Where did the term "The West Coast Sound" start ?

Richard Tipple · From: Ohio, USA

What exactly is the ,,West Coast Sound,,???
Somebody asked me today what the ,West Coast Sound,
was. I guess its the term used for the Buck & Dwight
era ,out in Bakersfield, some years back Confused

Bill Fisher · From: Oklahoma, USA

Fantastic.

Bill

Alvin Blaine · From: Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA

I would say about 40-50 years before Dwight!!

Around the 1940s California was the place that all the dust bowl refugees, depression era migrants, and WWII factory workers ended up. So all that music from the Ozarks to Alabama to Oklahoma & Texas ended up on the west coast. Started with groups like the Maddox Brothers & Rose, Spade Cooley, Tex William, Bob Wills, Tommy Duncan the Texas Playboys and grew into Cousin Herb Henson, Bill Woods, Billy Mize, Oscar Whittington, Eugene Moles, Jelly Sanders, Johnny Cuevelo, Fuzzy Owen, Lewis Talley, and Tex Butler. Then those guys influence the young folks out there like Tommy Collins, Ferlin Husky, Jean Shepard, Wynn Stewart, Freddie Hart then Buck Owens and Merle Haggard and musicians like Roy Nichols, Ralph Mooney, Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant, Merle Travis, Joe Maphis and hundreds of others.
It caught on more nation wide in the '60s when Rock N Roll was dominating the air waves, Nashville decide to go with the overproduced and syrupy approach to music, and the "West Coast" guy were still playing loud raw 5 piece band Honky Tonk stuff that made folk want to drink and dance. To me that's the "West Coast" sound.

and all of this happened before Dwight!!
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Larry Petree · From: Bakersfield. Ca. USA

What Alvin Blaine said...... in fact, we still have the Dust Bowl Days each October as a tribute to the people and their music.

Richard Tipple · From: Ohio, USA

Alvin,,thanks so much for the education on this topic. I never knew this was the term for ,, West Coast Music. I guess Buck & Dwight, were late in the game. Thanks again Smile

Kirk Eipper · From: Arroyo Grande, Ca.

Alvin, You really summed that up well. To me, the West Coast sound had a lot of edginess and attitude as well. Not to be confused withe something say like the Urban Cowboy sound.
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Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

Just like Alvin recapped. West Coast music and sound was imported to the West Coast first by the Crop Workers and then WWII Defense workers. The children of these early immigrants also were brougjht up on this music. However, IMHO, when the next generation came along they went for the Rock and Roll and West Cosst Country Music started it's decline.
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Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

The "West Coast" sound was simple, edgey country music; low on instrumentation and high on twang. It was "in your face" music, a lack of lush, with none of the subtleties that were being pushed by Tennessee, and none of the complexity that was found in jazzier Texas music. A solid body guitar and a steel were the order of the day, along with simple 3 & 4 chord songs, and I think it was, to a large extent, the vast amount of younger artists taking part that were looking for something they could easily play and express rhemselves with. They wanted a way to separate themselves from the older, more established artists who were often using violins and vocal groups, or several fiddles and jazz-type arrangements. In short, it was unadorned playing with absolute simplicity, sort of a modern, electrified version of the old Carter Family hillbilly music.

Young peoples' music, whether it's doo-wop, Bakersfield, rock-a-billy, surf music, British rock, or rap music always starts out simple, and with sparse instrumentation. Then, as the seminal players age, they seem add more and more instruments and technicals, and the original formula gradually becomes diluted and overproduced. Some of this is due to the desire to improve and expand, musically (complicate?), and some is due to the ability to afford more players, instruments, and fancier recording techniques.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Richard, "What exactly is the "West Coast Sound"? The best way to understand it is to listen to Wynn Stewarts tunes like.......

One More Memory
Playboy
Wishful Thinkin'

or Buck Owens things like:

Excuse Me, I think I Got a Heartache
Foolin' Around
Over and Over....just to name a few.......

Or Warren Smith's...

I Don't Believe I'll Fall in Love Today
Odds & Ends, Bits and Pieces

And other great examples of "our" musical heritage. I was lucky to have been from SoCal and raised on that sound and will keep on listening to it and citing it as my favorite music till I'm out of here... I even have an 8th pedal on my steel that's operated by the right foot and doesn't do anything except raise the 4th string E to F#.....JH in Va.

Here's a picture article of a guy that "IS WEST COAST MUSIC!"....JH in Va.

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Clyde Mattocks · From: Kinston, North Carolina, USA

When I was learning back in the fifties, the older guys that were around were using the term "West Coast Sound" even back then. They were referring to Spade Cooley, Tex Williams, Johnny Bond, etc.
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Ron Page · From: Penn Yan, NY USA

Alvine gave an excellent historical perspective. From a steel guitar perspective, the west coast style is characterized by the sparing use of muting and letting the strings ring, and Moon incorporated this in his style, always.

