Yoakam pays tribute to mentor Owens on new album

By Ken Tucker

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Dwight Yoakam first met Buck Owens when he visited Owens' Bakersfield, Calif., radio station KUZZ before appearing at a local fair in 1987.

Now, Yoakam is paying tribute to his idol and longtime friend with "Dwight Sings Buck" (New West), out October 23.

"After his death," Yoakam said, "it was the clearest way I could express my love for him and acknowledge the depth of our friendship."

A year after they met, the two men scored a No. 1 airplay single with "Streets of Bakersfield." The duet marked Owens' first Billboard singles chart appearance in seven years and his first No. 1 since "Made in Japan" in 1972.

Through the years they developed a relationship that was "a combination of parent, sibling and peer," Yoakam said. And just before Owens' death, the pair had a long phone conversation during which the topic of their friendship came up.

"Somebody had asked (Buck) about me, and he said, 'People think we have dinner together every night.' And I said, 'I know, they act like we live across the street from each other,' and he said, 'We'll just always be linked, Dwight."'

Yoakam, who had been performing "Streets of Bakersfield" as an encore, began incorporating Owens' classics into his shows after he died. "It was something I thought we'd do for two or three weeks, but I couldn't bring myself to stop doing it and not have him on tour with me one last time."

'TOGETHER AGAIN'