Dwight Yoakam was born on October 23, 1956, to Ruth Ann (née Tibbs), a key-punch operator, and David Yoakam, a gas-station owner. He was born in Pikeville, Kentucky, but was raised in Columbus, Ohio, where he graduated from Northland High School in 1974. During his high school years, he took part in both the music and drama programs, having been cast in lead roles for the school\'s plays, including "Charlie" in Flowers for Algernon. Outside of school, Yoakam sang and played guitar with local garage bands.\n', '

He briefly attended Ohio State University but dropped out and moved to Los Angeles in 1977 with the intent of becoming a recording artist. On May 7, 2005, Ohio Valley University in Parkersburg, West Virginia, awarded and presented Yoakam with an honorary doctorate.\n', '

When he began his career, Nashville was oriented toward pop "urban cowboy" music, and Yoakam\'s brand of hip honky tonk music was not considered marketable.\n', '

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