Buck Owens R.I.P.

Country music icon Buck Owens dies


SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Honky-tonk star Buck Owens, who sold more than 16 million albums and popularized country entertainment on television as host of "Hee Haw," died on Saturday at age 76. Owens, who helped spread the twangy "Bakersfield sound" as an antidote to Nashville's slick country music, died of heart failure at his home, said his keyboard player Jim Shaw. The night before, he had performed his usual twice-weekly concert at his entertainment complex, Buck Owens' Crystal Palace.

Buck Owens' official website


The March 1965 issue of Music City News carried a paid ad from Buck. In his "Pledge To Country Music," he stated:

I Shall Sing No Song That Is Not A Country Song.
I Shall Make No Record That Is Not A Country Record.
I Refuse To be Known As Anything But A Country Singer.
I Am Proud To be Associated With Country Music.
Country Music And Country Music Fans Made Me What I Am Today.
And I Shall Not Forget It.


Birth Name: Alvis Edgar Owens
Date of Birth: 8/12/1929
Place of Birth: Sherman, TX

Career Milestones:
1946--performed on the Buck & Britt radio show, station KTYL (Mesa)
1951--moved to Bakersfield, CA; formed band, the Schoolhouse Playboys, and played saxophone and trumpet
mid-1950s--played lead guitar with Tommy Collins
1955--recorded for Pep records as Corky Jones
1957--signed with Capitol Records
1959--had first national hit with the self-penned "Under Your Spell Again"
1969-1986--co-hosted the television series, "Hee-Haw"

Awards:
1996--Country Music Hall of Fame induction
Catalog Highlights
I've Got a Tiger By the Tail
Co-writer: Harlan Howard
Artists: Buck Owens (1965)
Love's Gonna Live Here
Artists: Buck Owens (1963)
Together Again
Artists: Buck Owens (1964), Emmylou Harris (1976), Kenny Rogers & Dottie West (1984)
My Heart Skips a Beat
Artists: Buck Owens (1964)
Under Your Spell Again
Artists: Buck Owens (1959), Ray Price (1959), Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter (1971)
Waitin' In Your Welfare Line
Artists: Buck Owens (1966)
Sam's Place
Co-writer: Red Simpson
Artists: Buck Owens (1967)
Where Does the Good Times Go
Artists: Buck Owens (1967)

Comments:
Backup band known as The Buckaroos
Did session work with Wanda Jackson, Sonny James, and Faron Young
Had 15 consecutive #1 records between 1963 and 1967, and a total of 20 #1 records between 1963 and 1972; 20 other singles made the top 10

Owens has never been a member of the Grand Ole Opry