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<title>Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</title><link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link><description>Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</description><category>Bakersfield Sound</category><language>en</language><ttl>720</ttl><pubDate>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:44:10 -0800</pubDate><image>
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<title>Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</title>
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<title>Merle Haggard</title>
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<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:17:05 -0800</pubDate>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Merle Haggard</rhap:artist>
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<description><![CDATA[Merle Haggard is one of the most influential country music Singer-Songwriters since Hank Williams. His career began when he snuck backstage to meet country legend Lefty Frizzell as a teen. Impressed by his songs, Frizzell refused to go back on stage until Haggard went up and sang a song -- to a warm audience response. Along with Buck Owens and Wynn Stewart, he was a pioneer of the Bakersfield country music scene in the 1960s, a working-class legend who sang torn and frayed narratives. Haggard's deep and throaty vocal style was influenced by Stewart's phrasing, his music touched by a subtle mix of blues, jazz, folk and Western Swing. Haggard's quality of songwriting has remained consistently ahead of the rest; country music wouldn't be the same without him.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Dwight Yoakam</title>
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<category>New Traditional</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:52:24 -0800</pubDate>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Dwight Yoakam</rhap:artist>
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<description><![CDATA[For folks who think country music has nothing to offer anymore besides Garth's ten gallon Billy Joel songs and Shania's Nashville AOR, Dwight Yoakam will provide an oasis of authentic Bakersfield honk. His unorthodox approach to Bud-swilling Honky Tonk has been a favorite among Nashville outsiders for years. Occasional chart success has proven Yoakam's ability to write pop country, but the majority of his material is an uncompromising blend of old and new, with a pointed disregard for strict country tradition. With a voice echoing primary influences Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, Yoakam injects his neo-traditional music with a rock 'n' roll punch that doesn't sacrifice anything as far as pure country credibility is concerned. Expect to hear sad 'n' lonely drinkers, fast car epics and desolate cowboy songs that begin in traditional country territory but exhibit an uncommonly accurate familiarity with the rock vocabulary.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Emmylou Harris</title>
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<category>Cosmic American Music</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:52:37 -0800</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[The otherworldly and yet accessible voice of Emmylou Harris has helped bring country music to wider audiences. After the untimely death of her protege Gram Parsons, Harris kept the cosmic American music spirit and sound alive in her own solo recordings. She was blessed with a warm and nurturing singing voice that seems like it was destined to bring beautiful high-lonesome harmonies to life. Whether she's singing soulfully by herself or harmonizing with other folks, her elastic and dynamic vocals unfold and soar to astral heights, adding new dimensions and organic depth to whatever song she graces. Her incandescent inflections have accompanied the likes of Neil Young, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Beck, Sheryl Crow, The Band, Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash, and Glen Campbell to name a very few--but her rich phrasing and harmonious articulation has never been as powerful nor as heartbreakingly emotional as when she sang in close harmony with the late, great Parsons.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Pat Green</title>
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<category>Country Pop/Cosmopolitan</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:46 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Pat Green</rhap:artist>
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<description><![CDATA[Pat Green's Texan Country Rock bounces around like a Superball in a Bakersfield trampoline factory, without sounding anything like Country Swing. His songs have pop melodies that are as sweet as buttermilk and as catchy as flypaper. Green started writing some of the country songs that he still sings today while attending Texas Tech at the age of 18. His debut album "Dancehall Dreamer" was touted as an independent album, but it wasn't so independent if you consider the fact that his parents funded it. When he only 19 years old, Green played for over 2,000 people at Willie Nelson's Fourth of July picnic. He sold over 200,000 copies of his sixth album, "Songs We Wish We'd Written," without any major label support.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Ricky Skaggs</title>
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<category>New Traditional Bluegrass</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:38:28 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Ricky Skaggs</rhap:artist>
