new this morning you may soon be listening to some neverbe heard music from Bakersfield's Buck Owens how long is soon now Buck Owens is a country music legend remembered for pioneering the Bakersfield sound and introducing a new generation to his Innovative musical stylings a prolific writer in performer Buck Owens and the buckaroos would see massive Commercial Success with their songs earning covers by icons like the Beatles and Ray Charles however Buck Owen's left fans puzzled when he briefly
vanished for several years Midway through his career now almost 20 years after his death we can finally reveal the mystery surrounding Buck Owens and his controversial Hiatus early career Alvis Edgar's Buck Owens Jr was born on August 12th 1929 on a small farm in Sherman Texas his parents were Alvis Edgar Owens senior and Macy AEL Owens two sharecroppers trying to make a living to support their growing family and four children the Owens children were expected to work in the fields as soon as the
y were old enough the name Buck apparently came from one of the donkeys on the Family's farm when Alvis Jr was between the ages of three and four he walked into the house one day and announced that his name was also Buck the family was okay with his change so he was Buck from then on the Owens family had been a musical one Macy Owens was a Pianist and exposed her children to gospel music during their frequent visits to nearby churches eventually the Owens joined a Southern Baptist Church Buck Ow
ens attended Public School in Garland Texas for grades 1 to three in 1937 the Owens family moved to Mesa Arizona during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression during this tragic era of American History 2.5 million people were forced to migrate to the West of those 200,000 individuals ended up in California the widespread droughts and famine plaguing the plains prompted Alvis Owens to build a trailer to hold the family's belongings then he Macy the four children bucks Uncle Vernon and Aunt Lucill
e their infant son and Macy's mother piled into a Ford Sedan and drove West all 10 passengers only stopped to cook and sleep Buck Owens attended an Arizona Public School in m while there he discovered his dislike for completing formal schoolwork Owens would sing and perform in school plays to satisfy class participation requirements as a result he began taking part in performance-based activities whenever the opportunities presented themselves his father gifted the aspiring musician a cheap elec
tric steel guitar and an amp he had created from an old radio his mother introduced him to some standard chord progressions and Owens taught himself the rest soon he was proficient on the guitar horns drums and mandolin at age 13 Owens dropped out of school and began working as a produce hauler and Harvester he pursued his musical interests while working with the family farm during this time in 1945 Buck co-hosted a radio show called buck and Brit with THL Ray Brittain the two would also play at
local bars during these shows the venue owners allowed Owens and Britain to pass a hat around the audience and keep 10% of the proceeds eventually they became resident musicians at the Romo Buffet a phoenix bar Buck Owens felt deeply ashamed of his family's impoverished lifestyle he saw music as his escape from the socioeconomic shortcomings that plagued the Owens bloodline by 16 years old Owens was a regular performer at local taverns his early Idols included Jimmy wble the guitar of Bob Wilso
n's Texas Playboys around this time he was introduced to MC manate the owner of a Mesa gas station who organized a band called Max Skillet lickers Owens joined the band and played his steel guitar the band was joined by Bonnie Campbell an aspiring singer who briefly worked with the skillet lickers Bonnie would go on to become Buck's wife and mother of his children after the births of his sons in 1948 and 195 50 Owens faced the pressures of supporting a growing family plagued by memories of his u
nderprivileged upbringing Owens was desperate to break the cycle at the time he was not a successful enough musician to support his family based solely on his performances therefore he continued to work as a truck driver he befriended a fellow truck driver named Mark Robinson who was also an aspiring singer Robinson sang Eddie Arnold songs in near by Honky Tonks under the stage name Marty Robbins during owens's performance at Phoenix's Aster Hotel Marty sat in while Owens sang Hank Williams song
s the Owens Clan Goes West again Buck Owens married Bonnie Campbell on January 13th 1948 at the time Bonnie was four months pregnant with the couple's first son Alan Edgar Owens better known as buddy was then born on May 22nd 1948 almost two years later on March 8th 1950 their son Michael ly Owens was born by May of 1951 the Allure of Phoenix living had expired for Owens and Bonnie they decided it was time to relocate to Bakersfield California a city located 100 miles north of Los Angeles and si
tuated within California's sanin Valley Bakersfield had booming oil and agricultural Industries making the city a Haven for Dust Bowl refugees in the 1930s and 40s much like Texas and Oklahoma had been before the bowl started additionally Bakersfield was a surprisingly lucrative area for aspiring country musicians as the city boasted a robust country music scene Bob Wills considered by many to be the founder of Western swing music was a prominent figure in the Bakersfield music scene additionall
y the Maddox Brothers and Rose were frequent performers in the area also in 1951 Bonnie and Owens separated though little is known about the reasons behind their split the couple remained amicable acquaintances from then on after arriving in Bakersfield Owens joined a band Led by Dusty rhs a fellow steel guitarist four months later Owens had also joined the house band at Bakersfield's Top county music nightclub the Blackboard there he played with Bill woods and the orange blossom Playboys from f
rom September 1951 to May 1958 the Playboys were built as Central California's top dance band and played country poas pop music rhythm and blues and even rumbas when Owens joined he assumed he was hired to play as the band's lead guitarist he was surprised to discover that Woods had scouted him as a singer Owens quickly learned to project his voice for no monitor speakers were available for musicians at the time as his musical prowess developed so did his choice of instrument he swapped his elec
tric Gibson L7 archtop for a solid body Fender Telecaster the new guitar was a revolutionary instrument from Leo Fender a Fullerton based steel guitar maker who had originally introduced the gadget as the broadcaster in 1950 the Telecaster possessed a unique sound that was both biting and trebly thanks to its anchored strings reminiscent of a classic steel guitar buck paid $135 for the used Telecaster which had previously belonged to Lewis tally the Telecaster would become an iconic element of b
uck owens's career and signature sound owens's proficiency on the Telecaster led him to several recording sessions in September 1953 he played on Tommy Collins hit you better not do that 1954 recorded at capitals Los Angeles Studios his intro on the song showcases his trade Mark Twisted note Style the song peaked at number two on the country charts and became Collins's first hit it became clear that Owens had made a strong impression on some of the executives at Capital Records the company's hea
d of audio and recording Ken Nelson took a particular interest in the rising star featuring him extensively on tracks from 1954 to 1958 Owens appeared on recordings by Dell Reeves Jean Vincent Stan freeberg Wanda Jackson faren young Sunny James Tommy sanss and many other less well-known musicians Owens idolized Elvis Presley and Little Richard strengthening his abilities as a formidable rockabilly guitarist his talents additionally led him to recording sessions at the lutal recording studio in B
akersfield owned by the former player of his Telecaster Lewis tally at lall Studios he accompanied and sang the Harmony on Terry F's truck driving Man 1954 a favorite of truck driving music lovers Owens finds his sound 1956 would be the year that Buck Owens recorded his own music for the first time under the pseudonym Corky Jones Owens recorded hot dog 1956 a rockabilly song for the modest pep label the pseudonym was intended to prevent the recording of the rock and roll song from interfering wi
th his future country music career he then recorded down on the corner of Love which was generally well received however due to the track's poor distribution the song failed to sell in large numbers later the song would be deemed a classic earning covers from artists such as James owin bobby bear Red Sovine and others after his quiet divorce from Bonnie Owens would remarry in 1956 Owens married Phyllis Buford after one year of dating on May 9th 1956 Owens and Buford welcomed the birth of Johnny
Dale Owens the singer's third son around this time Owens met Haron Howard a Michigan native and aspiring songwriter Howard had recently moved to California when he met his wife Jan Howard who was also starting out as an aspiring country musician Owens and Harland began writing music together with harland's lyrics at the Forefront additionally the pair founded Blue Book music to publish their songs at the time Blue Book was as Frank as owens's humble beginnings however no one could force the impa
ct that blue book would have on Owens career in 1957 Ken Nelson signed Owens to Capital Records however Owens debut singles were commercial failures disillusioned by this Owens fled to Tacoma Washington for a few months while in Washington Owens befriended Donald Eugene rrick a local teenage Fiddler from Tumwater olich would adopt the stage name Don Rich and become a major component of some of Owen's most successful recordings Owens had observed one of Rich's performances at Steve's gay90s Resta
urant in South Tacoma and he immediately approached the teenager about collaborating the two began playing fiddle at local venues and even scored a feature on ktnt TV 11's weekly barquet jamere also at this time Owens became a part owner of of Tacoma's k radio station which taught him the fundamentals of the music business through selling ad time and working as a disc jockey Owens returned to Bakersfield in 1958 recording a few more songs for Capital Records this time around however Owens used a
