight Sings Buck
Dwight Sings Buck is country music artist Dwight Yoakam's tribute album to Buck Owens. The album was released on October 23, 2007 by New West Records.-Track listing:#"My Heart Skips a Beat" - 2:25...
, on October 23, 2007. His duet with Michelle Branch
Michelle Branch
Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums, The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper, and was subsequently nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2003...
, a song titled "Long Goodbye", was released as a free download on Branch's official website in early 2011.
In July 2011, Yoakam re-signed with Warner Bros. Nashville and announced plans to release a new album in early 2012. Yoakam will co-produce the new album with rock producer Joe Chiccarelli.
Film career
Yoakam has also starred in many films, most notably in critically acclaimed performances as an abusiveDomestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
alcoholic in Sling Blade
Sling Blade
Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film set in rural Arkansas, written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars in the lead role. It tells the story of a mentally impaired man named Karl Childers who is released from a psychiatric hospital, where he has lived since killing his mother...
(1996), as a psychopathic
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
killer in Panic Room (2002), as the sheriff in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a 2005 American drama film directed by Tommy Lee Jones and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Julio Cedillo, and Dwight Yoakam....
(2002) and as a police detective in Hollywood Homicide
Hollywood Homicide
Hollywood Homicide is a 2003 American action comedy film starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett.The film also features Lena Olin, Lolita Davidovich, Martin Landau, Bruce Greenwood, Isaiah Washington, Keith David, Dwight Yoakam and Master P in supporting roles, with Eric Idle making a cameo...
(2003). He appeared in a supporting role as Doc Miles, the doctor for Chev Chelios
Chev Chelios
Chev Chelios is the protagonist from the 2006 film Crank and its 2009 sequel, Crank: High Voltage. He is portrayed by Jason Statham.-Biography:Chev Chelios was born in London and lived with his mother, Karen Chelios...
, in Crank
Crank (film)
Crank is a 2006 American comedy movie, written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, and starring Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Efren Ramirez, and Dwight Yoakam...
and its sequel, Crank 2: High Voltage
Crank 2: High Voltage
Crank: High Voltage is a 2009 American action-thriller comedy film and sequel to the 2006 action film, Crank. The story of the film resumes shortly after the first film left off, retaining its "real-time" presentation and adding more special effects...
. In addition, he also guest starred in the King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
episode Nine Very Angry Men as Lane Pratley. Yoakam also had a cameo appearance in the 2005 comedy movie Wedding Crashers
Wedding Crashers
Wedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell....
. In 2008, Yoakam played Pastor Phil in Four Christmases
Four Christmases
Four Christmases is a Christmas-themed romantic comedy film about a couple who go to see their divorced parents in one day...
, starring Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
and Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
, and he appears in the upcoming film Dirty Girl
Dirty Girl (2010 film)
Dirty Girl is a 2010 coming of age comedy, written and directed by Abe Sylvia. It stars Juno Temple, Milla Jovovich and William H. Macy. It premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2010...
. He also appeared in The Last Rites of Ransom Pride
The Last Rites of Ransom Pride
The Last Rites of Ransom Pride is a 2010 action-western film starring Lizzy Caplan and Scott Speedman in the title role.-Plot:Juliette Flowers is on a mission: to find the remains of her outlaw lover, Ransom Pride...
, an independent 2010 Western that also stars fellow country singer Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
. In 1993, he played a truck driver in the Wyoming crime thriller, Red Rock West
Red Rock West
Red Rock West is a neo-noir film directed by John Dahl. The film, written by Dahl and his brother Rick, was shot in Montana and Willcox, Arizona. The film was well received at the prestigious Toronto Film Festival, but deemed a cable and direct-to-video product by Columbia Tri-Star, which owned...
.
Yoakam also starred alongside Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...
and Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
in the movie Bandidas
Bandidas
Bandidas is a 2006 French/Mexican/American Western comedy film starring Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz directed by Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg and produced and written by Luc Besson...
(2006).
In 2000, Yoakam co-wrote, starred in, produced and wrote the soundtrack for South of Heaven, West of Hell
South of Heaven, West of Hell
South of Heaven, West of Hell is country singer Dwight Yoakam's soundtrack album to the motion picture of the same name in which he both starred and directed. Yoakam portrays a lawman in the early 1900s in the "wild west" of the Arizona Territory. Half of the tracks in the album are country music...
, also starring Vince Vaughn and Bridget Fonda
Bridget Fonda
Bridget Jane Fonda is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in films such as The Godfather Part III, Single White Female, Point of No Return, It Could Happen to You, and Jackie Brown...
.
Some of his songs are included in the film Big Eden.
Food ventures
Yoakam's food brand, Bakersfield Biscuits, sells frozen foods at retailers such as Wal-MartWal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
Superstores, Walgreens
Walgreens
Walgreen Co. , doing business as Walgreens , is the largest drugstore chain in the United States of America. As of August 31st, the company operates 8,210 locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, and has since expanded...
, Sam's Club
Sam's Club
Sam's Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. , the Sam's Club chain serves more than 47 million U.S. members...
, and Kroger
Kroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
.
Awards and recognition
Yoakam won the Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for "Best Male Country Vocal Performance" in 1993 for the song "Ain't That Lonely Yet
Ain't That Lonely Yet
"Ain't That Lonely Yet" is the title of a song written by Kostas and James House, and recorded by Dwight Yoakam. It was released in March 1993 as the first single from his CD This Time. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks...
". He was also named "Artist of the Year" by CMT Europe
CMT Europe
CMT Europe was a European television channel. It was a European version of Country Music Television.The channel started in 1992. It was closed down on March 31, 1998 after substantial losses....
in 1993.
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
once cited Yoakam as his favorite country singer. Chris Isaak
Chris Isaak
Christopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak is an American rock musician and occasional actor.-Early life:Isaak was born in Stockton, California, the son of Dorothy , a potato chip factory worker, and Joe Isaak, a forklift driver. Isaak's mother is Italian American, originating from Genoa...
said Yoakam "is about as good a songwriter that ever put a pen to paper. I think he is someone who years from now will still be remembered, like Hank Williams or Buck Owens." Time magazine dubbed Yoakam "A Renaissance Man" and Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
declared, "Yoakam strides the divide between rock's lust and country's lament."
Studio albums
- Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. is country music artist Dwight Yoakam's début album. It was also the first of three consecutive No. 1 Billboard Country Albums for him. Three of its tracks rose into the Top 40 of the Hot Country Singles chart in 1986. Yoakam's first single was "Honky Tonk Man"...
(1986) - Hillbilly DeluxeHillbilly Deluxe (Dwight Yoakam album)Hillbilly Deluxe is the second album by country music singer/songwriter Dwight Yoakam.The second consecutive No. 1 Billboard album by Yoakam, four of its tracks would find their way into the Top 40 of the Hot Country Singles chart in 1987 and 1988, all topping out in the lower half of the Top Ten....
(1987) - Buenas Noches From a Lonely RoomBuenas Noches From a Lonely RoomBuenas Noches from a Lonely Room is the third consecutive No. 1 Billboard Country Album by Dwight Yoakam. It features Yoakam's first two No. 1 Hot Country Singles hits. The first was "Streets of Bakersfield," a duet with country music veteran Buck Owens, and the second was Yoakam's own...
(1988) - If There Was a WayIf There Was a WayIf There Was a Way is the fourth album by Dwight Yoakam. Five of its tracks would rise into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1991 and 1992. They were "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" at No. 11, "You're the One" at No. 5, "Nothing's Changed Here" at No. 15, "It Only...
(1990) - This TimeThis Time (Dwight Yoakam album)This Time is the fifth album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. Three of its tracks barely missed the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, each peaking at No. 2: "Ain't That Lonely Yet," "A Thousand Miles from Nowhere," and "Fast as You." Two other tracks also rose...
(1993) - GoneGone (Dwight Yoakam album)Gone is the seventh album by country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It rose as far up as #5 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. It produced three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "Nothing" at No. 20, "Gone " at No. 51, and "Sorry You Asked?" at No. 59. The final single, "Heart of...
(1995) - A Long Way HomeA Long Way HomeA Long Way Home is the tenth album of new recordings by Dwight Yoakam. It reached No. 11 on the Billboard Country Album, with two of its tracks charting on the Hot Country Singles chart. "Things Change" reached No. 17, while "These Arms" peaked at No. 57...
(1998) - Tomorrow's Sounds TodayTomorrow's Sounds TodayTomorrow's Sounds Today is the twelfth album by country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It rose to No. 7 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. There were two charting singles among its tracks: "What Do You Know About Love" at No. 26 and "I Want You to Want Me" at No. 49 on the Hot Country Songs chart...
(2000) - South of Heaven, West of HellSouth of Heaven, West of HellSouth of Heaven, West of Hell is country singer Dwight Yoakam's soundtrack album to the motion picture of the same name in which he both starred and directed. Yoakam portrays a lawman in the early 1900s in the "wild west" of the Arizona Territory. Half of the tracks in the album are country music...
