Dwight Yoakam to Release Bluegrass Album “Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars”
Dwight Yoakam’s secret is out.
Though he may be most associated with West Coast country, early cowpunk, and the Bakersfield Sound, and he may have spent much of his career rubbing elbows with actors in Hollywood, but he’s originally from Pikeville, Kentucky, and those who listen intently to his sound understand that the bluegrass influences have been strong in his music throughout his career.
Well now all of those bluegrass influences will be rising to the surface, and peaking their little heads out in the form of a new record. On September 23rd, Dwight Yoakam will release his first exclusively-bluegrass album called Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars—perhaps playing off the fact that his life followed a similar path to the Beverley Hillbillies to California. It will be released through well-known bluegrass label Sugar Hill Records.
According to Juli Thanki of The Tennessean, the record will be comprised of bluegrass covers of many of Dwight Yoakam’s biggest hits, and is co-produced by Yoakam and Gary Paczosa. Players on the record are said to include Bryan Sutton, Stuart Duncan, bassist Barry Bales, Adam Steffey on mandolin, and banjo player Scott Vestal. In other words, Dwight had drafted some ringers for this one.
Though there is no word of a track list just yet, Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars is available for pre-order on Amazon.
August 2, 2016 @ 6:24 pm
He always was cool, and always will be. Glad to see him returning to these roots. He writes well in this area, so I hope they’re mostly originals.
August 2, 2016 @ 6:37 pm
Dwight has always done a great job of being original, but still keeping the spirit of classic country music alive. I am looking forward to this!
August 3, 2016 @ 6:00 pm
I thought he did a great job of the century-old “Man of Constant Sorrow” on his last album- brought a rockabilly edge that gave a very old song a fresh, yet still traditional feel.
August 3, 2016 @ 6:06 pm
I totally agree, Robert!
September 2, 2016 @ 1:34 pm
Good call. Has he ever put out a bad album. 3 Pears is still on high rotate on my headphones.
September 16, 2016 @ 8:07 pm
Bluegrass COVERS. Not new music
August 2, 2016 @ 6:41 pm
My fav’ of his is Mr Johnson’s love, Oh my Great tune to me!
August 3, 2016 @ 12:13 pm
Such an epic song!!@!@! Love the acoustic album version also.
August 2, 2016 @ 6:54 pm
Guitars, Cadillacs, and Bluegrass music, are the only things that keeps me hanging on…
August 2, 2016 @ 6:58 pm
I’m a huge Dwight Yoakam fan. In fact I would say he is one of my favorite artists. I’ve been wanting him to do a bluegrass album for quite some time. If you’ve delved into his albums their is usually a bluegrass tinged track or subject. “Miners Prayer”, “Hold on to God”, ” Since I Started Drinking” , ” Travlers Latern” to name a few. That being said I’m a little disappointed that he chose to redo his old hits. I hate projects where an artist re-do’s their hits. I love a majority of his hit singles and can’t see him improving upon them. I would like it if he did covers or original material. Despite what a lot of people have said I’ve really liked his last two records and look forward to what he will come up with and will buy it despite my reservations.
August 2, 2016 @ 9:30 pm
I’m anxious to see the track list for this one. I’m hoping he works in an original or two, or a cover of a classic bluegrass song he’s not known for. We’ll see.
August 3, 2016 @ 9:36 am
I don’t know if he’s ever played it in concert (never seen him), but there’s a Youtube video of Josh Williams warming up on “Miner’s Prayer”. The tune’s definitely made for bluegrass.
August 2, 2016 @ 7:01 pm
I have a feeling this is going to be tight. Could be reminiscent of the Buck Owens bluegrass albums.
August 2, 2016 @ 7:11 pm
This is awesome news. Dwight has always been one of my favorite artists and his back catalog is as strong as anyone’s of recent memory. His bluegrass roots are evident in several songs, and I can’t wait to hear a full bluegrass album from him.
August 2, 2016 @ 7:42 pm
I was over the moon until I read “bluegrass covers of many of Dwights biggest hits.”
I’d of preferred original songs.
August 2, 2016 @ 9:13 pm
Could it also be a pre order/available on itunes?
August 2, 2016 @ 9:41 pm
I’m sure an iTunes pre-order will show up soon. We’re still very early in the news cycle. I suspect more official info will be coming from Sugar Hill soon.
August 2, 2016 @ 9:43 pm
Thank you
August 2, 2016 @ 10:08 pm
Now if only Alan Jackson would do another bluegrass album, but I suppose some wells are only meant to be drawn from once.
August 2, 2016 @ 10:17 pm
Just pre-ordered. Love me some Dwight. He’s one of my all time favorite. I often wonder when I o to concerts I hear a bunch sing other artists song, but hey never do a Dwight one and then I realize that it can’t be done.
