My husband and I like and enjoy the music of Dwight Yoakam. When and where was he born? Please fill us in on his career.
—Virginia B., Missouri
Critically acclaimed singer and songwriter Dwight Yoakam was born in Pikeville, Ky., on Oct. 23, 1956, and was raised in Ohio. After spending his high school years playing in a number of bands, the guitar player moved to Nashville, Tenn., in 1977 in search of a musical career but soon moved to Los Angeles, where he found a wider acceptance of his traditional, honky-tonk style of country music. A record deal with Reprise Records produced his 1986 full-length debut album, Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc., which went platinum. Since then, he has released more than a dozen albums and won two Grammy awards. He also has made a name for himself as an actor, appearing in films ranging from Sling Blade and The Newton Boys to his 2000 directorial debut, South of Heaven, West of Hell. This year, Yoakam tours with the Neon Circus Tour, hosted by Brooks & Dunn. He also has a major role in the Sony Pictures release Panic Room, starring Jodie Foster and Forest Whitaker. Yoakam still lives in Los Angeles and is single.