(2001) - Population MePopulation MePopulation Me is an album by Dwight Yoakam. It was released in June 2003. The album spawned two singles, "The Back Of Your Hand" and "The Late Great Golden State". Another featured song is "If Teardrops Were Diamonds," a duet with country music legend Willie Nelson. "The Back of Your Hand" was...
(2003) - Blame the VainBlame the VainBlame the Vain is an album by country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released in June 2005, and his first not to be produced by guitarist producer Pete Anderson. Yoakam wrote all the songs and produced the album himself...
(2005)
Covers albums
- Under the CoversUnder the Covers (Dwight Yoakam album)Under the Covers is a 1997 album of cover songs recorded by Dwight Yoakam. It peaked at No. 8 on Billboards Top Country Albums chart, and No...
(1997) - In Others' WordsIn Others' Words-Chart performance:...
(2003) - Dwight's Used RecordsDwight's Used Records-Chart performance:...
(2004) - Dwight Sings BuckDwight Sings BuckDwight Sings Buck is country music artist Dwight Yoakam's tribute album to Buck Owens. The album was released on October 23, 2007 by New West Records.-Track listing:#"My Heart Skips a Beat" - 2:25...
(2007)
Compilation albums
- Just Lookin' for a HitJust Lookin' for a HitJust Lookin' for a Hit is the first greatest hits album released by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It includes eight singles from his 1980s albums for Reprise Records, as well as two newly-recorded cover songs: "Long White Cadillac", originally recorded by The Blasters, and "Sin...
(1989) - Dwight LiveDwight LiveDwight Live is the first live album by country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released in 1995 on Reprise Records. Recorded at The Warfield in San Francisco, California in 1994, this album comprises live renditions of seventeen of his songs....
(1995) - Last Chance for a Thousand YearsLast Chance for a Thousand Years: Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits from the 90'sLast Chance for a Thousand Years: Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits from the 90's is the second compilation album released by American country music singer Dwight Yoakam. It includes eleven of his hit singles from the 1990s, as well as three new recordings...
(1999) - dwightyoakamacoustic.netDwightyoakamacoustic.netdwightyoakamacoustic.net is the title of a studio album released in 2000 by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It features twenty-five of his songs recorded in an acoustic manner, save for "Little Sister" which also features Pete Anderson on electric guitar...
(2000) - Reprise, Please, Baby (2002)
- The Very Best of Dwight YoakamThe Very Best of Dwight YoakamThe Very Best of Dwight Yoakam is a compilation album of songs recorded by country music artist Dwight Yoakam. Certified gold by the RIAA, the album comprises twenty hit singles from his career.-Track listing:...
(2004)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day Terminator 2: Judgment Day Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong... |
Performer | |
| 1992 | Red Rock West Red Rock West Red Rock West is a neo-noir film directed by John Dahl. The film, written by Dahl and his brother Rick, was shot in Montana and Willcox, Arizona. The film was well received at the prestigious Toronto Film Festival, but deemed a cable and direct-to-video product by Columbia Tri-Star, which owned... |
Truck Driver | |
| 1994 | Roswell | Mac Brazel | TV Movie |
| 1995 | The Little Death | Bobby Lomax | |
| 1996 | Don't Look Back | Skipper | TV movie |
| 1996 | Sling Blade Sling Blade Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film set in rural Arkansas, written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars in the lead role. It tells the story of a mentally impaired man named Karl Childers who is released from a psychiatric hospital, where he has lived since killing his mother... |
Doyle Hargraves | Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance |
| 1997 | Painted Hero | Virgil Kidder | |
| 1998 | The Newton Boys The Newton Boys The Newton Boys is a 1998 drama film based on the true story of the Newton Gang, a family of bank robbers from Uvalde, Texas. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Dwight Yoakam. It was filmed in Austin, Bartlett, New Braunfels, and San Antonio,... |
Brentwood Glasscock | |
| 1998 | When Trumpets Fade When Trumpets Fade When Trumpets Fade is a 1998 war film directed by John Irvin, produced by John Kemeny and written by W.W. Vought. It is based on a true story of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest in Autumn of 1944 during World War II... |
Lieutenant Colonel George Rickman | TV movie |
| 1999 | The Minus Man The Minus Man The Minus Man is a 1999 film based on the novel by Lew McCreary. It was directed by Hampton Fancher, who also wrote the screenplay. The film centers on a psychotic killer whom Fancher describes as "a cross between Psycho's Norman Bates, Melville's Billy Budd and Being There's Chauncey... |
Blair | |
