History Music / DwightYoakam

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* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: Notable for having a unique sound with a huge combination of influences.

As a side note, he's worked as an actor as well. He plays a damn scary lead villain (take a look at his role in ''Film/SlingBlade''). Take a look at Wiki/TheOtherWiki or more information.

* FakeBand: He teamed up with Music/JohnMellencamp, Joe Ely, James [=McMurtry=], and John Prine for a fake band called Buzzin' Cousins. They cut the song "Sweet Suzanne" for Mellencamp's acting debut in the 1992 movie ''Falling from Grace''.

* CoverVersion: ''Under the Covers'' was entirely a covers album.

* LyricalColdOpen: "Always Late (With Your Kisses)", "Little Ways", and "Pocket of a Clown".

* RearrangeTheSong: ''dwightyoakamacoustic.net'' is an album that features Dwight performing several of his previous songs with just himself and his guitar.

* AllLowercaseLetters: His 2000 live album ''dwightyoakamacoustic.net''.

* LyricalColdOpen: "Always Late (With Your Kisses)" and "Pocket of a Clown".

* NiceHat: One of the "hat act"s who dates back from when the term "hat act" wasn't derogatory.
** His hat pulled down tight over his eyes is so much a part of his signature look that he is practically unrecognizable without it.

* SpokenWordInMusic: "Intentional Heartache" ends on a presumably ad-libbed conversation about the song's central character.

Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is a highly underrated and at times misunderstood country artist active, since the 1980s. Though he's had his fair share of radio hits, people consider him a nice alternative to mainstream country. He's known for being very different than most country artists out there, but at the same time still selling well (25 million records worldwide).

!Albums

** More recently off his 2016 album, "Purple Rain" by Prince in the style of Dwight's usual Honky Tonk. It sounds better than you'd expect.

He began his career in Nashville, Tennessee (what else would you expect?) in 1984, struggling at first since Honky Tonk was considered a DeadHorseGenre. After he was laughed out of Nashville, he moved to California in hopes that he could gain a better audience. His first release was self-financed, this being unique for the Country genre at the time. He soon caught on and gained some popularity. His video for "Honky Tonk Man" was the first Country music video to ever be played on Creator/{{MTV}}.

* SilverFox: He constantly ranks high in reader polls of sexy bachelors in country music even as he's pushing 60. His mysterious brooding demeanor may help.

Highly underrated and at times misunderstood country artist active since the 1980s. Though he's had his fair share of radio hits, people consider him a nice alternative to mainstream country. He's known for being very different than most country artists out there, but at the same time still selling well (25 million records worldwide).

As a side note, he's worked as an actor as well. He plays a damn scary lead villain (take a look at his role in ''Film/SlingBlade''). Take a look at TheOtherWiki or more information.

* InTheStyleOf: He has a lot of covers of songs outside his own genre. For example, a rockabilly cover of Music/{{Queen}}'s "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".

He began his career in Nashville, Tennessee (what else would you expect?) in 1984, struggling at first since Honkey Tonk was considered a DeadHorseGenre. After he was laughed out of Nashville, he moved to California in hopes that he could gain a better audience. His first release was self-financed, this being unique for the Country genre at the time. He soon caught on and gained some popularity. His video for "Honky Tonk Man" was the first Country music video to ever be played on {{MTV}}.

* InTheStyleOf: He has a lot of covers of songs outside his own genre. For example, a rockabilly cover of {{Queen}}'s "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".

* SignatureStyle: Driven mainly by Pete Anderson's guitar work.

His biggest album was released in 1988, titled ''Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room''. It won him critical acclaim, and very high sales. The album almost hit number 1 on the Billboard 200. If the album had succeeded, he would have beaten GarthBrooks to the title of first Country Music album to debut at that position.

He became something of a ReclusiveArtist around the 2000s, mostly due to a long string of TroubledProductions. He then brushed the world with a surprise album in 2012 named ''3 Pears''. The album garnered Yoakam with some of the strongest reception he's had in his career and has brought a new attention to the honky-tonker that hand't been shown before.

As a side note, he's worked as an actor as well. Take a look at TheOtherWiki or more information.

* InTheStyleOf: He has a lot of covers of songs outside his own genre. For example, an awesome cover of {{Queen}}'s "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".

* SignatureStyle