Dwight Yoakam Gets Own Sirius XM Channel “The Bakersfield Beat”
Everything is better with a little more Dwight Yoakam, and that’s what subscribers will get this spring when SiriusXM satellite radio will launch a brand new station called “Dwight Yoakam and The Bakersfield Beat,” with the subtitle “Where Country Went Mod.”
Curated by the Dwighness himself, it will include a lot of his own music, as well as many of the greats who make up the Bakersfield and California country sound. Listeners can expect to hear songs from artists such as Buck Owens, Wynn Stewart, Tommy Collins, The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Eagles, The Blasters, Ricky Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt among others when they tune in. The channel will also include some of the cowpunk sound that influenced Yoakam early in his career. Names such as X, Lone Justice and Los Lobos are being bandied about as examples of what you might hear on a segment being called, “That Town South of Bakersfield: “From Cow Punks To Now Punks.”
“Dwight’s musical career was so heavily influenced by the Bakersfield sound and he returned the compliment by producing decades of critically acclaimed music,” says Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Office of SiriusXM. “A full-time channel of Dwight Yoakam and The Bakersfield Beat added to our already powerful and diverse country music lineup is a potent addition SiriusXM country music fans will love.”
Dwight Yoakam joins a cast of characters that includes Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty with their own curated SiriusXM channels. Folks can get a taste of what to expect from the channel when Dwight Yoakam and the Bakersfield Beat takes over SiriusXM’s Prime Country starting Friday, February 23 at 5:00 pm ET through Monday, February 26 at 3:00 am ET on Channel 58.
Now word on a specific launch date for the channel. Folks can also listen on the SiriusXM mobile app, and at home on a wide variety of connected devices including smart TVs, Amazon Alexa devices, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more.
February 24, 2018 @ 10:27 am
No Merle Haggard or Marty Stuart?
February 24, 2018 @ 10:33 am
I saw Dwight last May. At one point, I think he did about five Merle songs as a tribute. Talked about him a lot, too. One thing he said was that Willie was working on an album of Merle songs. He asked Willie “So, WIllie … are you going to play…”, and Willie, knowing Dwight was talking about Okie from Muscogee, said something like “Oh, yeah.”
Yeah, I think there’ll be some Merle played.
February 24, 2018 @ 11:08 am
I saw Dwight a few months ago in Huntsville, Alabama, and he did a medley of Merle songs and a medley of Buck songs. The Steel Woods were a quality opener for that show, too.
February 25, 2018 @ 6:17 am
I figured Willie would do a Merle record like he did with Ray Price. Glad to hear about that.
February 24, 2018 @ 10:32 am
Awesome! I’ve always loved the Bakersfield sound the best!
February 24, 2018 @ 10:44 am
Dwight Yoakam is walking talking encyclopedia of music history–not just country, pretty much everything. Watch or read any interview of his for proof. The interviewer can barely get a word in once he gets started, lol.
This will be great.
February 24, 2018 @ 10:47 am
Yeeeeeeeeehaw!
February 24, 2018 @ 10:52 am
“Everything is better with a little more Dwight Yoakam”
YES
February 24, 2018 @ 11:05 am
I might have to get Sirius. (No pun intended). I’ve been a Dwight fan since I bought the “Guitars Cadillacs…” album.
February 24, 2018 @ 12:11 pm
Most trials are free. Then when it expires, tell them you can’t afford it and they’ll discount the monthly fee. I have no idea how their business model works.
February 24, 2018 @ 2:30 pm
Thanks, I’ll look into it :)Thanks, I’ll look into it.
February 24, 2018 @ 11:28 am
Nice Trigg, the Dead also have channel 60,
February 24, 2018 @ 11:32 am
Some of these dedicated channels are so good. The Beatles channel is one of the best things Sirius has ever done. The best ones don’t just play music they also have features and interview programs also. ‘From Me To You’ hosted by Peter Asher on the Beatles channel is a joy to listen to.
So I look forward to this new channel.
February 24, 2018 @ 11:44 am
Please let this be the year Dwight is inducted into the HoF.
February 24, 2018 @ 1:02 pm
I don’t know that a whole new channel is warranted. There are already half a dozen Country channels as it is. And everything he plans to play would fit in on Outlaw Country or even the ’90’s Country channel. Instead, he should curate a daily/weekly playlist for one of the existing channels instead like Steve Earle does with his Hardcore Troubadour hour or like Elizabeth Cook’s Apron Strings segments. That would help to address one of my main problems with the Sirius channels recycling their playlists throughout the week when they could be playing almost anything else. It’s certainly not for lack of possible DJ playlist programmers. Give Dale Watson a weekly hour to spotlight all the rockabilly/honkytonk artists that only he seems to know about. Block out a spot for Chris Shiftlett to explore the connections between Country and Punk. Considering just how many up and coming artists and bands there are in Americana there’s absolutely no reason why they couldn’t be shuffling even more undiscovered acts between the mandatory hourly Lucinda Williams song.
February 24, 2018 @ 7:14 pm
The fact that Dwight’s new Sirius channel will focus on an approach to country music that is frequently dismissed by a lot of really smug and snobby critics, and will include the pioneering efforts of women like Linda Ronstadt (whose voice we sadly can’t hear anymore) and Emmylou Harris, has to be taken seriously. Besides being one of country’s all-time most charismatic performers, Dwight is also one of its greatest historians (IMHO).
