4 Solid Country Songs That Talk About California
Country music has long had an association with California, dating back to the Bakersfield sound of the 1950s and 1960s with artists like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. Today, a handful of artists like Jon Pardi and Brett Young are from California. In the late 1960s, before the Academy of Country Music moved its award show to Las Vegas, and then Texas, the show was always held in the Los Angeles area.
I am a California native myself and I spent my teenage years loving country music. In more recent years, I’ve enjoyed going to Indio’s Stagecoach music festival. It’s one of the best country music festivals I’ve ever been to.
Many artists in country music have voiced their thoughts and sent prayers to those in the Los Angeles area wildfire that have ravaged the area since January 7. Brad Paisley even used to live in Pacific Palisades 20 years ago when he and his wife Kimberly were first married.
According to CNN, the deadly series of 30 wildfires has affected the Los Angeles metropolitan area and surrounding regions for over a week now. As of today (1/16), four fires remain active, including the two largest.
As of January 15, the wildfires have killed at least 25 people, forced over 200,000 to evacuate, and destroyed or damaged more than 12,401 structures.
Most of the damage has been done by the two largest fires: the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire in Altadena. They are likely the fourth and second most destructive fires in California’s history.
Since country music and California are so well connected and have been for years, I thought it would be nice to focus on the Golden State with some songs country stars have sung about California.
RELATED: Thomas Rhett Dazzles In His Debut Vegas Stint
“California Sunrise” by Jon Pardi
Pardi is a California native, and his immediate family still lives in the area where he grew up in Dixon, California. He told me in an interview when he first came out and started to pop in Nashville that he loves writing songs that are based on true stories and reflecting on where he comes from. Jon also holds the distinction of being the only native Californian to become a member of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.
“California Sunrise” is the title track from his 2016 second studio album.
“Closing Time in California” by Luke Bryan
Luke just recently announced that his 2025 Farm Tour will be in California, raising money for the farmers in that state. Luke said of the move out West this year, “With the Farm Tour being such a unique type of show in rural towns we have to be really intentional on where we go in order to have the best experience for the fans all while lifting up the farming community and what they do for our country. I have always wanted to raise awareness for the West Coast farmer, and I’m so excited to get to do that this year.”
The ballad is on Bryan’s 2024 album, Mind of a Country Boy.
“Streets of Bakersfield” by Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam
One of country music’s most famous songs about California by Dwight Yoakam and country legend Buck Owens, who lived in Bakersfield, California.
Since Dwight’s success in country music in the late 1980s, he has spent and lived many years in California and has appeared in a number of movies (including 1996’s Sling Blade), making a name for himself as a Hollywood actor.
“Country For California” by Thomas Rhett
The song is about a man and a woman from a small town and she is going off to Hollywood to make her dreams come true. The song’s narrator says that if she gets tired of California and wants to come home, he’s right there for her.
