This week’s theme is a super theme because all of the songs have one thing in common. They are recorded by artists who were either born in or began their career in California. No matter the genre, CA can claim ownership of many of the most important artists throughout the last 100 years of music. With such a spoil of riches, it was easy to find music to use. The hard part was whittling it down to just these songs.

WARNING: This week’s show is not a list of the best CA artists, most important CA artists, most influential CA artists, or best songs about CA. There are no songs by The Grateful Dead, The Beach Boys, Jefferson Airplane, Metallica, Motley Crue, N.W.A., Dr. Dre, or Snoop Dogg. I know that “LA Woman” by The Doors and “Hotel California” by The Eagles are obvious choices, but you won’t find them here, any time of year.

• Herb Alpert Los Angeles
• Bad Religion Los Angeles
• Beck Los Angeles
• Blackalicious Sacramento
• Dave Brubeck Concord
• The Carpenters Downey
• Don Cherry Los Angeles
• Ornette Coleman Los Angeles
• Cypress Hill South Gate
• Descendents Manhattan Beach
• Fishbone Los Angeles
• Fitz and the Tantrums Los Angeles

• Grandaddy Modesto
• Sammy Hagar Salinas
• Merle Haggard and the Strangers Oildale/Bakersfield
• Chico Hamilton Los Angeles
• Journey San Francisco
• Jimmy Liggins San Diego
• Charles Lloyd Los Angeles
• Julie London Santa Rosa
• Los Lobos East Los Angeles
• The Mamas and The Papas Los Angeles
• Jimmy McCracklin Richmond
• Minutemen San Pedro

• Missing Persons Los Angeles
• Roger Nixon Modesto
• Johnny Otis Vallejo
• Buck Owens and his Buckaroos Bakersfield
• The Pharcyde South Central Los Angeles
• Queens of the Stone Age Palm Desert
• Sly and the Family Stone San Francisco
• Sparks Pacific Palisades
• Steel Breeze Sacramento
• Tower of Power Oakland

There are too many subgenres of music created in California to list them all here. Just to name a few, there’s West Coast Jazz, Haight-Ashbury in the ’60s, Laurel Canyon in the early ’70s, West Coast Hardcore, Thrash Metal, Hair Metal, West Coast Rap, and on and on. So instead of going down that (white) rabbit hole, let’s focus on one in particular.

The Bakersfield Sound was created in Bakersfield, CA in the 1950s by musicians performing in local bars and television stations. It is a form of country music that incorporates rock and roll much more than other country music and was a direct reaction to the more slickly produced country music coming out of Nashville (The Nashville Sound). By far the most successful Bakersfield artists were Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. Listening to it now, you may not think the music from Bakersfield sounds much different than any other classic country music, but in the 1960s this sound changed country music and controlled the Country Hit Singles charts for years.

Buck Owens and His Buckaroos

Buck Owens was born in Texas, but as a young truck driver he fell in love with Bakersfield and moved his family there in 1951. He quickly became a key member of the local music industry and by the ’60s he was one of the most popular artists in country music. With his band The Buckaroos, he shaped the Bakersfield Sound in his image and is the main reason that it ever progressed beyond its birthplace. Nowadays, if anyone remembers Buck Owens it is as the costar of Hee Haw (he’s the one who played the guitar and said “I’m a pickin”), but the music he made in the ’60s is his true legacy.

Merle Haggard

Although he started later than Buck Owens, the most famous Bakersfield artist is Merle Haggard. He was born just a few miles outside of Bakersfield, and until he was in his early 20s his life was a string of family and personal troubles. But during his early years he heard enough of the music going on in the local scene to become one of its most successful creators. Along with his band The Strangers, Merle Haggard became one of the most popular country artists by the end of the ’60s. Similar to Buck Owens, he is now known for things he did after the ’60s, especially his membership in the Outlaw movement of country music in the ’70s. But the music he made in Bakersfield shaped the sound of the Outlaws and country music for years to come.

Johnny Otis is called The Godfather of Rhythm and Blues. His influence on the early days of R&B was vast and the artists he discovered is a who’s who list of seminal rock and roll musicians. He was a drummer and bandleader in the ’40s and was a main contributor to the early R&B sound that morphed into rock and roll in the ’50s. He hosted a local LA television show and was a popular deejay in the ’50s, both of which further contributed to the evolution of R&B into the rock and roll sound that ruled the airwaves after Elvis Presley. He was also the father of soul artist Shuggie Otis, who wrote the classic ’70s song “Strawberry Letter 23.”

A list of artists Otis either discovered or added to his band includes Wynonie Harris, Charles Brown, Illinois Jacquet, Little Esther, The Robins (who became The Coasters), Big Jay McNeely, Etta James, Big Mama Thornton, Johnny Ace, Little Willie John, Jackie Wilson, and Hank Ballard. Wow!

Fishbone “Everyday Sunshine”: Fishbone is a household favorite and this is one of Ms. Faux’s favorite songs by the band. It is from the 1991 album The Reality of My Surroundings. If you missed Fishbone in their prime, now is as good a time as any to discover their amazing combo of funk, soul, rock, and ska. Everybody start bouncing!

Sly and the Family Stone “Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”: One of the greatest funk bass lines ever recorded. Thank you Larry Graham!

Tower of Power “I Got the Chop”: This is THE house funk band at the Faux home. This track is from their 1974 album Back to Oakland. This song is a deep cut album filler near the end of side 2, but it is still a great funk track. David Garabaldi, as usual, lays down a deep drum groove and the horns are all over it.

Roger Nixon “California Jubilee”: Roger Nixon composed pieces for orchestra, band, choir, and opera. Many of his more than 60 compositions focused on the West Coast.

Dustin Hoffman: Dustin Hoffman is obviously not a music artist but today is his birthday, he was born in Los Angeles, and one of the films most associated with him has one of the most identifiable soundtracks in Hollywood history. The Graduate was set in Pasadena, CA and features a soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel. This version of “Mrs. Robinson” is an incidental version from the movie’s score.

Larry Wilcox: Larry Wilcox is also not a music artist but today is his birthday, he was born in San Diego, and he was the co-star of one of the TV shows most identified with CA, CHiPs. This version of the “CHiPs Theme” is not the original, but Peter Seymour does a nice job.

Sparks “Beat the Clock”: The new Sparks Brothers documentary is out so what better time to add some Sparks to your life? This is one of Faux Junior’s favorite Sparks songs.

Grandaddy “Summer Here Kids”: Grandaddy are an oft-overlooked indie band who have been around since the early ’90s. Although they never made it quite as big as The Flaming Lips (the band I think they most resemble) every album in their brief discography is worth a listen.

Ornette Coleman (featuring Don Cherry on trumpet) “Eventuallly”: Ornette Coleman is known as the founder of free jazz, a term that makes people think of squonks, bleeps, plinks, and crashes. Hopefully you will listen to this and see that free jazz is not as difficult as you think. This is from the classic album The Shape of Jazz to Come, featuring Charlie Haden on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Don Cherry on trumpet.

Hits

Too many to list here, but I’ll mention two that don’t get a mention anywhere else.

The Mamas and The Papas “California Dreamin'”: We’ll let this song stand in for the hundreds of great CA artists and songs from the ’60s who didn’t make this week’s show.

Julie London “Cry Me a River”: One of the most famous torch songs ever recorded.

New

Los Lobos “Los Chucos Suaves” and “Jamaica Say You Will”: This is brand new music from one of Ms. Faux’s favorites. Los Lobos just released an album of covers – all songs by California artists. “Los Chucos Suaves” is a song by the father of chicano music, Lalo Guerrero. “Jamaica Say You Will” is from Jackson Browne’s self-titled debut.

2 for “Two”day

Los Lobos: Two songs from their new album.

Journey: They are my favorite CA rock band, I will not lie. I’ve included “Only the Young”, a single from 1985, and “Lights”, the first song that Neal Schon and Steve Perry wrote together. I’m not from San Francisco, but I would imagine that “Lights” is considered by many locals to be their theme song.

Beck “Lost Cause”: This is one of many great songs from Beck’s beautiful 2002 album Sea Change

Fitz and the Tantrums “Moneygrabber”: This is from Fitz and the Tantrums’ debut Pickin’ Up The Pieces. A great retro soul song from one of the best albums of 2010.

Queens of the Stone Age “You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar But I Feel Like a Millionaire”: Dave Grohl joined the fun on drums to help make this third album by the Queens of the Stone Age, Songs for the Deaf.

Sammy Hagar “I Can’t Drive 55”: I think this song holds up against anything Van Hagar released.

Steel Breeze “You Don’t Want Me Anymore”: This song peaked at #16, but at the time it was #1 in my heart. I played the crap out of this one back in 1982.