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Beale Memorial Library opens permanent 'Legends of the Bakersfield Sound' portrait exhibit
Summary
An exhibit of 10 black-and-white portraits by Patty Doolittle, including images of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, was unveiled at the Beale Memorial Library; the collection was stolen in 2017, later recovered in Northern California, restored and donated to the Kern County Library Foundation in 2025.
Around Kern County reported a permanent exhibit at Beale Memorial Library titled "Legends of the Bakersfield Sound," featuring black-and-white portraits of 10 musicians associated with the Bakersfield Sound.
Host Erin Briscoe Clark said artist Patty Doolittle, who grew up in Oildale, painted the portraits. The segment named Buck Owens and Merle Haggard among those portrayed. A program participant praised Doolittle's attention to detail and noted the library compiled musician biographies and a narrative to ensure historical accuracy.
The broadcast reported that the collection had been stolen in 2017 from a venue identified on-air as "Trout's," recovered years later in Northern California, and restored by Doolittle's husband. In 2025 the restored collection was donated to the Kern County Library Foundation and placed on permanent display. The exhibit is free to the public at the Beale Memorial Library, the segment said.