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<description><![CDATA[Singer-Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ricky Skaggs started his career in Bluegrass playing mandolin and guitar with the Stanley Brothers in 1970. He kept developing his skills as both a sideman and a leader throughout the '70s, working mostly in Bluegrass. He was also a member of Emmylou Harris' Hot Band for a couple of years. In the early '80s, he had a streak of mainstream country (a genre plagued with pop gloss and overproduction) chart success. Skaggs and his sidemen's virtuoso country picking was heavily influenced by Bluegrass. That, when combined with his lean, no-frills production, makes Skaggs' gold and platinum success even more remarkable.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Gram Parsons</title>
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<category>Cosmic American Music</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:05:30 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Gram Parsons</rhap:artist>
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<description><![CDATA[What more can be said of the late, great Gram Parsons? He's been dubbed everything from "the inventor of Country Rock" to "the godfather of Alt Country" and "a goddamn pussy." (Those last words actually came from Merle Haggard.) Whatever your take on him is, Parsons can be credited for fusing the boogie strut of rock 'n' roll with sweet Soul melodies, uplifting Gospel-influenced harmonies and (above all) the broken hearted sentiment of country music. He influenced everyone from the Rolling Stones to the Eagles to Wilco and beyond. He called Waycross, Georgia his homeland and attributed his love for country music to his upbringing in the South. Parsons' earliest recordings were rooted in folk, however. After playing in a number of Kingston Trio sounding Folk Revival troupes, he tried his hand at some Fred Neil influenced Singer/Songwriter work before giving life to the International Submarine band, arguably the first electric Country Rock band. Soon after releasing the then innovative "Safe At Home" on Lee Hazlewood's LHI label, he was recruited by the Byrds to record "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" with them. He turned their country music flirtations in a new direction that crossed Nashville West with his International Submarine Band (If it were not for Roger McGuinn, "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" might not have sounded like a Byrds record.) He then recruited the Byrds' Chris Hillman from to form the Flying Burrito Brothers, a rhinestone clad quartet of psychedelic Country Rockers. Parsons then abandoned ship to hang with the Stones, discover Emmylou Harris, and cut two prodigious solo albums that blended Bakersfield country influences with Boogie Rock and Honky-Tonk. Parsons died shortly after from a morphine 'n' tequila overdose in room #8 of the Joshua Tree Inn at the age of 26 without one hit single to his name.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>The Flying Burrito Brothers</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1310&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Cosmic American Music</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:54 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<description><![CDATA[Shortly after the 1968 release of the Byrds' <i>Sweetheart of the Rodeo</i>, Gram Parsons left the group to form the seminal Flying Burrito Brothers with fellow Byrd Chris Hillman -- also recruiting bass player Chris Ethridge and pedal steel player "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow to form a band that many would hold responsible for the birth of Country Rock. Parsons preferred the self-coined "Cosmic American Music" title to describe his band's overall vibe. The seminal sound of the Burritos was a twangy, swirling mix of Soul, Bakersfield-inspired Honky-Tonk, R&B, psychedelia and rock 'n' roll. The Flying Burrito Brothers were outfitted with beautifully custom-made, rhinestone-bedizened, hand-embroidered Western suits by the late, great Nudie Cohen; they released <i>The Gilded Palace of Sin</i> in 1969, donning their intergalactic Western wear on the album's cover. Following the release, Ethridge was replaced by Bernie Leadon and the Flying Burrito Brothers recorded <i>Burrito Deluxe</i> in 1970. Although Parsons left the group in 1970, the Flying Burrito Brothers have carried on into the twenty-first century with a revolving cast of musicians and a vast repertoire of Cosmic American Music songs.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Buck Owens</title>
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<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:55:35 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Buck Owens</rhap:artist>
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<description><![CDATA[Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and music business mogul Buck Owens might be more famous for his long tenure on the country music TV show <i>Hee Haw</i> than for the fact that he was probably the most successful country act of the 1960s. Born in Texas in 1929, Owens settled in Bakersfield, Calif., in 1951 and set about creating the Bakersfield Sound. By the early '60s, Owens and his band the Buckaroos had forged a lean, hard Honky-Tonk sound different from what was happening in Nashville at the time. Owens and his main musical foil Don Rich alternated on lead guitar, while steel guitarist Tom Brumley played razor-sharp fills on the up-tempo songs and sweeping solos on the ballads. Owens' songs, many of which have become standards, are lessons in sharp wordplay and musical economy. Almost everything the band did, including solo records from the Buckaroos, went into the charts and stayed there for quite a while. When Owens' close friend and protege Don Rich died at age thirty-three in 1974, Owens scaled back his work, eventually going on to host <i>Hee Haw</i>. Owens still played regularly at his Crystal Palace club in Bakersfield until his death on March 24, 2006. He remains revered by old and new fans around the world.
- Tom Heyman]]></description>
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<title>The Boxmasters</title>
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<category>Traditional Country</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2009 09:32:28 -0700</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[Dapper trio the Boxmasters play a breed of country that Nashville cats don't make any more, hilariously depicting the lives of wanderlust middle-aged schlubs whose best days are behind them. Basically, their template seems to be the loser in the Statler Brothers' 1965 "Flowers on the Wall" who plays solitaire 'til dawn with a deck of 51. Since no other active band excels at this sort of sport, it's no surprise these guys come off as sensitive about the news peg journalists inevitably latch onto: namely, that frontman W.R. "Bud" Thornton is better known as Billy Bob. But this is no vanity act, and it's hard to imagine musicians working harder to camouflage the celebrity angle. In 10 months, between June 2008 and April 2009, the Boxmasters released the equivalent of five full-lengths -- two double-discs (each split between originals and covers) plus a more perfunctory holiday set. The originals sardonically focus on deceit in love and business, husbands in the doghouse and self-imposed financial disaster; the covers venture beyond country to rope in rocking Brits from the Beatles to Mott the Hoople -- which might explain why the band titled its 2009 album <I>Modbilly</I>.
- Chuck Eddy]]></description>
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<title>Derailers</title>
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<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 2 Sep 2009 12:05:37 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<description><![CDATA[The Derailers play Buck Owens-inspired Honky-Tonk with subtle Texan undertones. Although their music flirts with slap-happy Rockabilly Revival rhythms, the band seem to look toward Bakersfield for their roots. The songs are quirky and jerky at times, but they aren't afraid to dip into more romantic laments every now and again. Tube-tone guitar playing and strong, soulful singing satisfy.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Hank Thompson</title>
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<category>Traditional Country</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:16:44 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Hank Thompson</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3457&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3457&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Born in Waco, Tex., in 1925, country star Hank Thompson's success and career longevity is frankly amazing, given the fickle nature of popular music. From the late 1940s through the 1970s he was consistently in the country charts, landing nearly fifty songs in the Top-10 or Top-20. The key to Thompson's longevity lies in his songwriting and his band's consistent sound. Thompson's songs often cast an unflinching eye on the drinking and carousing honky-tonk lifestyle, as exemplified by his signature song "The Wild Side of Life" as well as "Honky-Tonk Girl" and "Six-Pack to Go." Thompson and his band the Brazos Valley Boys created a prototypical honky-tonk/western swing hybrid sound, with twin fiddles, steel guitar, piano, bass and drums joining his rough-hewn baritone vocals to form a streamlined sonic juggernaut that was both hard-hitting and musically sophisticated. Thompson stuck by his sound over the years, and it has never really gone out of style. For much of his career he maintained a brutal touring schedule of over 200 nights a year on the road. Thompson released a record of brand new songs in 2000. Not bad for a 75-year-old man. He passed away in hospice on November 6, 2007 at the age of 82 after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
- Tom Heyman]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Dale Watson</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2831&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:17:02 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.2831</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Dale Watson</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.2831</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2831&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2831&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[It took Dale Watson a good deal of traveling to find his place in the world, and that nomadic, time-to-move-on spirit is a common thread that runs through many of his songs. Watson plays country music in the tradition of 1950s and 1960s Honky-Tonk, which puts him firmly out of step with today's heavily produced Country Pop artists burning their way up the charts. His deep voice and old-fashioned style recall the likes of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. The wheels were set in motion back in 1988 when, at the urging of Rosie Flores, Watson moved to Los Angeles; thus began his stint as guitarist in the house band at the local Palomino Club, which in turn led to a contract with Curb Records and a contribution to the <I>Town South of Bakersfield</I> compilation. After a short stint in Nashville, Watson ended up in Austin, where he signed to HighTone Records and released <I>Cheatin' Heart Attack</I> (1995), <I>Blessed or Damned</I> (1996), and <i>The Truckin' Sessions</i> (1998). In 2000, Watson's fiance was killed in an auto accident, and Dale's grief spiraled out of control. Taking pills and drinking heavily, the singer checked himself into a mental institution. Writing proved to be the best healer, and in 2001 Watson released <I>Every Song I Write is for You</I>. In 2005, Watson was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame, and then moved to Maryland to be closer to his daughters. 2007 saw the release of both <I>From the Cradle to the Grave</I> and <I>The Little Darlin' Sessions</I>, but it was 2009's <I>The Truckin' Sessions, Vol. 2</I> where Dale Watson returned to form.
