Critic's Pick: Dwight Yoakam

If country music is as much about image as it is music, the career of Dwight Yoakam could be a study in the contrast between music and image. Yoakam always looks like a country star, and he’s somewhat mysterious — and unreadable — underneath his hat. On the other hand, Yoakam, who turned 70 on Oct. 23, is one of the avatars of modern country, which means his music is the real thing. He helped open up country in the 1980s, when it needed the help. Because he’s part of the same generation of musicians who created New Wave-influenced country and country-influenced New Wave, Yoakam bridged the gap between the rock of The Blasters and the California country of Buck Owens. Along with producer and guitar master Pete Anderson, Yoakam released a series of albums that stand tall as some of country’s finest works. Among these are 1993’s This Time and 2003’s Population Me, which helped define progressive country. Yoakam sounds great on 2024’s Brighter Days, his first album of original material in nine years. Brighter Days is Yoakam at his most straightforward, and his cover of The Byrds’ “Time Between” connects him with a tradition worth preserving. Sunny Black will provide support for Yoakam’s two-night run at the Ryman, which concludes on Nov. 5. 

Nov. 4-5 at the Ryman

116 Rep. John Lewis Way N.