Introduction
“Dwight Yoakam Gets Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame”
In the video, Dwight Yoakam reflects on the honor of being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, expressing deep gratitude. He humorously compares himself to a “foster child from the West Coast” taken in by Nashville’s country music community. Although many people know him primarily as a performer, Yoakam reminds us that he wrote about 80% of the songs he recorded, starting from his early career.
He talks about how his second single, “Guitars, Cadillacs”, was one of his own compositions, and how he always held onto his songs instead of giving them away to other artists. This was partly because he started his career in California, not Nashville, writing songs to perform live, rather than through traditional Nashville songwriting avenues like publishing houses.
Yoakam shares how he came to understand that Nashville has always been a songwriter’s town, long before it became a recording hub. Despite his West Coast beginnings, he acknowledges how Nashville embraced him and helped bring his music to the world. He expresses sincere appreciation to the city and its music community for helping launch his career.
Toward the end of the interview, the host brings up Costas, a songwriter with whom Yoakam collaborated on multiple hits including “Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose” and “Ain’t That Lonely Yet,” the latter earning Yoakam a Grammy. He shares a fun moment, joking that he can’t keep up with Costas when it comes to partying. The night, for Yoakam, is full circle—celebrating not only his songwriting career but the broader Nashville community that made it all possible.