Take nothing away from Dwight. Just as Merle Haggard and, later George Strait, sustained Western Swing, Dwight gave the west coast sound--the Bakersfield Sound a boost into the future.
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Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

In the 1950's, most aspiring vocalists were going to the west coast to record because Nashville was then known as too "hillbilly".
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LJ Eiffert · From: California, USA

Hello Alvin Blaine.First of all " Dwight Yoakam " that skinny little ball head off the wall Bakersfield bisque friend of mine or was he Fran Boyd's had nothing to do with the West Coast Sound from Bakersfield,California.It was way before he got out here from Kentucky. So,I wish those who think he did would really check the real History of who did? It was more than just my old friend Buck Owens & the Buckaroos or my other one Merle Haggard & the Strangers. You can add Billy Mize,Al Bruno,Jay Dee Maness,Big Bill Garner,Bill Woods and many many many many many I mean many more. Maybe even me. Who knows! Winking

Uncle Leo! I'm back............................just for today and maybe later. Whoa!

Frank Freniere · From: The First Coast

Ray Harrison · From: Tucson, Arizona, USA (deceased)

Damn LJ, you may need to re-read what Alvin posted, I thought that the said that it was before Dwight was in this world.
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LJ Eiffert · From: California, USA

Well if you go to Nashville to the " Hall Of Fame " you'll see how much of that credit Yoakam gets. I'm just making sure he don't get much more and I know Alvin's on the right track or is he? .Can't play with nobody anymore these days in fun.so,It's nice to see how much people are really watching what's going on on this forum. Great job! Ray! How come damn LJ? Are you that mad like most others or what? Rolling Eyes

Uncle Leo

Clyde Mattocks · From: Kinston, North Carolina, USA

There is a certain amount of comingling "the West Coast Sound" with "the Bakersfield Sound". I have no argument, but the term West Coast Sound predated the Bakersfield era by at least twenty years.
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Alvin Blaine · From: Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

deleted
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LJ Eiffert · From: California, USA

Thanks Alvin! I know you know the truth about who's who from the Southern California Scene. I'm just wondering about Ray! He's starting to act like that three legged chicken Yoakum dude and that's making me wonder what part of what is he mad about at me.To many people have got away with getting credit for things they didn't even do or let alone come up with. When I look at the real picture of names on this forum that I know but they don't remember me are even know who I am for what I've done and it's that,that gets me. Whoa!

I hope I'm not cutting into somebodies credit! I take this History of Southern California to Bakersfield serious. And, no I'm not happy about the ACM nor CMA are all them so call hot shots.But, I just hope the newcomers of this new crap of country music gets their head out of the sand and refills the right road of night club Country Music and not all of that radio BS called Country Music. That's the only good thing about that three legged chicken yoakum dude he can't sound any other way but Country.So God bless him my skinnie little big name friend. You think? Uncle Leo J.Eiffert,Jr. Winking

Per Kammersgaard · From: Sonderborg, Denmark

Just listened to the latest Yoakam album - there's not much of that westcoast country sound left in him.

PK

Joachim Kettner · From: Germany

An interview with Dwight Yoakam about his latest record:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505270_162-57520457/john-lennon-inspiration-for-dwight-yoakam-album-3-pears/
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Fred Jack · From: Bastrop, Texas 78602

What about Noel, or Murph, or Speedy and Jimmy, or oh the list is endless. These guys had no effects to work for them. They made the sounds. Did someone say no chords or maybe it was three chords. WOW! I must have made those sounds up in my mind. I found that the true W C sound was full of chords.There were so many that had a part in "determining" the W C sound. I think many of the musicians went there for the "freedom" to play what they felt. I had friends that were there in the 40's and I got there in 55, 1955 that is, and it forever changed me. I still need a big dose of hillbilly every few days but I need that W C sound on a regular basis.No offence to Dwight and his followers but I'm talkin from Hag and Buck on back.

LJ Eiffert · From: California, USA

Fred Jack,you got that right about Merle & Buck but there is much more with Bill Woods,The Red Head and all the great Musicians that was in Bakersfield from the 60's til the 80's.After that it all fell apart with so many Night Clubs being closed.Lawton Jiles,Rock Top,Billy Mize and so on with many names that will never get the credit they did for Country Music in their life time.The real deal of true Country Music in night clubs will never be the same anymore in this life time to come. Winking

Uncle Leo J.Eiffert,Jr. PS: The fight is done for me in trying to get the ACM to put all those who really did make the ACM what is was before it became a big business for record Companies,Artist Managment and radio stations booking agents for concert promoters. Cool