- Linda Ryan]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Dave Dudley</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1052&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Truckin' Songs</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:16:50 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.1052</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.1052</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Dave Dudley</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.1052</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1052&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1052&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Bakersfield meets Honky-Tonk and an eighteen-wheeler; classic Country Truckin' Songs from one of the masters of the genre. Dudley's warm, hearty baritone tells the sorrows and joys of trucking better than just about anybody.
- Chris Slater]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Heather Myles</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3343&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>New Traditional</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:07:55 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.3343</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.3343</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Heather Myles</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.3343</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3343&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3343&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Myles plays endearing New Traditional country music with a warm and friendly Roots rock back line (grinding organs, etc). Her sultry voice complements her Bakersfield/Honky-Tonk-inspired sound, and her songs are catchier than scalp-latching range ticks.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Wayne Hancock</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.947&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Western Swing Revival</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:52:50 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.947</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.947</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Wayne Hancock</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.947</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.947&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.947&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Wayne Hancock is as free of country music cliches as tornado-caught tumbleweed is free of the earth. Although he's a relatively young singer, he croons with an old voice and, one feels, a heart and soul weary from hard travel and an early, enduring intimacy with loss. Musically, he is a direct descendent of the Western hard bop style of Bob Wills. You can swing dance to this music with abandon, or you can lose your soul to it if you're not careful. All throughout, Hancock's voice rides high above his rapturous "swingabilly" music, imparting the hard-won wisdom of a world-weary soul. There is no metaphor for greatness as great as that voice -- let that be recommendation enough for Wayne Hancock.
- Chad Driscoll]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Joe Maphis</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Instrumental Country</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 1 Nov 2009 12:39:32 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.17377</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.17377</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Joe Maphis</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.17377</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17377&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>The Great Divide</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.23417&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Americana</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:50:44 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.23417</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.23417</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">The Great Divide</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.23417</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.23417&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.23417&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[The Great Divide are a unique band who naturally traverse from Americana to Bakersfield Sound to more New Traditional songs that flirt heavily with Alt Country. They blend country and rock, but stray from anything sounding like Country Rock (nobody in their right mind is going to mistake these boys for the Eagles). The singer has a soulful mid-range voice that carries melodies like the wind under a sail plane. Folks who like their country music full of piss and vinegar are sure to find home in the Great Divide.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Don Rich</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.29740&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:55:13 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.29740</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.29740</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Don Rich</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.29740</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.29740&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.29740&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Jean Shepard</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.10782&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:55:14 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.10782</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.10782</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Jean Shepard</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.10782</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.10782&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.10782&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Oklahoma-born country singer Jean Shepard stayed true to her hard Honky-Tonk sound throughout a recording career that lasted more than twenty years. She was discovered in Southern California by band leader Hank Thompson, who put her together with record producer Ken Nelson (Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Roy Clark). She had a hit right from the start with "A Dear John Letter," a duet with Ferlin Husky. She hit again with the oft-covered "A Satisfied Mind" and the hits just kept coming until the mid-1970s, when the trend of country radio turning its back on older performers began in earnest.
- Tom Heyman]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Hacienda Brothers</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6988459&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Alt Country</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:27:06 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.6988459</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.6988459</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Hacienda Brothers</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.6988459</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6988459&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6988459&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Susan Raye</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1929&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:49:14 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.1929</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.1929</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Susan Raye</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.1929</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1929&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1929&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Wynn Stewart</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.644&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:29 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.644</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.644</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Wynn Stewart</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.644</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.644&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.644&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Wynn Stewart is seen by many as the originator of the Bakersfield Sound. Over a thirty-year career, Stewart took twenty songs into the country charts, but he never had the kind of smash hit that made him a superstar. Stewart found his sound by stripping the music down to its raw elements: fiddle, steel guitar, electric guitar and piano combined with a strong 4/4 beat. Buck Owens and Merle Haggard adopted this formula with much success -- in fact, Haggard got his start playing bass for Stewart in the early 1960s. When Stewart's career began in earnest in the late '50s, he had Ralph Mooney on steel guitar and Roy Nichols on electric guitar. Both went on to become the foundation of Merle Haggard's band the Strangers. Stewart was getting ready for a comeback attempt when he died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 51 in 1985. His influence can still be heard today, most notably in the music of Dwight Yoakam and Alan Jackson.
