Dave Alvin helped to kick-start the American roots rock scene in the early '80s with the band the Blasters and has since gone on to a career as a solo performer, songwriter, producer, and sideman that's been as well respected as it is eclectic. Born in Downey, CA, in 1955, Alvin was raised by a family of music fans, and as teenagers Dave and his... [+] Read More

Yes No

With his stripped-down approach to traditional honky tonk and Bakersfield country, Dwight Yoakam helped return country music to its roots in the late '80s. Like his idols Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Hank Williams, Yoakam never played by Nashville's rules; consequently, he never dominated the charts like his contemporary Randy Travis. Then... [+] Read More

Yes No

Katy Moffatt has never broken through to the country mainstream, but she has earned a substantial cult following among roots-music fans and plenty of critical respect for her blend of country, folk, rock, pop, and blues. The younger sister of singer/songwriter Hugh Moffatt, she was born in Fort Worth, TX, in 1950 and first performed in local... [+] Read More

Yes No

Part of the roots music explosion that took place in Southern California during the '80s, the Lonesome Strangers' harmonies evoked great fraternal duos like the Delmore Brothers and Everly Brothers, even though leaders Randy Weeks and Jeff Rymes weren't related at all. Weeks, a transplant from Minnesota, and Rymes, a Colorado native, founded the... [+] Read More

Yes No