For our third installment of our exclusive Good Country Goodtime sessions, California cowgirl Victoria Bailey steps to the center of the Dynasty Typewriter stage to perform “Honky Tonk Woman” with our house band. Given it was our first variety show, the theme was pretty straight forward – “Firsts” – so it was more than apt for Bailey to pull out the number. “Since we’re on the theme of firsts,” she says, announcing the song, “This next song is actually the first country song I wrote, I realized backstage.”
From her 2020 album, Jesus, Red Wine & Patsy Cline, “Honky Tonk Woman” certainly doesn’t feel like a first effort. It’s an idiomatic country & western tune with a loping, danceable groove and a subject matter that could’ve easily been pulled from the catalog of say, Patsy Cline, or Tammy Wynette, or Loretta Lynn. “I wanna be a honky tonk woman,” Bailey sings – almost like Billy Joel when he renders “Piano Man” – inhabiting the character she text paints while singing about her in third person.
Born and raised in Huntington Beach, California, Bailey combines so many textures and styles of the state’s deserts, coasts, and ranches with bluegrass, gospel, classic country sounds, and more. Her most recent album, A Cowgirl Rides On, leans more in a string band direction, but as “Honky Tonk Woman” demonstrates, whatever genre stylings come to the fore of her song, Bailey is Good Country through and through.
Back on September 27 of last year, Good Country and BGS debuted our brand new variety show, the Good Country Goodtime, at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles. The inaugural show was hosted by country and bluegrass singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks and featured appearances by artists Victoria Bailey and Aubrie Sellers as well as a hilarious set by comedian and actor Kurt Braunohler. Backing up the talent was our first-class Goodtime house band led by the Coral Reefers’ Mick Utley.
Dynasty Typewriter is one of LA’s premier spaces for comedy, music, podcasts, improv, and so much more. The very first Good Country Goodtime was livestreamed online, captured by the venue’s fully built-out rig of cameras, so we’re incredibly excited to get to share exclusive clips, performances, and sketches from the Goodtime – not only from our first show in the fall, but going forward as we continue these events this year, too.
Enjoy Victoria Bailey’s lovely representation of Southern California country above with “Honky Tonk Woman” and stay tuned for more songs and silliness from the Good Country Goodtime coming to you soon right here on BGS and Good Country.
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