Twenty Years—Dwight Yoakam

#365Songs: June 24

Country music is one of those genres that seems perennially in need of being saved, and it’s had just enough saviors over the decades to keep it afloat.

From Hank Williams and Patsy Cline to Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris to Kacey Musgraves and Luke Combs, it seems like something special always comes along right when country music needs it most.

In 1985, country music needed saving more than ever.

1980’s Urban Cowboy phenomenon had turned country music into a party joke almost overnight, and it was a joke that just wouldn’t end. By 1984 and the release of Hank William Jr. ‘s “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” (which earned a Grammy nod) it was safe to say country music had finally self-caricatured itself into the grave. And we haven’t even mentioned The Judds and their 14 #1 hits, “Elvira” by the Oak Ridge Boys, or Alabama selling 20 million albums.

Upon hearing those stats, you might wonder: are you sure country music needed saving? Sounds like it was doing pretty damn great, right?

Wrong.

Country music in the early 80’s was hyper-commercialized, assembly-line, capitalist dogshit. Nashville in the 80’s made Epcot Center look like Studio 51.

And then along came Dwight Yoakam.

I could tell you a whole lot about why Dwight Yoakam was so goddamn great. But I’ll let someone else describe him instead:

“Dwight’s a brilliant lyricist, with a great voice as a gift from God.”

That’s a quote from a fellow named Pete Anderson, who is one of the most prolific modern producers of roots, blues, Americana, and country music.

He also happens to be a spectacular guitar player, and it’s his playing you here all over Dwight Yoakam’s albums, including his first and second releases (Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. and Hillbilly Deluxe), which are inarguably two of the most important modern country music albums ever recorded.

So, let’s talk about chicken pickin’.

If you know anything about the guitar, you’ve surely heard the term. But have you ever tried to actually define or explain it?

Apparently, many have, because when I went trolling around the web looking for definitive answers, I found a lot of funny shit.

I also found a charmingly serious contribution to the canon as well, an article by the perfectly named Josh Frets. His article is titled Demystifying Chicken Pickin’, and in it, he writes the following:

Right off the bat, here’s a few things that aren’t chicken picking, at least not in and of themselves:

• faux pedal steel bends
• double & triple stops
• B benders
• behind-the-nut bends
• open-string pull-offs
• banjo rolls
• “melodic” style runs
• Telecasters
• compression pedals
• slapback delays

So what is chicken picking?

Chicken Picking is a percussive guitar technique. It’s commonly used in (but not limited to) honky tonk & country music.

It is almost always played with hybrid picking.

The percussive nature can come from:

1. snapping the strings against the frets
2. staccato achieved by near-instant unfretting of a note
3. staccato achieved with palm muting
4. staccato achieved by muting with the pick or picking finger
5. picking a muted string

I don’t know if you can find a better written description than that, but despite its impressive attempt at comprehensiveness, the fact of the matter is that you just have to hear it.

James Burton is often credited with pioneering the technique and sound, and Lonnie Mack of course had a song called “Chicken Pickin” on his 1963 album The Wham of That Memphis Man. Jerry Reed is one of my personal favorite masters of the style, and his track “Amos Moses” is a staple on my speakers.

As to Pete Anderson, he’s not a straight up chicken picker per se — he’s much more than that. But the technique is an essential part of his style; as is seemingly every other technique and style that’s ever contributed to the language of country guitar.

You’ll hear it all on Anderson’s guitar work on the song “Twenty Years” from Yoakam’s debut. From the blistering line that opens the cut to the maddeningly lyrical solo that sets up the middle fiddle to the resolving majesty of the closing lick, Anderson’s guitar is like a clarion call sounding the arrival of country music’s new messiah.

If you’re a gear head and you want to know exactly how they got such a brilliant tone for Anderson’s guitar tracks, I recommend this article: The secrets behind Pete Anderson’s tone on Dwight Yoakam’s Guitars, Cadillacs.

But if that ain’t you, then do what I do. Just put the song on repeat, kick your boots up onto a nearby chair, toast the gods that Dwight came along when he did, and then toast Pete Anderson. A hell of a goddamn great guitar player.

~

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