steel guitar and Fiddle to record four of his own songs one such recording was second fiddle which would become his first country hit reaching number 24 on the billboard country chart the success of this release led to another recording session this time producing under your spell again 1959 which soared to number four on the charts before returning to Bakersfield Owens attempted to lure Rich out to California with him but Rich opted to spend the year teaching music at Centralia College where h
e tutored on the side while also performing at local venues in December of 1960 however Don Rich joined Owens in Bakersfield after the success of their collaboration on second fiddle and under your spell again Rich lived with Owens for some time before moving home and marrying his longtime girlfriend marleene additionally Harlen had previously moved to Nashville with Jan Owens was on his own he was left with the hungry producers at Capital and Harland Howard's share of Blue Book music but the su
ccess of his recording with Don Rich cemented Owens as an upand cominging star in 1960 he was named Billboard magazine's most promising country and western singer of the Year Owens had high expectations to meet he hired a drummer a bass player and a pedal steel player to form a band the band was unnamed until one of its early Bas players Merl Haggard dubbed the group The buckaroos the group would contain various changing members throughout the years and they would become recognizable due to thei
r signature red white and blue guitars in fiddles in the early months of 1963 Owens was pitched Act Naturally a song by Johnny Russell owens's initial response was negative but Don Rich's enthusiasm convinced Owens to record the track with the buckaroos the track was recorded on February 12th 1963 and released on March 11th by June 15th the single embarked on its four-week long consecutive takeover of the number one spot on the charts this would become owens's first number one hit song and in 19
65 The Beatles released a cover version with Ringo Star on lead vocals star would later record a duet version with Owens in 1988 Act Naturally was the first in a succession of 20 chart topping hits from Owens Love's got a lie spent 16 weeks at the top of the charts and I've got a tiger by the tail earned a spot in the top 20 on the pop charts this was the official introduction to owens's new sound his style was roiling upbeat and supercharged these elements would become signature identifiers of
Owens music Owens would use this sound which he defined as freight train sounding and was rooted in the Dancy influences of Bob Will's discography from 1962 to 1968 Owens officially found his sound the public was in love with his signature stylings and all he had to do to achieve this was slightly change up his original lyrics and Melodies whatever Buck Owens was doing in the late 1960s was working the peak of Buck Owens after the success of Act Naturally Buck Owens and the buckaroos were booked
to play at New York City's legendary Carnegie Hall this was a historic event in itself for at the time country artists rarely played in New York much less at Carnegie Hall to even further stress out the players capital records insisted on recording the concert for an album Owens and the buckaroos were worried that the March 25th 1966 show and album would flop on the flip side the live album was a smashing success and it achieved crossover success on the pop charts as well as the country charts
the album was further popularized by legendary R&B singer Ray Charles who released cover versions of crying time and together again typically once an artist found their Perfect song song writing formula they'd milk it for all its worth generating and regenerating different versions of the same sound an early example of this phenomenon occurred in the music of Jimmy Rogers who strictly followed the same basic structure for all of his Classic Blue yodel of the 1920s similarly many hits from artist
s such as Hank Williams and Ernest tubs followed comparable structures in the 1970s Charlie Pride was accused of Sonic Rec cycling for his rapid production of similar sounding hits Buck Owens however distinguished himself by releasing fresh streamlined and modern sounding music that stood Out Among the Cosmopolitan country music of Jim Reeves and Eddie Arnold Owens and the buckaroos were in the process of redefining country music in the studio they arrived prepared rehearsed and ready for a chal
lenge Buck Owens was regarded as a professional and a perfectionist insisting on recording just a few takes at a time to achieve the perfect cut claiming that this would better preserve a sense of spontaneity their methods were successful and it wasn't long before the Nashville Music Community took notice of these signature West Coast stylings and transformed the Regional Title into a subgenera of Music George Hamilton IV was one of the first artists to replicate this with the release of an enti
