Review Text
In the 1960s 'The Bakersfield Sound' was as famous in Country Music circles as it's Nashville equivalent. It's chief exponents Buck Owens and Merle Haggard became two of the most successful artists of the decade, without ever setting foot in a Nashville studio. Both freely acknowledged the influence and encouragement of the great Wynn Stewart - unquestionably the founding father of the Bakersfield Sound, and someone who gave them both a welcome helping hand at the beginning of their careers. In the years covered by this Jasmine collection Stewart cut records that are no less impressive than those of his two peers, particularly those with the honky tonk shuffle that kept the Nashville Sound at bay during the early 60s. He was equally adept at selling a ballad or a pop song, as you'll hear. Stewart even made a convincing rockabilly - something that can't be said about every country act that tried their hand at it. Stewart died in the 1970s but his musical legacy - of which the tracks here form an integral part - continues to be respected by newer West Coast artists such as Dwight Yoakam, who recorded Stewart's 'Playboy' on one of his many superb albums. Remastered as always from the finest available sources, the A and B of every solo single that Stewart released between 1956 and 1962 can be found in this disc, along with some equally strong duets with Jan Howard, wife of the great country songwriter - and author of many of the songs featured here - Harlan Howard. Not all were the hits they deserved to be, but all of them sound as fresh as the day they were recorded.