| 2001 | South of Heaven, West of Hell South of Heaven, West of Hell South of Heaven, West of Hell is country singer Dwight Yoakam's soundtrack album to the motion picture of the same name in which he both starred and directed. Yoakam portrays a lawman in the early 1900s in the "wild west" of the Arizona Territory. Half of the tracks in the album are country music... |
Valentine Casey | Also director and writer |
| 2002 | Panic Room | Raoul | |
| 2003 | Hollywood Homicide Hollywood Homicide Hollywood Homicide is a 2003 American action comedy film starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett.The film also features Lena Olin, Lolita Davidovich, Martin Landau, Bruce Greenwood, Isaiah Washington, Keith David, Dwight Yoakam and Master P in supporting roles, with Eric Idle making a cameo... |
Leroy Wasley | |
| 2004 | Three Way Three Way Three Way is a 2004 film about a kidnapping plot, based on the pulp novel Wild To Possess by Gil Brewer, the film stars Dominic Purcell, Joy Bryant, Ali Larter, Al Israel, Dwight Yoakam and Gina Gershon. The film was released also with titles 3-way and Three Way Split.-Plot:The film starts in San... |
Herbert Claremont/Clarkson | |
| 2005 | Wedding Crashers Wedding Crashers Wedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell.... |
Mr. Kroeger | |
| 2005 | The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a 2005 American drama film directed by Tommy Lee Jones and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Julio Cedillo, and Dwight Yoakam.... |
Belmont | Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Theatrical Motion Picture |
| 2006 | Bandidas Bandidas Bandidas is a 2006 French/Mexican/American Western comedy film starring Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz directed by Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg and produced and written by Luc Besson... |
Tyler Jackson | |
| 2006 | Crank Crank (film) Crank is a 2006 American comedy movie, written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, and starring Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Efren Ramirez, and Dwight Yoakam... |
Doc Miles | |
| 2008 | Two:Thirteen Two:Thirteen Two:Thirteen , is a 2009 horror/thriller film directed by Charles Adelman and starring Mark Thompson, Mark Pellegrino, Teri Polo, and Kevin Pollak.-Synopsis:... |
Sandy | |
| 2008 | Four Christmases Four Christmases Four Christmases is a Christmas-themed romantic comedy film about a couple who go to see their divorced parents in one day... |
Pastor Phil | |
| 2009 | Crank: High Voltage | Doc Miles | |
| 2010 | Dirty Girl Dirty Girl (2010 film) Dirty Girl is a 2010 coming of age comedy, written and directed by Abe Sylvia. It stars Juno Temple, Milla Jovovich and William H. Macy. It premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2010... |
Joseph | |
| 2010 | The Last Rites of Ransom Pride The Last Rites of Ransom Pride The Last Rites of Ransom Pride is a 2010 action-western film starring Lizzy Caplan and Scott Speedman in the title role.-Plot:Juliette Flowers is on a mission: to find the remains of her outlaw lover, Ransom Pride... |
Reverend Early Pride | |
| 2010 | Bloodworth | Boyd Bloodworth | |
| 2013 | Jayne Mansfield's Car | TBA | pre-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Hee Haw Hee Haw Hee Haw is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with fictional rural Kornfield Kounty as a backdrop. It aired on CBS-TV from 1969–1971 before a 20-year run in local syndication. The show was inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the major difference being... |
Himself | 1 episode; performer |
| 1991 | P.S. I Luv U P.S. I Luv U P.S. I Luv U is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS as a part of its 1991-92 schedule. The title derived from the phone number of fictitious Palm Security and Investigations, which was 774-5888, which can be reached by dialing "PSI-LUVU" on a standard North American... |
Harlan Justice | 1 episode |
| 1993 | America Comes to Graceland | Himself | TV documentary |
| 1993 | Rhythm & Jam | Himself | TV mini-series |
| 1997 | Ellen Ellen (TV series) Ellen is a U.S. television sitcom that ran on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.The theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas... |
The Bag Boy | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | King of the Hill King of the Hill King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas... |
Lane Pratley | 1 episode |
| 2002 | Dinner for Five Dinner for Five Dinner for Five is a television program in which actor/filmmaker Jon Favreau and a revolving guest list of celebrities eat, drink and talk about life on and off the set and swap stories about projects past and present... |
Himself | 1 episode |
| 2002 | Peter Fonda: Fortunate Son | Narrator | TV documentary |
| 2011 | Wilfred (U.S. TV series) Wilfred (U.S. TV series) Wilfred is an American sitcom television series which debuted on June 23, 2011, and is based on the Australian SBS One series of the same name. It stars Elijah Wood and series co-creator Jason Gann, reprising his role of the eponymous dog Wilfred. The series was adapted for the American television... |
Bruce | 1 episode |