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.
Hello Trouble
Buck Owens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Happy as could be
Looked out my window
And what did I see?
Now comin' up my sidewalk
Just as plain as day
A-well a-here come trouble
That I never thought I'd see when you went away
Hello, trouble, come on in
You talk about heartaches
Where in the world you been?
I ain't had the miseries
Since you been gone
Hello trouble, trouble, trouble
Welcome home
We'll make a pot of coffee
And you can rest your shoes
A you can tell me them sweet lies
And I'll listen to you
For I'm just a little part of
Of the life you've lived
But I'd rather have a little bit of trouble
Than to never know the love you give
Hello, trouble, come on in
You talk about heartaches
Where in the world you been?
I ain't had the misery
Since you been gone
Hello trouble, trouble, trouble
Welcome home
The lyrics of Buck Owens's song "Hello Trouble" describe the singer's reaction to the return of an old flame he didn't see coming. The first two lines create a sense of contentment and peace, which is quickly shattered by the next two. The singer sees an unexpected guest approaching his door, and it's none other than trouble. Trouble here is personified, it's not a person per se but the difficulties that arise in life. The singer asks trouble to come in, addressing it as if it were an old friend, acknowledging its power over him.
The singer assures trouble of his willingness to listen, he has missed it since it left, and they will make a pot of coffee, sit and chat about life. He knows he is just a small part of trouble's life, but he would rather a little bit of it than to never feel the love. The song concludes with the recurring line "Hello trouble, trouble, trouble, welcome home," which implies that the singer accepts troubles' return, and they will try to coexist the best they can.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up this morning
The singer has just started his day.
Happy as could be
The singer is feeling content and satisfied with his life.
Looked out my window
The singer is observing his surroundings.
And what did I see?
The artist is curious about what is happening outside.
Now comin' up my sidewalk
Someone is approaching the artist's house.
Just as plain as day
The approaching person is clearly visible to the singer.
A-well a-here come trouble
The approaching person is someone the singer considers to be trouble.
That I never thought I'd see when you went away
The artist did not expect to see this person again.
Hello, trouble, come on in
The artist is greeting the trouble as if it is a person.
You talk about heartaches
The artist is acknowledging the emotional pain caused by the trouble's presence.
Where in the world you been?
The singer is curious about the trouble's absence.
I ain't had the miseries
The artist has not experienced any emotional pain recently.
Since you been gone
The singer attributes his lack of misery to the trouble's absence.
We'll make a pot of coffee
The singer is offering hospitality to the trouble.
And you can rest your shoes
The singer is inviting the trouble to relax in his home.
You can tell me them sweet lies
The artist is open to hearing the trouble's stories or excuses.
And I'll listen to you
The artist is willing to provide a sympathetic ear to the trouble.
For I'm just a little part of
The singer does not have all the details of the trouble's life.
Of the life you've lived
The singer acknowledges the trouble as having a past.
But I'd rather have a little bit of trouble
The artist would rather have some excitement in his life, even if it involves trouble.
Than to never know the love you give
The artist values the positive aspects of the trouble's presence.
Hello trouble, trouble, trouble
The artist repeats his greeting to emphasize the trouble's significance.
Welcome home
The singer is accepting the trouble as a part of his life.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Eddie McDuff, Orville Couch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin M
This has to be one of the greatest country songs of All-Time....Buck Owens is the Best!
Thomas Gibson
Don Rich on lead guitar and harmony vocals. ....
Shkeet Gippaloni
I'm from his hometown, buck Owens will forever be a legend in Bakersfield
Gregory Stojkov
@Shkeet Gippaloni Buck Owens was born in Sherman Texas and grew up in Mesa Arizona. Made history in Bakersfield CA.
Beth Simmonds
I listen to Buck Owens every damn day. And that my friends is a GOOD thing!👍🇺🇸🎸
Trevor Bantleman
Always loved the phrasing of Bucks and Dons guitar classic.
Pete Dio
What a big lost in country music. RIP Mr. Owens.
collins linda
What was your best song track?
H Mayo
I sing this all the time.. its funny to see the look on young ppls faces.. they think I just made it up or something..
Love ol Buck!!
Thomas Gibson
Lol