August 3, 2016 @ 4:33 am
Dwight’s playing Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, PA in September. (That’s midway between Allentown and Scranton, for all you PA Hillbilly Dwight fans.)
August 3, 2016 @ 8:47 am
Fabulous.
August 3, 2016 @ 9:38 am
Can’t wait!, Looking forward to the new album
August 3, 2016 @ 9:55 am
i’d pay to hear Dwight do a cover of the Beverly Hillbillies theme song
August 3, 2016 @ 11:34 am
This is going to be great.. Dwight is one of my all time favorite artists, one of the things I’ve always liked about him is the bluegrass influence he puts into his songs sometimes.
Now hopefully Sturgill will follow suit!
August 3, 2016 @ 5:40 pm
Agreed. I also think a Dwight/Sturgill collaboration would be very cool.
August 3, 2016 @ 8:48 pm
Considering that Sturgill’s ‘all around you’ is the same tune as Dwight’s ‘if there was a way’, it should be easy to blend the two.
August 3, 2016 @ 12:15 pm
I will also state Dwight Yoakam is my all time favorite. Originals would be grrrrrreeeat.
August 3, 2016 @ 4:17 pm
While I can see why some would find it weird that Dwight would remake any of his songs at all, regardless of presentation (they have a point, in my opinion), yes, it would nevertheless be appropriate for him to work inside the bluegrass genre anyway. Apart from him originally coming from that part of the world that gave us the form, here in California there was also a bluegrass scene in the 1960s that came about as a result of that decade’s folk music revival, where young musicians took up the bluegrass sound (including Chris Hillman of the Byrds, whose first instrument was the mandolin) and made it relevant again. Don’t think Dwight doesn’t know this.
And I do believe Dwight’s hero Buck Owens even had a bluegrass hit of his own back forty-five years ago with the standard “Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms.” Seems natural.
August 3, 2016 @ 5:37 pm
This is awesome! I’ve long thought that Dwight could make an excellent bluegrass album given that he’s from Kentucky and his voice would be perfect for that style. I can’t wait for this!
August 4, 2016 @ 2:06 pm
I didn’t know Dwight was from Pikeville, Kentucky.
That ain’t far from where I live in Knoxville.
August 4, 2016 @ 10:44 pm
Exciting news, indeed! Looking forward to this.
August 5, 2016 @ 11:35 am
I hope Dwight puts more than 10 songs on his Bluegrass CD. I love Bluegrass Music. Dwight Yoakam is the best.
August 7, 2016 @ 11:16 am
This is exciting news. I actually enjoy it when artists go back and rework some of their songs. It’s fun to hear them from a new perspective and it keeps the songs feeling as though they have a life and soul of their own.
And I didn’t really love (or like, even) the songs that he released with Jack White earlier this summer, so I’m glad to hear that he isn’t putting a full album in that style.
August 8, 2016 @ 5:02 pm
First, love the title and hard to believe nobody’s ever used it before for an album given how legendary the Beverly Hillbillies theme song is and how memorable that particular phrase is. Have been a huge Dwight Yoakam fan since 1986, easily one of my top 5 country male singers of all time, having said that, I have also been seriously disappointed about how after coming on the scene moaning the disappearance of “true” country music and supposedly determined to help cultivate and preserve it, he pretty much abandoned it himself since the late 90’s for roots rock and has never really been called on it. Still play his old stuff like crazy but pretty much pass on anything from this century, so thrilled he’s goin’ “back to the country”.
BTW there’s a candid of Dwight with BH stars Max Baer and Donna Douglas (RIP) on the net at the unveiling of Earl Scruggs’ star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hope it makes it into the cd graphics.
September 9, 2016 @ 1:39 pm
Awesome, awesome tunes! Radio has it now (this week). Listen to your favorite bluegrass show this weekend and you’ll probably hear a couple of cuts.
September 12, 2016 @ 7:22 am
2 thumbs down. He ruined 2 tracks from Gone
http://airplaydirect.com/station/artist.php?band_id=52059
September 29, 2016 @ 5:47 pm
Yes, listening to this album over and over, it is about Prince. Each song could apply to a man we did not really know, a man, and a very very gifted musician, we found out had been on some pretty terrible opioids and died in his own elevator alone on an od of fentanyl. Love only pauses for awhile and is always free to go ……………
The silence you left is all I have…….
July 7, 2019 @ 4:24 pm
Why has Dwight not been inducted into the Hall of Fame yet? People just don’t recognize good music anymore! Awesome voice and def one of a kind! Yoakam for President 2020!