- Tom Heyman]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Red Simpson</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69013&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Truckin' Songs</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:55:14 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.69013</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.69013</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Red Simpson</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.69013</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69013&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69013&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Tommy Collins</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.36338&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:55:38 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.36338</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.36338</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Tommy Collins</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.36338</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.36338&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.36338&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Country Comfort</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68747&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:58:27 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.68747</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.68747</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Country Comfort</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.68747</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68747&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68747&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Country Comfort's wonderfully lazy Country-Folk songs are as easy on the ears as any Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album. They blend three- and four-part vocal harmonies into a laid-back acoustic country sound that's somewhat influenced by the slapback tempos and weeping inflections of the Bakersfield Sound. Country Comfort get really interesting when they're knowingly or unknowingly (it's hard to tell with these stony cats) approximating that South Pacific island-folk sound that incorporates Hawaiian Slack-Key guitar picking. This is perfect music for smiling to when you happen to be doing absolutely nothing at all.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Jan Howard</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2692&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:49:20 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.2692</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Jan Howard</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.2692</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2692&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2692&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Hellecasters</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.8129&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Instrumental Country</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:59:49 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Hellecasters</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.8129</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.8129&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.8129&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Tommy Johnston</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5007&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:23:52 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.5007</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Tommy Johnston</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.5007</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5007&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5007&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Danny Davis &amp; the Nashville Brass</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.46675&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Nashville Sound</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:29:07 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Danny Davis &amp; the Nashville Brass</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.46675</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.46675&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.46675&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Sammy Masters</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.26965&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Rockabilly</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 5 Sep 2009 11:20:09 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.26965</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.26965</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Sammy Masters</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.26965</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.26965&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.26965&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Besides playing his own hot Rockabilly stompers, Sammy Masters also wrote songs for Eddie Cochran and Patsy Cline. Master's past shows he's no slouch when it comes to making a guitar sing. His twangy, deep country voice winds its way along with his similar-sounding guitar for an upbeat country shake.
- Mark Murrmann]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>The Picketts</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.10551&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Alt Country</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:23:49 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.10551</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.10551</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">The Picketts</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.10551</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.10551&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.10551&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Seattle's Picketts tap a mine of Americana, insurgent country music, and ballads to create their own torn and frayed version of Bakersfield-inflected Alt Country. The band's live shows have blown away audiences, especially with their outland version of the Who's "Baba O'Riley" (as found on their 1996 album, <i>Euphonium</i>). One of their most outstanding qualities are their soaring male/female vocal harmonies that often birth a third undertone.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>The West Coast Pinups</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6621&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bakersfield Sound</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:23:51 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.6621</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.6621</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">The West Coast Pinups</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.6621</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6621&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6621&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Reverent Honky-Tonk from Burbank sextet with cowboy hats. Songs for drunk ladies in roadhouses to play over and over again while they sort of dance against the jukebox, tears running their mascara, and everyone else in the bar pretends not to notice, except for one mean guy who makes a crack and then shuts up when nobody laughs.
- Tim Quirk]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Nashville West</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1448&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Cosmic American Music</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 1 Mar 2009 10:48:12 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.1448</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.1448</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Nashville West</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.1448</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1448&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1448&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Anyone familiar with Nashville West will tell you that the best thing about them was the otherworldly and soulful flatpicking of the late, great former Byrds member Clarence White. Along with the passionate drum stylings of Gene Parsons (no relation to Gram, but another ex-Byrd as well), Wayne Moss, and Gib Guilbeau, Nashville West were Cosmic American Music pioneers. They were one of the very first bands in music history to blend soulful Rock 'n' Roll with the comforting twang tones of country music, producing a sun-flared sound all their own. White produced weeping slides and harmonic bends with his Bluegrass-rooted picking skills, and country guitar players and enthusiasts will really dig hearing one of the earliest renditions of the Parsons/White B-bender guitar. From the opening title track to the down-home cover of Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home," Nashville West brought out their inner electric cowboy, minus the rhinestones and mythical lore that often dressed up much of yesteryear's country music.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Rank and File</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.922&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Alt Country</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 2 Sep 2009 12:05:31 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.922</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Rank and File</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.922</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.922&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.922&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Dick Curless</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2403&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Truckin' Songs</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:55:14 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=377&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Bakersfield Sound Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.2403</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Dick Curless</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.2403</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2403&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2403&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fhonky-tonk%2Fbakersfield-sound%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
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