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.
Catch the Wind
Buck Owens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the warm hold of your loving mind
To feel you all around me and to take your hand along the sand
Ah but I may as well try and catch the wind
When sundown pales the sky I wanna ride a while behind your smile
And everywhere I look your eyes I'd find
For me to love you more would be the sweetest thing would make me sing
Ah but I may as well try and catch the wind
When rain has hung the leaves with tears I want you near to kill my fears
And help me leave all my blues behind me
Standing in your heart is where I wanna be and long to be
Ah but I may as well try and catch the wind
The lyrics of Buck Owens's song "Catch The Wind" express a yearning for love and a desire to be embraced by someone special. The singer longs to be held in the warm embrace of their loved one's mind, seeking comfort and reassurance in their presence. They describe wanting to feel their love all around, as they hold hands along the sand. However, the singer acknowledges the impossibility of catching the wind, suggesting that their desires may be out of reach.
As the song progresses, the singer reveals a deeper longing to be with their loved one during moments of uncertainty and darkness. They desire to ride alongside their partner's smile, seeking solace in their eyes. The singer believes that loving their partner even more would bring immense joy and make them burst into song. Yet, they also recognize the futility of attempting to catch the wind, emphasizing the elusive nature of their desires.
Overall, "Catch The Wind" encapsulates the universal human longing for love and connection, while acknowledging the inherent difficulties and uncertainties that come with it. The lyrics paint a picture of a yearning heart that seeks solace in an unattainable love, highlighting the bittersweet nature of unrequited longing.
Line by Line Meaning
In the chilly hours and minutes of uncertainty I wanna be
During moments of doubt and confusion, I desire to be by your side
In the warm hold of your loving mind
In the comforting embrace of your affectionate thoughts
To feel you all around me and to take your hand along the sand
To experience your presence encompassing me and to walk hand in hand with you on the beach
Ah but I may as well try and catch the wind
But I understand that attempting to achieve the impossible is futile
When sundown pales the sky I wanna ride a while behind your smile
As the sunset fades the sky, I desire to bask in the joy emanating from your smile
And everywhere I look your eyes I'd find
No matter where I look, I would always find solace in gazing into your eyes
For me to love you more would be the sweetest thing would make me sing
The act of increasing my love for you would bring immense joy and inspire me to sing
Ah but I may as well try and catch the wind
However, I am aware that trying to capture the unattainable is futile
[ harmonica ]
[ No specific meaning as it indicates a harmonica interlude ]
When rain has hung the leaves with tears I want you near to kill my fears
During times when rain has weighed down the leaves with tears, I yearn for your presence to dispel my fears
And help me leave all my blues behind me
And assist me in leaving all my sorrows and troubles in the past
Standing in your heart is where I wanna be and long to be
Existing within your heart is my ultimate desire and longing
Ah but I may as well try and catch the wind
Yet, I acknowledge that trying to grasp the unattainable is pointless
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Donovan Leitch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind