Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professiona… Read Full Bio ↴Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music chart. He pioneered what came to be called the Bakersfield sound, named in honor of Bakersfield, California, Owens's adopted home and the city from which he drew inspiration for what he preferred to call "American music".
While the Buckaroos originally featured a fiddle and retained pedal steel guitar into the 1970s, their sound on records and onstage was always more stripped-down and elemental. The band's signature style was based on simple story lines, infectious choruses, a twangy electric guitar, an insistent rhythm supplied by a prominent drum track, and high, two-part vocal harmonies featuring Owens and his guitarist Don Rich.
From 1969 to 1986, Owens co-hosted the popular CBS television variety show Hee Haw with Roy Clark (syndicated beginning in 1971). According to his son Buddy Alan (Owens), the accidental 1974 death of Rich, his best friend, devastated him for years and impacted his creative efforts until he performed with Dwight Yoakam in 1988.
Owens is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Owens was born on a farm in Sherman, Texas, United States, to Alvis Edgar Owens Sr. and Maicie Azel (née Ellington) Owens.
In the biography About Buck., Rich Kienzle writes: "'Buck' was a donkey on the Owens farm." "When Alvis Jr. was three or four years old, he walked into the house and announced that his name also was "Buck." That was fine with the family, and the boy's name became "Buck" from then on."He attended public school for grades 1–3 in Garland, Texas.
Owens' family moved to Mesa, Arizona, in 1937 during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. While attending school in Arizona, Owens found that while he disliked formal schoolwork, he could often satisfy class requirements by singing or performing in school plays. A self-taught musician and singer, Owens became proficient on guitar, mandolin, horns, and drums. When he obtained his first electric steel guitar, he taught himself to play it after his father adapted an old radio into an amplifier. Owens quit school in the ninth grade in order to help work on his father's farm and pursue a music career.
Owens had three sons: Buddy Alan (who charted several hits as a Capitol recording artist in the early 1970s and appeared with his father numerous times on Hee Haw), Johnny, and Michael Owens.
Owens successfully recovered from oral cancer in the early 1990s, but had additional health problems near the end of the 1990s and the early 2000s, including pneumonia and a minor stroke in 2004. These health problems had forced him to curtail his regular weekly performances with the Buckaroos at his Crystal Palace. Owens died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack at his ranch just north of Bakersfield on March 25, 2006, only hours after performing at his club. He was 76 years old.
Owens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He was ranked No. 12 in CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003. In addition, CMT also ranked the Buckaroos No. 2 in the network's 20 Greatest Bands in 2005. He was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The stretch of US Highway 82 in Sherman, Texas, is named the Buck Owens Freeway in his honor.
While the Buckaroos originally featured a fiddle and retained pedal steel guitar into the 1970s, their sound on records and onstage was always more stripped-down and elemental. The band's signature style was based on simple story lines, infectious choruses, a twangy electric guitar, an insistent rhythm supplied by a prominent drum track, and high, two-part vocal harmonies featuring Owens and his guitarist Don Rich.
From 1969 to 1986, Owens co-hosted the popular CBS television variety show Hee Haw with Roy Clark (syndicated beginning in 1971). According to his son Buddy Alan (Owens), the accidental 1974 death of Rich, his best friend, devastated him for years and impacted his creative efforts until he performed with Dwight Yoakam in 1988.
Owens is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Owens was born on a farm in Sherman, Texas, United States, to Alvis Edgar Owens Sr. and Maicie Azel (née Ellington) Owens.
In the biography About Buck., Rich Kienzle writes: "'Buck' was a donkey on the Owens farm." "When Alvis Jr. was three or four years old, he walked into the house and announced that his name also was "Buck." That was fine with the family, and the boy's name became "Buck" from then on."He attended public school for grades 1–3 in Garland, Texas.
Owens' family moved to Mesa, Arizona, in 1937 during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. While attending school in Arizona, Owens found that while he disliked formal schoolwork, he could often satisfy class requirements by singing or performing in school plays. A self-taught musician and singer, Owens became proficient on guitar, mandolin, horns, and drums. When he obtained his first electric steel guitar, he taught himself to play it after his father adapted an old radio into an amplifier. Owens quit school in the ninth grade in order to help work on his father's farm and pursue a music career.
Owens had three sons: Buddy Alan (who charted several hits as a Capitol recording artist in the early 1970s and appeared with his father numerous times on Hee Haw), Johnny, and Michael Owens.
