Latest News

  • As many of you know, we've launched the new Route 23 Club - which has a brand new Lonesome Roads Hotel. While we're making the transition, you can still get to the old Lonesome Roads Hotel by clicking here. Just to let you know, we will be shutting down the public Lonesome Roads Hotel on DwightYoakam.com within the next week - so that we can put our full attention on the new LRH within the fan club site. We hope you'll all join and be a part of what we think is an exciting new adventure!!

  • The one of a kind new album celebrating and honoring his friend and mentor Buck Owens, features the emotional first single, "Close Up The Honky Tonks." The video for this single, which was directed by Fred Durst, can be seen on CMT and GACTV. Dwight Sings Buck is also available as a Limited Edition 180 gram vinyl record.

    Yoakam and Owens had a profound initial musical connection that turned into a life-long friendship. Yoakam demonstrates the enormous amount of love and respect he has for his friend with this special album honoring Owens' legacy and showcasing his many hits. According to All Music Guide, "Yoakam's love for these anthems is palpable in every track. He doesn't set out to imitate Owens' style or delivery, but he does capture the essence of each song, playing them as Buck intended: no frills, no foolin' around…"

    Coinciding with his new album, Yoakam has re-launched his official web site www.dwightyoakam.com As part of this re-launch, Yoakam will debut The Route 23 Club ( www.route23club.com), a new fan club site offering exclusive access to Yoakam content – including news, pictures, video, audio, desktop wallpapers, buddy icons and special "behind the scenes" footage. The sites' "Interact" section includes a members-only discussion board, where fans can communicate with each other, members of Yoakam's management team – and even Yoakam himself. Additionally, the club will feature exclusive monthly contests – with prizes including signed merchandise, tour meet & greets with Yoakam and concert tickets. Membership to the Route23 Club -- which refers to the road out of Yoakam's hometown of Pikeville, KY -- is priced at $23 per year. The site launches soon at both www.dwightyoakam.com and www.route23club.com.

    In celebration of Dwight Sings Buck Yoakam will post personal photos with Buck on the new site as well as special archival footage of his earliest appearance on Hee Haw – the television show which Buck co-hosted for 16 years. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the album will be donated by Dwight Yoakam and New West Records to the "Buck Owens American Music Foundation" a charity devoted to the preservation of the Bakersfield sound and the Buck Owens legacy.

  • World-famous artists from all walks of popular music will join together to salute the late Buck Owens in a special performance during the ACM Awards show, which will air on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 at 8:00 pm ET/PT from the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.

    Dwight Yoakam, ZZ Top guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons, Brad Paisley, Buddy Alan (son of Buck & Bonnie Owens), original Buck Owens & The Buckaroos steel guitarist Tom Brumley, Chris Hillman (The Byrds) and blink-182/+44 drummer Travis Barker will all play together in the tribute. Vince Vaughn will introduce the segment.

    Buck Owens, a legendary country music artist with twenty-one No. 1 country music hits during his long career, passed away on March 25th of this year. The tribute will not only salute his music, but his status as a true ambassador of country music. He was the ACM's very first Top Male Vocalist winner, in 1965. He was also honored with the Academy's most respected honor, the Pioneer Award, in 1998.

    "Losing Buck Owens was a real blow to this community, and we wanted to do something special to show the world just how important he was to country music," said Bob Romeo, Executive Director, Academy of Country Music. "We've gotten some fantastic artists together, from all different musical genres, and they're going to honor the man with a musical performance you will never forget.”

  • New Studio Album Out October 23, 2007 On New West Records

    Los Angeles, California, July 23, 2007 – Multiple Grammy® Award winner and entertainer Dwight Yoakam is set to release Dwight Sings Buck, a one-of-a-kind new album honoring the legendary Buck Owens, out on October 23, 2007, as both a CD and a Limited Edition 180 gram vinyl record, from New West Records. “After his death, it was the clearest way I could express my love for him and acknowledge the depth of our friendship” said Yoakam on why he chose to record an album of Buck Owens songs. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the album will be donated by Dwight Yoakam and New West Records to the “Buck Owens American Music Foundation” a charity devoted to the preservation of the Bakersfield sound and the Buck Owens legacy. The emotional “Close Up The Honky Tonks,” will be released as the album’s first single.

