Tony Bennett and Jeanette MacDonald made sure San Francisco was enshrined in popular music. But Oakland has always struggled a bit in the shadow of its shinier, richer neighbor across the Bay. Forty years ago, Bay Area DJ Jim Lange challenged listeners to give Oakland a song that paid tribute to its beauty and quirk. The winning entry, by The Goodtime Washboard 3, became an uplifting, unofficial anthem that some locals still cherish. We talk with the group's washtub bass player Bruce Bratton about their song, "Oakland."
California Songs: The Goodtime Washboard 3's 'Oakland'
This article is more than 8 years old.
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