Dwight Yoakam to Program New SiriusXM Channel ‘The Bakersfield Beat’

Over Labor Day weekend in 2017, Dwight Yoakam took control of the airwaves of SiriusXM’s Prime Country for a specially curated program he dubbed Dwight Yoakam & the Bakersfield Beat. Starting this spring, Yoakam is bringing back the concept for a brand-new, full-time station on the satellite radio provider.

Dwight Yoakam & the Bakersfield Beat, subtitled “Where Country Went Mod,” will be a showcase for California country music, of which Yoakam and his friends will play a significant role. The announcement nods to everyone from country legends Buck Owens and Merle Haggard to country-rock pioneers the Flying Burrito Brothers and rockabilly punks X. A whole segment of the channel will be devoted to the punk-influenced strands of California country that originated in Los Angeles during the Eighties, called “That Town South of Bakersfield: From Cow Punks to Now Punks.”

Yoakam is the latest of several country stars to curate his own channel for SiriusXM. There’s already the Garth Channel from Garth Brooks, No Shoes Radio from Kenny Chesney, and Willie’s Roadhouse from Willie Nelson, in addition to more standard programming like the Prime Country and Outlaw Country stations.

Prior to the official launch of Dwight Yoakam & the Bakersfield Beat, Sirius will offer a special preview on Prime Country from February 23rd at 5:00 p.m. ET through February 26th at 3:00 a.m. ET on Channel 58.