Expect it to get "Nashvilled-up"

Why I'm Not Excited About the Pending Bakersfield HOF Exhibit
By Bryce Martin

On the other coast, Bakersfield somehow stood out against such foes as Los Angeles and Fresno, an equally sun-baked San Joaquin Valley neighbor, to claim the title, "West Coast Capital of Country Music."
Mosrite Records, a proud little Bakersfield independent label in the 60s, even had printed on its 45 record sleeves that very claim: "Bakersfield, California, West Coast Capital of Country Music." Yessiree, Bob. You couldn't say that too many times as far as the local country folks were concerned.
The Mosrite folks got so carried away that once they ran an ad in Billboard, the industry bible, that read: "Bakersfield, California, Capital of Country Music." They apologized with a retraction a few days later.
Los Angeles, or just "el-ay" as Bakersfieldians prefer, had giant Capitol Records and its big tower that looked like a stack of records. In fact, Bakersfield's two biggest stars -- do I need to say Merle Haggard and Buck Owens? -- recorded exclusively for Capitol once their respective careers gained a little leverage. Fresno had its share of country music names as well. "Cousin" Herb Henson, a Bakersfield fixture of the mid-50s to early-60s, was in Fresno first, as were others. The cities were, for all practical purposes, mirror images of each other in most all respects.
But that was then and this is, well, it's not then, that's for sure.
Let me jump ahead without going into all the details of what Bakersfield was and how it got that way.
Rather, let me focus on an upcoming Bakersfield exhibit planned for next March at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. The Hall has other things going on now, and in between then, and, understandably, has released little to no information about it.
A friend who has ties to Bakersfield's country music past, as do I, was underwhelmed with the news and predicted the event would not represent Bakersfield in context because with Nashville involved it becomes, as she put it, "Nashville-y."
I think I know exactly what she means. It will be more for tourists.
Any singer in the last couple of decades who has put a boot within spitting distance of the California state line, or who has flown over on the way to Hawaii, announces their latest release as having the "Bakersfield Sound." Funny, no one in Bakersfield ever called it that until everyone outside of Bakersfield started doing so. Again, that's another story for another day.

Display items will likely include these:

Red, white, and blue Buck Owens guitar
Never mind that he bought these by the boxcar load, and that the original idea for the guitar came from Bill Woods. And that the guitar was in keeping with his "All-American" theme. It was easier and more profitable to sell ads for his radio stations if they played "All-American" records, and not just country music records. Make room for Ricky Nelson and the like.

Merle Haggard's pardon
Never mind that then-Gov. Ronald Reagan routinely signed hundreds (yes, hundreds) of pardons for felons just like Haggard during his term in Sacramento. Haggard's pardon was just one of those, nothing special. Haggard was given no special favors. He met the standard requirements like all others.

I could go on, but this is too easy. A complaint I've heard over the years when it comes to Bakersfield is that people say they are tired of hearing about Owens and Haggard. What about the little people who made Bakersfield what it was? Jimmie Addington, Oscar Whittington, Betty Peugh, Bryce Martin. Bryce Martin? Well, that's when I woke up and realized that is not likely to happen.
In Nashville, things have a habit of turning Nashville-y.
Someone told me that.

TODAY'S FOLKSY EXPRESSION OVERHEARD: "Grinnin' like a mule eatin' briars."

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