re west coast country album and single truck driving man what Owens and the buckaroos had created became known as The Bakers field sound it was energetic electrified and featured a well-curated blend of predominantly Honky Tonk stylings with added layers of R&B hillbilly and rock and roll the band possessed a unique ability to widen the appeal of country music their success made them favorites of The Beatles with Ringo Star taking particular interest even before star's version of Act Naturally O
wens and Rich had shared a love of The Beatles early discography according to Legend the pair owned every Beatles album and even practiced the Liverpool accents together 1968 would prove to be a triumphant year for Buck Owens who performed with the buckaroos for president Lynden B Johnson that year Additionally the band's pedal steel guitar player was replaced with JD Maness aiding the buckaroos in their journey toward two more number one hits tall dark stranger and who's going to mow your grass
from 1969 to 1986 Owens would co-host cbs's popular television variety show heaw with Roy Clark the show featured comedic sketches and shorts interwoven with country music performances during his time on the show Owens was at the peak of popularity the show had originally been pitched as a country version of Rowan and Martin's Laughin and it would go on to run for 200 31 episodes over 24 seasons Owens Made a few more television appearances from 1968 to 1970 on The Ed Sullivan Show The Dean Mart
in Show the Jimmy Dean Show and The Jackie gleon show by 1970 Owens had begun working with Susan Ray his Protege the buckaroos enjoyed a string of hit Duets featuring Ray who would later become a popular solo artist with Owens as her producer in 1971 however the band faced a setback in the departure of Doyle Holly Holly's voice had been foundational to the band's success with a signature deep booming draw that had scored the singer the bass player of the year award from the Academy of Country Mu
sic the year before Owens and Rich were the only two remaining original members of the band despite their very recent astonishing success on the charts by the early 70s the duo struggled to make a popular hit however there success on heaw allowed them to retain celebrity status after 3 years without a number one hit the buckaroos finally got their groove back with the release of made in Japan 1972 the addition of Steel guitarist Jerry Brightman rescued the band from their creative draft Owens wa
s able to return to his roots of fiddle steel and electric guitars on arms full of pity ain't it amazing Gracie and ain't going to have old Buck to kick around no more however just as things were starting to look up tragedy struck without warning effectively changing the trajectory of buck owens's life and career the death of Don Rich on July 17th 1974 Owen's best friend and longtime musical partner Don Rich was killed when he struck a guard rail with his motorcycle on Highway 1 in Morrow Bay Ca
lifornia Rich was in town joining in his family on vacation when he lost control of his vehicle and struck the railing the Buckaroo guitarist was only 32 years old 32 earlier in the day Owens had suggested that rich take a car instead of his motorcycle on the journey interestingly according to reports Owens must have foreshadowed something that had to do with a motor accident in Rich's future for he had pled with his collaborator for years before stopping to ride the bike allegedly it worried Ow
ens deeply but Rich brushed his friends concerns aside Buck Owens was utterly devastated he had not only lost his best friend but also his longtime musical collaborator and inspiration in a later interview Owen said he was like a brother a son and a best friend something I never said before maybe I couldn't but I think my music life ended when he died Owens would never fully recover from the tragedy in both Avenues of his life After experiencing ing the crushing blow of losing his best friend Ow
ens was not exactly focused on recording but in 1975 longtime Buck Owens fan and Warner Brothers records rep Andy Wickham signed Owens for the first time in his career Owens was recording with session players in Nashville as a result his music began sounding less like Bakersfield's Rough Around the Edges style and more like the country pop filler tracks on the radio likely due to his vulnerable emotional state Owens relinquished nearly all creative control to the producers of these tracks none o
f the singles he recorded for Warner Brothers managed to crack the top 10 on the country charts and his frustration peaked in 1980 when Buck Owens decided to quit the music business for the first time in 23 years Owen stopped recording he would go on an extended Hiatus from the public eye with some even speculating that the star was privately dealing with substance abuse issues like many artists of his era Owens faced the pressures and temptations of the entertainment industry but the extent of
any substance abuse issues remains speculative overall Buck Owen's Hiatus from the music industry allowed him to recharge and address personal challenges ultimately leading to a successful comeback and continued contributions to country music however eight short years later Buck Owens would reemerge lured back by Dwight yokan a country artist and longtime fan of Owens the two recorded a duet of Streets of Bakersfield which would become Owen's first number one hit in over 16 years jman described
