Dwight Yoakam’s Performance Of “Little Sister” From ‘Austin City Limits’ Is A Timeless Classic

Dwight Yoakam country music

A little Elvis mixed with a little twang… what more could you want? Old Dwight Yoakam videos just hit different.

His energy on stage is unmatched, not to mention his outfits that give the nod to classic country stage apparel.

One of my all-time comfort Yoakam videos is his 1988 Austin City Limits performance. The whole performance is phenomenal, but I am always watching with no distractions during “Little Sister.”

The cover of Elvis’ “Little Sister” appeared on Yoakam’s 1987 album Hilbilly Deluxe. As a kid, this album was my first introduction to him, so I’m probably partial to this tune. When my dad first played one of his songs for me, and I asked who it was, he described Yaokam as:

“A tall and lanky boy that can sing the hell out of songs with his twang. He wears SKIN tight blue jeans and is the definition of new wave California country.”

Those words have stuck with me since, but they do a pretty damn good job describing Yoakam.

The energy of this performance is sky-high from the kicked-off guitar riff. Yoakam is nailing his vocals and throwing in his signature dance moves between lyrics, getting the crowd riled up.

During the bridge’s guitar solo, Yoakam is having a blast with his band and dancing around the stage. After he wraps up the tune, the crowd gives him a standing ovation before he comes back on for his encore.

Yoakam’s version of “Little Sister” perfectly reimagines the tune to fit the genre of country music.

No wonder this was a massive hit for him.

For fun, here is Elvis’ version.

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