"None shall sleep! None shall sleep!" I sang at dawn, my lovely tenor drifting out the open bedroom window at Stately Koster Mansion — because our neighbors literally pay me a modest monthly stipend to sing the great arias as an alternative to waking to the shrill bells or vapid radio muck from their respective alarm clock/radio devices.

As the final crystalline notes settled over the neatly cropped and lightly misted lawns, Old Buzzy, who lives a few doors down and is a bit of a miscreant, called out of his own bedroom window. "Do some Yoakam!"

I was already late in my own morning routine — shower, shave, construct a replica of that dragster the Munsters drove utilizing only Elmer's glue and corn cobs — but I was reminded of a recent conversation with Dutch Tavern impressario Pete Detmold.

The previous weekend, Pete had seen Dwight Yoakam live and was raving about The Yoke's band and his voice and the all-around in-performance badassery — not to mention the amazing legacy of Yoakam's songwriting.

Well, truth told, it'd been a few years since I thought much about Dwight, save for when his spiritual mentor and close friend, Buck Owens, died.

I'm ashamed. One should NEVER forget Dwight Yoakam — and so I was grateful to Detmold and Old Buzzy for bringing him back to my attention.

So, yes, I stuck my head out the window for Old Buzzy and belted a very fine rendition of "Blame the Vain," the title cut from Dwight's 2005 album. When done, I heard applause and giddy whoops from up and down the block.

And, thanks to me, another day had started out wonderfully on the street where I live.

Well, you can talk all you want about your heroes on contemporary country music stations, and indeed what "country music" means continues to evolve — in some good ways and in a lot of bad ways — but, again, keep The Yoke close to your ears and heart. Here are some old faves, a few surprises and a brilliant cover or two for your listening pleasure:

"A Thousand Miles From Nowhere." The Yoke with Owens doing Buck's "Streets of Bakersfield." Here's "Buenos Noches From a Lonely Room" with the immortal Flaco Jimenez on accordion.

And speaking of Flaco, here's Dwight doing the best version ever of Warren Zevon's "Carmelita," which The Yoke first did on a Jimenez solo album. And don't forget "Ain't That Lonely Yet."

Finally, a recording of me singing Nessun dorma this morning. Pay no attention to the misleading picture accompanying my voice.