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Buck Owens

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Alvis Edgar Owens Jr., better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and songwriter, born in 1929 on a farm in Sherman, Texas. Buck was originally the name of a donkey on the farm. As a boy he announced one day that this was his name too, and it stuck. He later settled in Bakersfield, California, and became the frontman of The Buckaroos.

Music and breakthrough

With that band he reached number one on Billboard's country chart 21 times. His records came out at a rapid pace in the 1960s, among them Buck Owens in 1961, On the Bandstand in 1963, I've Got a Tiger by the Tail in 1965, Open Up Your Heart in 1966 and Your Tender Loving Care in 1967. From 1969 to 1986 he co-hosted the TV show Hee Haw on CBS with Roy Clark. The death of his best friend Don Rich in 1974 left him despondent for years. He did not return until the late 1980s.

Influence

Owens was the pioneer of the Bakersfield sound, which he preferred to call American music. The sound of the Buckaroos was bare and direct: simple little stories, catchy choruses, a sharp electric guitar, a solid, driving drum part and high two-part singing by Owens and the guitarist Don Rich. That is far removed from the smooth Nashville productions. Owens is in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to I've Got a Tiger by the Tail and notice the sharp, twanging electric guitar and the solid drums. Hear too how the high two-voice singing rides together over the tight accompaniment.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists