Get Down To The Bakersfield Sound: The Legacy Of 'Nashville West'
Country music is synonymous with Nashville. But there’s a city in Southern California that is often dubbed “Nashville West.”
Bakersfield has its own music hall of fame, and its musical history is even reflected in the motto on the town’s website: “The Sound of Something Better.” The city’s musical legacy is now being documented in a box set called, “The Bakersfield Sound: Country Music Capital Of The West 1940-1975.”
Historian Scott B. Bomar wrote the liner notes for the box set. He says he grew up in Nashville and didn’t realize until he moved to California the role Bakersfield played in country music’s legacy.
While both cities influenced country music, Bomar says the intention of the music is what differentiates each city’s sound. In Bakersfield, the music was made for people
