About Me
Being a native of Bakersfield California, Don Kidwell was exposed at an early age to some of the greatest country music in the world. Specifically 'The Bakersfield Sound' of some of his early musical influences, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Red Simpson. Beyond Bakersfield Don's early musical tastes included Elvis Presley, Bill Anderson and The Beatles.Don started playing the guitar at age nine, when he would sit for hours learning to play songs from records. By the time he finished high school, Don was working in professional bands, the recording studio, and on the road playing bass guitar with various bands. Over the years He has toured across the United States opening for several major artists.Born in Southern California, Annie Kidwell was raised in a home filled with traditional country music. Her father played guitar with country bands all over Southern California. Annie remembers many Saturday afternoons as a child when musicians would gather at the house to play and sing. Annie counts as some of her early influences in country music Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, Roy Acuff, Elvis Presley and The Beatles.Having a love of horses all her life, it was a natural progression for Annie to become a race horse trainer at tracks around Southern California after high school.Don and Annie met in 1990 at a club in Bakersfield, where Don was playing in the band, and they were married a few months later. They started a band and began playing in local clubs, then went out on the road to open shows for major artists such as The Dixie Chicks at the 1998 Fremont Experience in Las Vegas, Nevada.After several years of writing and performing their original material for appreciative local audiences, Don and Annie went into the studio to record their first CD, From The Streets Of Bakersfield. With the release of their debut CD Don & Annie created a deeply personal musical adventure that seamlessly blends 'new country' with a vintage sound. They wrote or co-wrote six of the ten tracks on the CD, as well as producing or co-producing all tracks.The title of their first CD, FROM THE STREETS OF BAKERSFIELD, pays homage to their hometown roots, their respect for tradition, and to the city that launched a whole new sound in Country Music. On their recently released second CD, RIVER OF NIGHTLIFE, they continue to grow as artists-songwriters-producers, and expand their unique style of country music.On February 21st, 2001 Don and Annie Kidwell sold out the world famous 1998 Academy Of Country Music’s night club of the year Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace when they held the release party for RIVER OF NIGHTLIFE.Real-life stories set to real-life Country Music. That's what Don & Annie Kidwell are all about.
