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.
How Long Will My Baby Be Gone
Buck Owens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How soon is now or never
How long will these heartaches linger on
And how long will my baby be gone
How wide is an ocean
How deep is a devotion
How long do these sleepless nights go on
For I could never understand
How she could turn to another man
How much does a heart ache
How deep is a heartbreak
How long do these sleepless nights go on
And how long will my baby be gone
For I could never understand
How she could turn to another man
How much does a heart ache
How deep is a heartbreak
How long do these sleepless nights go on
And how long will my baby
How long will my baby be gone
In Buck Owens' song 'How Long Will My Baby Be Gone', the singer is dealing with the heartache and emotional turmoil of a breakup. He poses several questions that reflect his state of confusion and pain, questioning the duration of the agony he feels. The lyrics 'How long is forever' and 'How soon is now or never' capture a sense of fear and uncertainty about the future, and how long he will have to endure the pain of being without his loved one. He also ponders the depth of his love for her, asking 'How deep is a devotion', and how much he truly cared for her.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's hurt, expressing the sleepless nights and wondering how long they will go on. He seems to be struggling to come to terms with the fact that his partner has left him for another man. The lines, 'For I could never understand / How she could turn to another man' speak to his disbelief and sense of betrayal. It's an emotional song with heartfelt lyrics that many can relate to when going through a tough breakup.
Line by Line Meaning
How long is forever
The singer wonders how long an indefinite period of time truly is.
How soon is now or never
The singer questions the urgency of the situation and whether they should act immediately.
How long will these heartaches linger on
The singer is in emotional pain and wonders when it will pass.
And how long will my baby be gone
The artist is missing their loved one and is unsure of how long they will be apart.
How wide is an ocean
The artist questions the vastness of the distance between themselves and their loved one.
How deep is a devotion
The singer ponders the depth of their love for their significant other.
How long do these sleepless nights go on
The singer is struggling with insomnia due to the distress of their separation.
And how long will my baby be gone
The artist is still missing their loved one and wonders when they will be reunited.
For I could never understand
The artist is confused and hurt by their partner's actions.
How she could turn to another man
The artist is lamenting their partner's infidelity and is struggling to come to terms with it.
How much does a heart ache
The singer is hurting deeply and wonders how much longer they can bear the pain.
How deep is a heartbreak
The artist is experiencing a profound sense of loss and sadness.
And how long will my baby be gone
The singer is still missing their loved one and is unsure of when they will heal from the pain of separation.
How long will my baby
The singer is pleading for their loved one to return to them.
How long will my baby be gone
The singer is still missing their loved one and questioning when they will be reunited.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Buck Owens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind