Dwight David Yoakam was born on 23rd October 1956. He is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He is most popularly known for his iconic country music. Dwight Yoakam has recorded more than 20 albums. He charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Till now he has sold more than 30 million records. His achievements in music can be measured with the five No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 that he recorded. He also has twelve gold albums, and nine platinum albums under his belt.
He was born in Pikeville, Kentucky, but grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where he attended Northland High School. Dwight participated in both the music and drama departments during his high school years. Yoakam sang and played guitar in local garage bands outside of school.
He attended The Ohio State University for a year before dropping out and moving to Los Angeles in 1977 to pursue a career as a recording artist.
Also read: Derrick Grace Net Worth: How Rich Is The Music Artist?
Dwight Yoakam Net worth
Dwight Yoakam has a net worth of 45 million dollars. Most of his income comes from his music. Apart from that he has also acted in a number of movies and starred in many TV shows. He has been the most called-for guest in the history of The Tonight Show.
Yoakam came to Los Angeles after failing to make inroads in Nashville, where he sought to introduce his brand of new honky-tonk or “hillbilly” music (as he termed it) into the 1980s.
He did many shows in rock and punk rock clubs around Los Angeles, playing with roots-rock or punk rock acts like The Blasters, Los Lobos, and X, writing all of his own songs and continuing to perform mostly outside of traditional country music channels. This broadened his appeal beyond traditional country music fans, and his genuine honky-tonk revivalism drew rock lovers closer to country music.
1997 marked the year that Dwight Yoakam made a name for himself and grabbed everyone’s attention. He released his most famous and successful album to date, This Time. The album reached a triple platinum status which is very much deserved. Every song in the album is composed beautifully and with perfection. the music and the lyrics are lovable and settle in your mind.
There are 11 songs in total in the album and to name a favorite would be unfair. A thousand miles from nowhere got the maximum attention and appreciation. It definitely was an incredibly well-written and composed song. You can listen to the song on YouTube by clicking here.
Also read: Mendeecees Harris Net Worth: A Drug Dealer or Famous Music Producer
Dwight Yoakam’s achievements
Dwight Yoakam won his first award in 1986. He won the Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Male Vocalist. in 1993 he won the CMT Europe Artist of the Year Award. Then in 1994 Dwight won a Grammy, the highest achievement award in the music world. He won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male for his hit song “Ain’t That Lonely Yet”. Dwight won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 1999 for the song “Same Old Train” that he shared with multiple artists. This was his first award after his best-selling album dropped.
In 2007 he won the Country Music Association Award for International Touring Artist. Then in 2011, Dwight Yoakam won the Academy of Country Music Cliffe Stone Pioneer Award. In 2013 he won the Americana Music Award for Artist of the Year and then in 2019 the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Besides these, he has been nominated for countless awards. The most honorable ones being, the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1987 for the song “Guitars, Cadillacs”, the Academy of Country Music Award for Video of the Year in 1987 for the music video of “Little Sister”, the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male in 1987 for “Guitars, Cadillacs”, the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male in 1988 for “Hillbilly Deluxe” the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration in 1989 with Buck Owens for “Streets of Bakersfield” and the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male in 1989 for his album “Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room”
Also read: Don Felder Net Worth: How Rich Is The American Musician?