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.
Jambalaya
Buck Owens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou
My Yvonne, the sweetest one on the bayou
Son of a gun, we′ll have big fun on the bayou
Jambalaya, crawfish pie, and filet gumbo
'Cause tonight, I′m gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gayo
Settle down far from town get me a pirogue
I'm gonna catch all the fish in the bayou
Swap my mon to buy Yvonne what she need, oh
Son of a gun, we′ll have big fun on the bayou
Jambalaya, crawfish pie, and filet gumbo
′Cause tonight, I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gayo
Son of a gun, we′ll have big fun on the bayou
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou
The lyrics to Buck Owens's song "Jambalaya" paint a picture of a young man in a rural, Southern culture, who is excitedly preparing for a night of fun with his girlfriend, Yvonne, on the bayou. The song begins with the singer saying goodbye to his friend, Joe, and announcing that he needs to go on his own to pole the pirogue, a flat-bottomed boat, down the bayou. The singer then introduces Yvonne as "the sweetest one on the bayou" and declares that they will have "big fun on the bayou", suggesting that they will enjoy each other's company and the natural beauty of their surroundings.
The chorus of the song describes the food that they will enjoy during their festivities, including crawfish pie, jambalaya, and filet gumbo. The singer plans to see his "ma cher amio", which translates to "my dear friend" in Cajun French. He also plans to pick guitar and fill up his fruit jar, indicating that music and alcohol will play a big part in their evening. The final verse describes the singer's plans to settle down away from the town and catch fish in the bayou to provide for Yvonne. The song ends with the repeated refrain that they will have "big fun on the bayou".
Overall, "Jambalaya" is a catchy, upbeat song that celebrates the joys of Southern culture - good food, good music, and good company. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a carefree, romantic evening spent on the bayou with a loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye Joe, me gotta go, me on my own
I'm saying goodbye to Joe and leaving on my own.
Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou
I need to go down the bayou and pole my boat.
My Yvonne, the sweetest one on the bayou
Yvonne is the sweetest person on the bayou and she's mine.
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou
We're going to have a great time on the bayou.
Jambalaya, crawfish pie, and filet gumbo
We're going to have jambalaya, crawfish pie, and filet gumbo to eat.
'Cause tonight, I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
I'm going to see my darling friend tonight.
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gayo
I'm going to play my guitar and fill my fruit jar, and have a great time.
Settle down far from town get me a pirogue
I'm going to settle down far from town and get a new boat.
I'm gonna catch all the fish in the bayou
I plan on catching all the fish in the bayou.
Swap my mon to buy Yvonne what she need, oh
I will trade my money to buy Yvonne what she needs.
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou
We're going to have a great time on the bayou again.
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou
We're going to have a great time on the bayou again.
Writer(s): Hank Williams Sr
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.