Buck Owens

Name: Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. (aka Corky Jones)
Born/Died: 12th August, 1929 (Sherman, Texas, USA) – 25th March, 2006

Profile: He was an American singer and guitarist (better known as Buck Owens), who had 21 number one hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, "The Buckaroos". They pioneered what came to be called the Bakersfield sound - a reference to Bakersfield, California, the city Owens called home and from which he drew inspiration for what he preferred to call American music.

History: The name 'Buck' was a donkey on the Owens farm, in Texas, when Alvis, Jr., was 3 or 4 years old, he walked into the house and announced that his name was also Buck. That was fine with the family; and young Alvis was Buck from then on. While living in the farm, Buck who was in his teens started to have an interest in music, mainly; pedal steel guitar, and started to learn more about music.

In 1945, Owens co-hosted a radio show called Buck and Britt. Soon, Owens was frequently traveling to Hollywood for session recording jobs at Capitol Records, playing backup for Tennessee Ernie Ford, Sonny James, Wanda Jackson, Del Reeves, Tommy Sands, Tommy Collins, Faron Young and Gene Vincent.

Owens recorded a rockabilly record called 'Hot Dog' for the Pep label, using the pseudonym Corky Jones because he did not want the fact he recorded a rock n' roll tune to hurt his country music career, but sometime in the 50's, he joined the Dusty Rhodes band as a singer. His career took off in 1959, when his song 'Second Fiddle' hit #24 on the Billboard country chart, followed by 'Under Your Spell Again' at #4 and 'Above and Beyond' at #3.

In the early 60's, the countrypolitan sound was popular, with smooth, string-laden, pop-influenced styles used by Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, and Patsy Cline, among others. Owens went against the trend, utilizing honky tonk hillbilly feel, mixed idiosyncratically with the Mexican polkas he had heard on border radio stations while growing up. And in 1963, the single 'Act Naturally' became Owens and the Buckaroos' first #1 hit. "The Beatles" later recorded a cover of it in 1965, with Ringo Starr as lead singer (Starr later re-recorded the song as a duet with Owens in 1988).

In 1972, Owens and the Buckaroos finally had another #1 hit, 'Made in Japan', and he added pedal steel guitarist, Jerry Brightman. The band had been without pedal steel since late in 1969, and Owens returned to his grass roots sound of fiddle, steel, and electric guitars releasing a string of singles including 'Arms Full of Empty' and 'Ain't it Amazing Gracie'.

In late 70's, Owens established Buck Owens Enterprises and produced records by several artists. He recorded for Warner Bros. Records and left the TV series Hee Haw in 1986, after 24 seasons. Owens was named the Most Promising Country and Western Singer of 1960 by Billboard.

Influences: Unknown

Axology: Fender guitars

Signature song(s): Act Naturally - Buck Owens and the Buckaroos

Link(s):

http://www.buckowens.com/index2.html (Official website)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOpgL4mqEis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSY-IF6pI2g