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.
Sam's Place
Buck Owens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It starts a-jumpin' every evening when the sun goes down
You can always find me down at Sam's Place
For that's where the gang all hangs around
There's ol' Shimmy Shakin' Tina
She hails from Pasadena
She always got a big smile on her face
Yeah, there's always a party at Sam's Place
Well, they've got a swingin' band down at Sam's Place
You can hear 'em pickin' twenty blocks away
They're playin' country music down at Sam's Place
From the setting sun until the break of day
There's ol' Shimmy Shakin' Tina
She hails from Pasadena
She always got a big smile on her face
There's Hootch-why-kootchy Hattie, she comes from Cincinnati
Yeah, there's always a party at Sam's Place
And I'll meet you tonight at Sam's Place
Buck Owens's song Sam's Place talks about a happening pub where the singer frequents with his gang. The song is a tribute to the joy of good music, good friends, and good times. The Sam's Place is presented as an inviting place where people of all kinds came to party and forget their troubles. The song talks about the infectious energy that fills the joint as the night falls and the music starts. The singer mentions some of the regular patrons, who have memorable nicknames like Shimmy Shaking Tina and Hootch-why-kootchy Hattie. These women represent the free-spirited attitude of the pub and add to the charm of the place.
The song also praises the music played in Sam's Place, which is rocking country music. The band playing the music is presented as skilled and energetic, and the music can be heard twenty blocks away. The song appreciates the music's ability to bring people together, making them dance and sing along, forgetting their blues. The singer invites the listener to join him and his friends in Sam's Place and have a good time.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a place down the street we call Sam's Place
There's a social spot that is located not far from us, and it's commonly known as Sam's Place.
It starts a-jumpin' every evening when the sun goes down
The party and festivities start every night when darkness starts to fall.
You can always find me down at Sam's Place
Whenever you are searching for me, it's a sure bet that I'm at the Sam's Place.
For that's where the gang all hangs around
It's the regular event to which all the members of the gang congregate to enjoy themselves.
There's ol' Shimmy Shakin' Tina
One of the regular attendees of the parties is a woman called Shimmy Shakin' Tina.
She hails from Pasadena
Shimmy Shakin' Tina is from Pasadena.
She always got a big smile on her face
Tina is ever in a jovial mood, on a consistent basis.
There's Hootch-why-kootchy Hattie, she comes from Cincinnati
Another regular party-goer is Hattie from Cincinnati, who's fondly called Hootch-why-kootchy.
Yeah, there's always a party at Sam's Place
It can be asserted without question that there's always a celebration at Sam's Place.
Well, they've got a swingin' band down at Sam's Place
One of the reasons the parties are fun-filled is the availability of a fantastic band at Sam's Place.
You can hear 'em pickin' twenty blocks away
The band's music is so loud and captivating that it's still audible from 20 blocks away.
They're playin' country music down at Sam's Place
The music that the band is playing is categorically country music, which is known for its rhythm and bluesy sound.
From the setting sun until the break of day
The band's music continues playing from when the sun sets till a new day breaks.
And I'll meet you tonight at Sam's Place
Tonight, I'll make plans to meet up with you at Sam's Place.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Buck Owens, Don Rich
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@blueleodoowop7122
Dads favorite buck song...missyou dad ...when I hear buck I smile through the tears. ..
@cammcarthur7321
He is a true country star...shines very bright every time we hear him!
@nonsense1558
Gotta love those twangy Fender Telecasters. Buck was able to merge rock into country music without losing the country sound!
@forbiddennotes3964
The guy that owns the company I work for is named Sam, and every time he throws a party for the office we play this song.
@bobbyjocowpoke1057
Awesome song by Buck and the boys!😁
@hoodoocreek1612
Those two dislikes obviously have never been to Sam's Place!
@davidharness9791
The song sure brings back memories love it
@blueleodoowop7122
You're so right!
@TheUSAxeMan
12 now
@VenerableBede2510
There is a Sams Place in the little tiny village of Blakeslee Ohio and this song makes me think of it every time.