Dwight Yoakam Tickets

Dwight Yoakam was born September 23, 1956 in Pikeville, Kentucky. His family moved to Columbus, Ohio where he grew up learning music and performing in musicals in high school. Outside of school he played in local garage bands. After high school Yoakam attended Ohio State, but later dropped out and moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career in music. Influenced by Elvis, the Everly Brothers, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys, Yoakam’s musical style differed from the popular Urban Cowboy country music of the early 80s. Because of this difference, Yoakam ended up performing at many local rock and punk rock clubs. This helped diversify his fan base, and has led to Yoakam being credited with helping country music’s acceptance by many rock crowds. In 1984 Dwight Yoakam recorded his first album, the six song EP Guitars Cadillacs, Etc Etc. The album was later expanded and released by Reprise Records in 1986, and featured the singles “Guitars, Cadillacs” and “Honky Tonk Man”. Over the years, Yoakam continued to tour and record, including the September 18, 2012 release of 3 Pears, which had the most successful debut of any of his albums until the release of Second Hand Heart. 3 Pears had success on Billboard and reached number one on the Americana Radio Chart.

Dwight Yoakam has also had a successful film and TV career. His roles in Sing Blade and Panic Room garnered critical acclaim. Since then he has made appearances in many films including Four Christmases and Wedding Crashers, as well as a cameo on the TV show King of the Hill. Despite his acting success, Yoakam is still best known for his influence in country music.