    Dwight and Buck’s profound initial musical connection turned into a life-long friendship. Yoakam demonstrates the enormous amount of love and respect he had for his friend with this special album honoring Owens’ legacy and showcasing his many hits. The Bakersfield sound was developed in Bakersfield and throughout California in the 1950s and 60s by the likes of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens and the Buckaroos. Bakersfield country was an alternative to the Nashville country sound of the late 1950s. It was a sound that added electric instruments and other stylistic elements, borrowed from rock and roll. Buck Owens was one of the first to bring this Bakersfield sound to mainstream audiences and his music also influenced later country stars. Yoakam pays tribute to this amazing artist and his music with Dwight Sings Buck , a fifteen track collection of many of Owens’ most memorable singles including 11 top five hits, eight of which reached #1 on the country charts; “Act Naturally,” “My Heart Skips A Beat,” “I Don’t Care (Just as Long as You Love Me),” “Only You (Can Break My Heart),” “Love’s Gonna Live Here,” “Your Tender Loving Care,” “Think of Me,” and “Together Again.”

    Hailed as a “Renaissance Man” by Time Magazine, this Kentucky native, who was raised in Ohio, migrated to Los Angeles and blazed out of the LA club scene in 1986. Yoakam shared stages with LA roots-rock acts such as X, Lone Justice, the Blasters and Los Lobos. Beginning by revitalizing the Buck Owens/Bakersfield sound for a new generation, Yoakam would later push the envelope of the country music genre and transcend its parameters by experimenting with big band, American and British pop elements. Yoakam fashioned memorable hits ranging from “Ain’t That Lonely Yet,” “Fast As You,” “I Sang Dixie,” “Thousand Miles From Nowhere,” “Little Sister” and “Guitars, Cadillacs.” With the success of the albums Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc. Etc, Hillbilly Deluxe and Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room, he was soon considered the hottest young country star in ages. In the ‘90s he reached a commercial apex with the multi-platinum-sellers If There Was A Way and This Time. To date Yoakam has 17 Top 10 country hits and has sold more than 23 million albums worldwide.

    Since his 1993 film debut opposite Nicholas Cage in Red Rock West, he has worked steadily in movies and television with exceptional performances in Sling Blade, The Minus Man, Panic Room, and Crank. In 2000 he also directed, wrote and starred in a film of his own South of Heaven, West of Hell.

    Dwight Sings Buck Track Listing:
    My Heart Skips A Beat
    Foolin’ Around
    I Don’t Care (Just As Long As You Love Me)
    Only You
    Act Naturally
    Down On The Corner Of Love
    Cryin’ Time
    Above And Beyond
    Love’s Gonna Live Here
    Close Up The Honky Tonks
    Under Your Spell Again
    Your Tender Loving Care
    Excuse Me (I Think I’ve Got A Heartache)
    Think Of Me
    Together Again

    For more information on Dwight Yoakam, including message boards, tour dates and more, please visit www.newwestrecords.com and www.dwightyoakam.com.

    For a photo of Dwight & Buck and additional press materials please visit www.newwestrecords.com/press.

    # # #

    About New West Records:
    New West Records LLC is a ten year old, wholly independent record label distributed in the United States by RED Distribution. With offices in Los Angeles and Austin TX, the company is staffed by a unique blend of music and business specialists. In the past 12 months, the label has had 7 releases debut in the Billboard Top 200. With 116 releases to date, the roster includes Steve Earle, Old 97’s, Ben Lee, Drive-By Truckers, Rickie Lee Jones, Dwight Yoakam, Delbert McClinton, John Hiatt, Kris Kristofferson, The Flatlanders, Jason Isbell, Tim Easton, Randall Bramblett, Stephen Bruton, and Buddy & Julie Miller. New West Records also has partnerships with industry veteran Danny Goldberg and his AMMAL Records label, Scott Weiland’s Softdrive Records label, and exclusively releases CDs and DVDs from the award-winning television program “Austin City Limits”.

  • Dwight's New Album Dwight Sings Buck is the #1 Independent Album This week according to Billboard.com.  Additionally the album debuted at #11 on the Top country Albums, and #42 on the Billboard 200. See the Entire list here.