Dwight Yoakam in Simpsonville

Dwight Yoakam is an American country singer-songwriter and actor, born in 1956 in Pikeville, Kentucky, and raised in Ohio. His honky-tonk music draws heavily on the Bakersfield sound. The 1986 debut album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. introduced songs including “Honky Tonk Man” and “Guitars, Cadillacs”; later recordings include “Streets of Bakersfield,” a duet with Buck Owens, “Fast as You” and “Ain’t That Lonely Yet.” In the early 1980s, he performed in Los Angeles rock and punk clubs on shows featuring acts such as The Blasters and Los Lobos. The LSD Tour brought him together with Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle for a co-headlining run in 2018, extending a live career built around theatres, casinos and outdoor venues. He has returned to Nashville for Grand Ole Opry appearances, while An Evening with Dwight Yoakam & The Bakersfield Beat brought a residency to the Encore Theater in Las Vegas.

Robert Earl Keen is an American singer-songwriter, born in Houston in 1956, whose music draws on Texas country, folk and Americana. He established his catalogue with albums including No Kinda Dancer, West Textures and A Bigger Piece of Sky, while “The Road Goes On Forever” and “Merry Christmas from the Family” became signature songs. No. 2 Live Dinner, recorded at John T. Floore’s Country Store and released in 1996, documented the full-band performances that became central to his career. He later made annual themed Christmas concerts a long-running touring tradition. In 2022, the I’m Comin’ Home: 41 Years on the Road farewell tour ended with a final series of performances in Helotes.