Bakersfield was the first genre of country music to rely heavily on electric instrumentation, as well as a defined backbeat -- in other words, it was the first to be significantly influenced by rock & roll. Named after the town of Bakersfield, California, where a great majority of the artists performed, the sound was pioneered by Wynn Stewart and popularized by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. (read more)

Bakersfield was the first genre of country music to rely heavily on electric instrumentation, as well as a defined backbeat -- in other words, it was the first to be significantly influenced by rock & roll. Named after the town of Bakersfield, California, where a great majority of the artists performed, the sound was pioneered by Wynn Stewart and popularized by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. Using telecaster guitars, the singers developed a clean, ringing sound that stood in direct opposition to the produced, string-laden Nashville sound. The Bakersfield sound became one of the most popular -- and arguably the most influential -- country genres of the '60s, setting the stage for country-rock and outlaw, as well as reviving the spirit of honky tonk.(collapse)