Dwight Yoakam (26 page)

Pete's recording partner Dusty Wakeman also provided a unique perspective, simultaneously inside the studio and outside the Yoakam-Anderson collaborative relationship. Another significant interviewee with a dual vantage was Cameron Strang, whose perspective proved pivotal after his move from New West to Warner/Chappell Music predated Dwight's return to the Warner family. As related in the book, one of the delightful detours this project took was my impromptu exchange with Jim Ed Norman, in which the head of Warner Bros. Nashville during Dwight's heyday there talked at length (and, ultimately for publication) about why he was reluctant to participate.

And it was serendipity that I had the opportunity to chat with Steve Earle and Joe Ely on successive days as a result of different assignments, and to pick the brains of each concerning Dwight. (A funny coincidence: I had written a Sunday
Chicago Sun-Times
arts section cover feature in the mid-1980s focusing specifically on these three as signs of country insurgence and creative vitality, and now here we all were, a quarter of a century later.)

I'd known from the start that I would augment my own account of Dwight's musical development with passages from other journalists. All of those sources have been credited within the text, but I would particularly like to thank John Rumble, senior historian for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, whose assistance with the archives in Nashville helped focus what might have otherwise become a fishing expedition. In particular, the transcript from one of Dwight's earliest interviews, with Paul Kingsbury (October 18, 1985), is courtesy of the Frist Library and Archive of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Speaking of fishing expeditions, I sent Jackie Witkowski on one, when I was swamped with school responsibilities during this project's earliest stages, and she proved a most valuable research assistant by finding a slew of pertinent articles with minimal direction from me. One of the great things about teaching at the University of Iowa is having great students to draw upon.

The University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication additionally provided resources and moral support (along with steady employment), and Dr. David Perlmutter helped me secure a research fund from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, enough to subsidize short trips to Los Angeles and Nashville.

Of all the journalists who have written over the decades about Dwight, two whose work I found particularly helpful were Holly George-Warren (her notes to Dwight's four-disc compilation and the deluxe edition of his debut) and Patrick Carr (his series of provocative profiles for
Country Music
).

My good friends Lloyd Sachs and John Soss have spent decades experiencing this music (and plenty of other music) with me. John read a pivotal chapter early on, and Lloyd read the whole manuscript toward the end, each providing valuable feedback and support. Through all these years of sharing and listening, both have helped shaped my musical thinking in ways that go well beyond Dwight Yoakam.

As always, my preoccupation throughout the project required the patience of my family, so greatest thanks go to Maria and Molly McLeese and to Kelly Youland (who capped this project by getting a doctoral degree, a residency, a husband, and a new name during the weeks immediately before this manuscript was due). Everything I write is for them, and they have continued to bless my life beyond anything I deserve.