Owens successfully recovered from oral cancer in the early 1990s, but had additional health problems near the end of the 1990s and the early 2000s, including pneumonia and a minor stroke in 2004. These health problems had forced him to curtail his regular weekly performances with the Buckaroos at his Crystal Palace. Owens died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack at his ranch just north of Bakersfield on March 25, 2006, only hours after performing at his club. He was 76 years old.
Owens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He was ranked No. 12 in CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003. In addition, CMT also ranked the Buckaroos No. 2 in the network's 20 Greatest Bands in 2005. He was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The stretch of US Highway 82 in Sherman, Texas, is named the Buck Owens Freeway in his honor.
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The Buck Owens Collection (1959-1990)
Buck Owens Lyrics
(It's a) Monster's Holiday Frankenstein was the first in line, And the Wolfman came…
A-11 I don't know you from Adam But if you're gonna play…
Above and Beyond A well I'll give you love That's above and beyond the…
Act Naturally They're gonna put me in the movies They're gonna make a…
Before You Go Oh, you say that you're goin' away and leave me And…
Big Game Hunter I'm a big game hunter And a sure enough gunner Top40db: Th…
Big in Vegas When I was young I left my home And went away,…
Bridge Over Troubled Water When you're weary feeling small when tears are in your…
Close Up The Honky Tonks She's in some honky tonk tonight I know She's dancing where…
Cryin' Time Oh, it's cryin' time again, your gonna leave me, I can…
Dust On Mother's Bible Oh you must pray every day pray every day pray…
Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache) They just don't know how lost I feel without you My…
Foolin' Around I know that you've been foolin' around on me Right from…
Gonna Have Love Oh, the sun's gonna shine in my life once more Love's…
Hello Trouble Woke up this morning Happy as could be Looked out my window …
How Long Will My Baby Be Gone How long is forever How soon is now or never How long…
I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me) Well, I don't care if the sun don't shine I don't…
I've Got A Tiger By The Tail I've got a tiger by the tail, it's plain to…
I've Got You On My Mind Again I've got you on my mind again you've been there…
It Takes People Like You (To Make People Like Me) It takes people like you to make people like me From…
Johnny B. Goode Deep down in Lousiana close to New Orleans Back up in…
Kickin' Our Hearts Around Oh let's stop kickin' each others hearts around it's not…
Let The World Keep On A Turnin' [ with Buddy Alan ] Let the world keep on a…
Loose Talk So long we've been married last burden we've carried Though …
Love's Gonna Live Here Oh, the sun's gonna shine in my life once more Love's…
Made in Japan My transistor radio comes from far away And when it's night…
Memphis Long distance information, give me Memphis, Tennessee Help …
Mental Cruelty Mental cruelty, that's what I heard her say Mental cruelty t…
My Heart Skips a Beat Oh my heart skips a beat when we walk down…
Nobody's Fool but Yours They say for everybody there is a fool And that's the…
On The Cover Of The Music City News Well, we're country singers We got golden fingers and We'r…
Open Up Your Heart Open up your heart and let my love come in…
Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms I'm gonna lay around the shack Till the mail train…
Sam's Place There's a place down the street we call Sam's Place. It…
Save the Last Dance for Me You can dance, every dance with the guy Who gives you…
Second Fiddle I'll play second fiddle To your new love while it…
Streets Of Bakersfield I came here looking for something I couldn't find anywhere e…
Sweet Rosie Jones I met her out in Oklahoma Down where the old Red…
Tall Dark Stranger (Ooh, ooh, ooh) (Ooh, ooh, ooh) Beware of a tall dark stran…
The Great White Horse (When I was a young girl I used to dream…
The Kansas City Song For two long weeks you're goin' to Kansas City And I'm…
Think of Me Think of me when you're lonely Think of me when you're…
Together Again Together again My tears have stopped falling The long lonely…
Under the Influence of Your Love She knew I knew that she was out to get…
Under Your Spell Again [Chorus] You've got me under your spell again Sayin' those t…
Waitin' In Your Welfare Line I got the hungries for your love And I'm waitin'…
We're Gonna Get Together We're gonna get together we're gonna get together We're gon…
Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass Who's gonna dry your big blue eyes day after day Who's…
You Ain't Gonna Have Ol' Buck To Kick Around No More Oh. you ain't a gonna have ol' Buck to kick…
You're for Me Well when I saw you walkin' at avenue then I…
Your Tender Loving Care I don't need the ship that sail to ocean I…