Vince Gill + Paul Franklin Record Tribute Album to ‘Bakersfield’ Sound of Country [VIDEO]

Vince Gill and legendary steel guitarist Paul Franklin recorded a phenomenal tribute album  featuring the country music that came out of Bakersfield,California, "Bakersfield: Deluxe Edition."

The "Bakersfield" sound was created by country greats Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, and this is a tribute to the sheer genius of the two of them. Vince Gill believes the "Bakersfield Sound" was a result of musicians moving farther west to make a better living.

Here's how Gill described the music to NPR.org:

"Very honky-tonk driven, very beer-joint driven," Gill says. "It just was unabashed; it wasn't smooth, it wasn't croonish. I think what you have to do is compare it with the country music that was being made primarily in Nashville, which was a lot smoother: string arrangements and kind of cosmopolitan. And along comes Buck and Merle, and they got these twangy Telecasters and Ralph Mooney playing a singing steel guitar. In a way, it's like the Rolling Stones of country music."

How cool is that? If you'd like to more information on this awesome album, click here.