Bakersfield Shuffle

[Shawna]

Hey all ~

Are any of you familiar with the phrase Bakersfield shuffle? I thought it was a song, but everything I've read appears to describe it as a style, rather than a particular song. I tried Google and Wiki and neither of them are helpful in the least...

Thanks!

[johnny]

Haven't heard of it either? It sounds like a dance....

[Lucky]

Shawna, I've not heard tha particular phrase. There is a sub-type of country called the Bakerfield Sound (which I dearly love). It started with Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, and continues today with Dwight Yoakum. I wonder if the phrase relates to something in one of their songs?

That would be about the extent of any knowledge I have..

[Shawna]

Hey girl ~ sounds like you're on track with that. The person who said the phrase to me was referring to Dwight Yoakum... can you give me any more info on the Bakersfield sound?

[Lucky]

No specifics, other than that I like it! But this tidbit from wiki will tell you a bit..

wiki - Buck Owens

I'm thinking that it might be a line from a Yoakum song, though I don't think it's from his big hit "Streets of Bakersfield". I'll research a little more.

Also, the Bakersfield Sound, and Buck in general, impressed John Lennon, and the Beatles as a whole. They became great friends, and obviously, covered one of his #1 Hits "Act Naturally".

Sorry, I digress. I'll look into Dwight's songs...

Edited August 20, 2007 by Guest

[Shawna]

thanks for that info, Lucky! That's a big help...

Anything anyone can come up with on this will be helpful... this is for some SF I'm writing, so your information will also make it into the database... (nudge, nudge)

[Lucky]

I'm wondering if the phrase actually is in reference to walking the streets of Bakersfield?

Bakersfield, is a hot, dusty place in the desert of California. Back in the depression, there were a lot of men who "rode the rails" homeless, that did just that, walked the streets. This is just from stories that I've gotten from my father (who lives there). Listen to the song...

The gang's all here

how many of you that sit and judge me, ever walked the streets of Bakersfield? (the Bakersfield Shuffle?)

On another note.... the man is HOT!

[Shawna]

Dwight Yoakum and "hot" don't belong in the same paragraph. Have you seen the man lately?

Thanks for the reference... by jove, I think you've done it!

[Shawna]

P.S. the whole thing came about when I talked to Radney Foster about this song:

Just Call Me Lonesome

When I confessed to him that I always thought it was Dwight Yoakum who sang that song, he told me he'd heard that a lot, and he couldn't figure out why.

Have a listen with your eyes closed, and tell me if I'm crazy.

[The Seeker]

There seems to be song by Los Lobos called "Bakersfield Shuffle"... apparently it was part of the soundtrack of 'La Bamba'.

[davodrums]

The Bakersfield Shuffle is a fast shuffle drum pattern that can be heard on Buck Owens songs such as I've got a Tiger by the Tail and Act Naturally. The Bakersfield Sound is the name given to the style of music the came from that area in California, which Owens called home.