The end of an era.
Buck Owens is a legend in the country music scene. He had 21 #1 songs as frontman for The Buckaroos and was a pioneer of what eventually became known as the “Bakersfield Sound” that blended rock and roll and country music, a reaction to the “Nashville sound” that was popular in the late 1950s.
His sound influenced artists like Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakam, and can still be heard today in newer artists like Jon Pardi and even Brad Paisley.
In the mid-1980s, Owens had the idea for his own music venue. He wanted a high-class space where he could perform that would feature country and western music, and by the mid-1990s construction had started to make his dream a reality.
The venue, which would become known as Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, finally opened in Bakersfield, California in 1996 after delays due to the changes that Owens made during construction. He would often see something that was constructed and decide that he wanted it moved or done in a different way, so he would have the builders change it to get it exactly how he wanted it.
Owens passed away in 2006, but since his death the Buck Owens Foundation has kept the venue open and serving as a hub for country music on the west coast. It’s become a rite of passage for country music artists, while also serving as home to the Buck Owens Museum and housing some of the country legend’s memorabilia.
But unfortunately, it appears that the time has come to shut it down.
The Owens family announced yesterday that they would be shutting down the Crystal Palace, blaming a challenging business climate and the desire of the family to step back from management:
“We are extremely proud of the legacy of the Crystal Palace… For over 28 years we brought the best of local and national entertainment to Bakersfield, served great food, and hosted thousands of special occasions for thousands of special people and families. Although Buck left us in 2006, we continued to maintain the excellent that he expected, striving to carry out his dream.
Now, a challenging business climate plus the wishes of the Owens family members to step back the responsibilities of management require finally shutting the doors. It is our hope that new owners will step forward to utilize this beautiful venue. Meanwhile, we will do our best to fulfill scheduled commitments we’ve made in the coming months.
We know Buck would want us to thank the people of Bakersfield and fans from around the world for all of the support over the past years. We will miss you all.”
Over the weekend, the venue hosted Buck Owens’ birthday weekend, but as of right now it looks like the final two events on the calendar are scheduled for September 11 and September 25.
The family did express hope that new owners would step up and keep the venue going, though it doesn’t sound like there’s anything in the works right now.
Fans on social media, though, know exactly who they want to step up and keep it running: Buck Owens’ Bakersfield, California protege, Dwight Yoakam.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see whether Dwight, or anybody else, wants to keep the legacy of the Crystal Palace going. But unfortunately for now, it looks like we’ll be losing one of the few iconic country music venues that we have left. You hate to see it.
