Bakersfield highlight
Birthplace of the Bakersfield Sound
A distinctive country music style that emerged in the mid-to-late 1950s, developed by Bakersfield musicians including Buck Owens and Merle Haggard.
The Bakersfield Sound arose from the city's honky-tonk bars and local culture during the 1950s and early 1960s as a raw, electric alternative to Nashville's polished orchestral country music. The sound featured twin Fender Telecasters, strong backbeats, and a blend of country with rock and roll, shaped by migrants from Oklahoma, Texas and the Midwest who brought their musical traditions to the Central Valley. Buck Owens, who began his professional career in 1945, pioneered the style and went on to record 21 number-one hits with The Buckaroos.
Merle Haggard, born in 1937 in nearby Oildale, became a central figure in the movement, recording 38 number-one country hits over a career spanning five decades. Haggard's lyrics captured the struggles and dignity of working-class families, earning him recognition from Rolling Stone as the greatest country artist of all time. Both artists brought authentic working-class storytelling and a distinctive guitar-driven sound that influenced country rock, outlaw country, and generations of musicians to come.
The Bakersfield Sound emerged from the real lives of working families in the Central Valley: people who understood that stability and tradition matter, and that music speaks to what they do and who they are. For families rooted in the same community and the same work, life insurance serves a similar purpose: it reflects what you value and protects it.