the experience we sat there that day in 1987 and talked about my music to that point my short career what I'd been doing and how he'd been watching me I was really flattered and thrilled to know that this Legend had been keeping an eye on me for the first time in years Owens began touring again with yolman by his side he was reinvigorated and ready to show the world the new and improved Buck Owens audiences were given neverbe seen access to owens's star power seeing him not just as the former st
ar of heiw but as a master of hard country and Honky Tonk and just like that Owens was a star again he received a letter from Capital Records begging him to reconsider Capital as his label for future recordings even though Ken Nelson had recently retired nevertheless he signed with them in 1988 and released a remade version of hot dog which he had first recorded 32 years prior Streets of Bakersfield would become Owen's last big hit before the country artist embarked on a long uphill battle with
his health an uphill medical battle in 1992 Buck Owen's good friend and fellow singer songwriter Roger Dean Miller died of of lung and throat cancer at the age of 56 the tragedy prompted many to have their own medical evaluations leading to a tragic diagnosis for Owens just 6 months after the death of Miller Owens was diagnosed with throat cancer at some point in the mid90s Owens experienced a health scare when he suffered a heart attack following this event he underwent coronary bypass surgery
a standard procedure for individuals with heart disease the throat cancer would take large chunks from the singer's tongue urging him to Begin work on Crystal Palace a museum intended to open as a monument to the star the abrasive nature of his throat cancer necessitated surgery which led to numerous speech impediments in 1995 doctors found cancerous lumps in his back Owens Made a significant recovery and continued performing at the newly erected Crystal Palace he performed weekly with the bucka
roos although he was able to recover from the oral cancer Owens had additional health problems through the early 2000s including a bout of serious pneumonia and a minor stroke in 2004 devastatingly on March 25th 2006 Buck o died in his sleep at his home in Bakersfield California although the cause of death was initially disputed it has since been reported that the cause was a heart attack the event occurred in his sleep just hours after a performance at Crystal Palace one audience member reporte
d that Owens announced if somebody's come all that way I'm going to do the show and give it my best shot I might groan and squeak but I'll see what I can do in 1996 Owens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame he was also ranked number 12 in cmt's 40 greatest men of country music in 2003 the buckaroos were ranked number two by CMT in the Network's 20 Greatest bands in 2005 Owens was later inducted into the Nashville songwriters Hall of Fame and a stretch of US Highway 82 is named The B
uck Owens freeway in his honor located in Sherman Texas Buck Owens left behind a rich and influential Legacy in the world of country music particularly within the sub genre known as the Bakersfield sound identified by its raw twangy instrumentation and Honky Tonk influences songs like Act Naturally together again and I've got a tiger by the tail became signature hits for Owens and helped solidify his status as a country music icon his catchy Melodies clever lyrics and distinctive vocal style end
eared him to worldwide audiences Buck owens's impact on country music extended far beyond his own chart success his Innovative approach to songwriting production and performance inspired countless artists who followed in his footsteps he influenced a diverse range of musicians from fellow country stars like Merl Haggard and Dwight Yokum to Rock and Roll Legends like the Beatles who covered his song Act Naturally his legacy continues to shape the country music landscape to this day with artists s
uch as Brad Paisley emulating Owen's signature flare owens's Larger than Life personality and colorful stage presence made him a beloved figure in American popular culture he became a familiar face to millions of fans through his appearances on tele shows like heaw where he co-hosted alongside Roy Clark his downto Earth charm and genuine Charisma endeared him to audiences of all ages and backgrounds he is remembered as a pioneering musician a chart topping hitmaker and a beloved cultural icon hi
s contributions to country music and enduring influence continue to be celebrated by fans and fellow artists alike ensuring that his legacy will live on for Generations owens's career endured for decades and even during periods of personal and professional challenges he remained a beloved and influential figure in the world of Music he continued to record and perform until his passing in 2006 leaving behind a Timeless Legacy of Unforgettable music and enduring influence thank you for tuning in b
efore you go take a moment to explore one of the other videos displayed on your screen trust me you will want to take advantage of of this
Comments