March 26, 2018 @ 8:41 pm
I can do without all the other channels, we only need one, and it Dwight’s. Outlaw plays shit, Classic plays shit and Prime plays shit. Garth sucks Kenny Chesney’s butthole.
February 24, 2018 @ 1:59 pm
I am also a loooong time fan of Dwight Yoakam. Happy he’s getting his own. He does need to be in the Hall of Fame.
February 24, 2018 @ 2:22 pm
Been listening to it today, great mix of songs. My wife and I love Dwight, got to see him 2 years ago at a free outdoor concert at Lincoln Center in NYC, the Cactus Blossoms opened, it was a great show, my wife says it was hands down the best show she has been to. Hope Dwight’s format is similar to the Tom Petty show on Sirius, was great when he DJ’d, always played lots of hidden gems
February 24, 2018 @ 2:45 pm
Channel 59 and 60 are already awesome, this just makes 58 awesome too!
February 24, 2018 @ 3:08 pm
Love Dwight. I much rather listen to him and his era of music than most of the country out today. He definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame too. I was sad to miss his Jan 2018 concert in Corbin KY maybe hopefully next time. Keep playing it ur way Dwight.
February 24, 2018 @ 4:11 pm
Yes! I love the specialized channels too. Really looking forward to this.
February 24, 2018 @ 5:24 pm
SiriusXM just cancelled the best rock channel on the planet. The Loft, which has no equivalent anywhere with HOF DJ Meg Griffin, Mike Marrone, Franny Thomas and Chris Muckley has been relegated to an algorithm channel without DJs. Sirius had the most beautiful eclectic mix of rock, blues, jazz and other genres put together by undeniably the top DJs in the industry. While I like Dwight Yoakam, Billy Joel, the Eagles, etc., 24 x 7 of just those artists gets old very fast. It appears SXM is going through the same devolution AM and FM succumbed to 20 years ago.
February 24, 2018 @ 6:28 pm
if it’s archived, no problem, content is king
just do good work and wax it — people who need it will find it
this popularity contest bullsh*t is neurotic
February 24, 2018 @ 6:33 pm
Oh man I just might have to get Sirius now… This sounds great! I never get tired of Dwight, he is one of my all time favorites..
February 24, 2018 @ 9:25 pm
I saw him in concert probably 30 years ago right after buenod noches to a lonely room. Please excuse bad spelling. He was fabulous Dan and I have always loved him and his music hooray! So glad to hear that he’s going Do you have a zone channel. He deserves it. Love him to death
February 24, 2018 @ 11:39 pm
Hey Trig, you have to do an article about the new abomination that is the “Pop-Co” playlist on Spotify, especially as a follow-up to the article you did about Spotify a couple months back. It’s atrocious. Some things on there that are so not-country it makes your head spin.
February 25, 2018 @ 12:19 am
Outstanding! I am excited for Dwight. I think he can contribute alot to the country music programming with his personal knowledge of the artists and stories behind the songs. He knows how much San Antonio, TX loves him so he has a built in audience here. Shoot for the stars, porque no.
February 25, 2018 @ 11:58 am
So will there still be the prime country 80’s-90’s channel?
February 26, 2018 @ 8:49 am
Yes. The preview is on Prime Country. When Dwight’s channel actually launches it will be on a different channel.
February 25, 2018 @ 3:57 pm
Dwight Power!
February 26, 2018 @ 6:50 am
One of the best, I hope his channel replaces the Kenny Chesney’s, his is unlistenable.
February 26, 2018 @ 7:32 am
I am withholding judgement until this passes Honky’s approval. Not sure if Dwight is country…
February 26, 2018 @ 7:42 am
Whatever Sirius does, it needs to be more. Every time there is a free preview I start out thinking, “Great selections! Deep cuts! Hidden gems!’ Then after I’ve heard that same deep cut gem of a selection 4 times in three days I question the long-term playability of even the best stations. Of which there are about three that are actually listenable for more than 5 minutes.
Start playing ads and make it free already.
Selah
February 26, 2018 @ 8:25 am
Really? Reminds me of the few times where I have been forced to listen to commercial radio for whatever reason (e.g., broken CD player in car). Sure, it was great to hear Sweet Child O’ Mine that first time (beats the hell out of Loverboy or Poison), but I don’t need to hear it every day in drive time.
February 26, 2018 @ 8:51 am
listened for a bit yesterday. weird mix of really old, Dwight’s music, and 90s stuff I never wanted to hear again. disappointing.
March 2, 2018 @ 10:49 am
This is awesome!!
March 4, 2018 @ 9:33 pm
Just saw Dwight perform last Friday night in Zanesville, Ohio. Very professional and a great entertainer! Hope he gets inducted.
June 6, 2018 @ 12:14 pm
this is such a great change of pace from the radio stations hear in the SF bayarea
it feels good to hear and to have this music
Dwight music is a real deal, Dwight is a true GEM
December 11, 2018 @ 9:59 pm
Really Like the Bakersfield beat , with the exception of when the Collins Kids are playing, They sound like chipmunks , horrible, I change channels when they are on.