Watch Buck Owens & Dwight Yoakam’s Music Video For “Streets of Bakersfield”
on Oct 15, 2024
Country stars Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam released their duet “Streets of Bakersfield“ in 1988.
Buck Owens originally released it in 1973, but it wasn’t very successful. 15 years later, Yoakam came to Owens and asked him to do a duet version of the song. Owens agreed, and it hit number one on October 15, 1988!
The duet became one of Yoakam’s first number-one songs and Owens’ first chart-topper since 1972.
Clint Black once said of the duet, “It seems like Dwight Yoakam, right from the time he was a little fella’ with holes in his jeans, was a big fan and admirer of Buck Owens. So when he went on to make a career of his own, Dwight traveled all the way across the country to Bakersfield, California, to sing a song with Buck.”
The two country stars walked through the streets of Bakersfield as they performed the song.
“I came here looking for something I couldn’t find anywhere else, Hey I’m not trying to be nobody, just want a chance to be myself,” they sing together. “How many of you that sit and judge me ever walk the streets of Bakersfield?”
Story behind the song “Streets Of Bakersfield”
The song details the narrator’s journey to Bakersfield and was inspired by the writer, Homer Joy, and his actual experience in the city, which led to him penning the song.
“Streets of Bakersfield” has an interesting history that spans decades and artists. It was originally written and recorded by songwriter Joy in 1973. At the time, Joy was a relatively unknown artist, and the inspiration for the song came from his own experiences while stranded in Bakersfield, California.
He had traveled to Bakersfield hoping to work with Buck Owens, but when things didn’t go as planned, he found himself broke and wandering the city’s streets.
Bakersfield had a rough, gritty side, and Joy’s feelings of being lost and disconnected influenced the song’s narrative about not being understood by the people around him.
After meeting Owens, one of the biggest stars in country music at the time, Joy recorded the song, though it didn’t achieve much commercial success at first.
