Museum

Through performances and interviews with key Bakersfield artists Merle Haggard, Fred and Rose Maddox, Buck Owens, and Henry Sharpe, this documentary traces the social and economic factors present in southern California that fostered the hard-edged, amped-up dance music that characterizes the classic Bakersfield Sound. The artists describe growing up and picking cotton in the "Okie" migrant communities, spending late nights singing at legendary clubs like the Blackboard, and the excitement of creating a music scene that challenged Nashville as the center of country music. 58 minutes. Free.  Made Possible by Iron Mountain Film and Sound Archives.