Buck Owens

Buck Owens

Buck Owens (*  12. August 1929 as Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. in. Sherman , Texas ; †  25. March 2006 in Bakersfield ) was a US -American country musician and singer, songwriter , music manager and pioneer of the Bakersfield Sound .

Life

Childhood and youth

Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens grew up in poor conditions in rural Texas at the time of the Great Depression. The family moved west in the early 1930s in the hope of better living conditions. Already in Arizona , their self-made car collapsed and they were forced to settle in the small town of Mesa . Owens left school when he was 14 and worked as a farm hand. But his main interest was music. As an autodidact, he learned several instruments. He gained his first experience at the local radio station and in the local western club scene. Here he met the country singer Bonnie Campbell , whom he married when he was 17. The first child was born a year later.

Musical career

In 1951 the young family moved to Bakersfield , California . A little later the marriage ended in divorce. Owens quickly found acceptance into the lively music scene. He formed his own band, the Schoolhouse Playboys, and worked as a studio musician for Capitol Records and the local Lu Valley studio. Under the producer Ken Nelson, he worked as a guitarist on recordings of well-known artists such as Wanda Jackson and Faron Young . In 1956 he released his first records on the smaller label Pep Records under the pseudonym Corky Jones, including the rockabilly single Hot Dog / Rhythm and Booze , but they were unsuccessful. Owens then continued to work as a session musician. With his friend, songwriter Harlan Howard , he began to write songs. Together they founded the music publisher Blue Book Music.

Owen's last single on Pep was There Goes My Heart / Sweethearts in Heaven , after which he tried unsuccessfully with the Chesterfield label. In addition to Owens 'engagement as a solo musician, he took over the vocals and guitar part for Bill Woods ' Orange Blossom Boys, a regional band from Bakersfield. Owens can also be heard on some of Woods' recordings. During this time Owens and Woods performed frequently in the Bakersfield Blackboard Club.

During a performance in a Bakersfield club, representatives of the Columbia record company became aware of him. This in turn prompted Capitol, for whom he was still working as a session musician, to offer him a contract. His first singles were again characterized by rockabilly, but failures. Owens gave up and moved to Tacoma , Washington , where he got involved in a radio station. In 1958 he was persuaded by Ken Nelson to do another recording session. His first single, Second Fiddle , reached a middle spot on the country charts . His breakthrough came a year later with the top 10 hit Under Your Spell Again .

Owens returned to Bakersfield. His next hit was Above and Beyond , written by his friend Harlan Howard. The next songs he wrote himself were also successful. In 1961 he released his debut album, Buck Owens , which moved up to number 2. In the same year he first recorded a single with Rose Maddox . With his band The Buckaroos he became a popular live act. The guitarist Don Rich , with whom he had a long-standing friendship, played a decisive role in this . Electric guitars were used to make themselves heard in the noisy dance halls . The Bakersfield Sound started here. In addition to the guitar, Owens also played the mandolin, saxophone, piano and drums.

1963 Buck Owens reached the top of the country charts with Act Naturally . It was the first in a non-stop series of 15 number 1 hits and was also recorded by the Beatles in 1965. His biggest hit was Love's Gonna Live Here , which was on top for 16 weeks. In 1965 he was named Singer of the Year by the Academy of Country Music . He started The Buck Owens Ranch Show , his own television series, and started other companies. In 1966 he bought a radio station. His record successes continued. Bakersfield, meanwhile, had become an important center for country music. The hard honky tonk played here was a welcome alternative to the soft, pop-oriented Nashville sound . New stars like Merle Haggard and Wynn Stewart stepped into the spotlight. His ex-wife Bonnie, with whom he was still on friendly terms, also had respectable success.

From 1969 he hosted the television show Hee Haw together with Roy Clark . The extraordinarily successful comedy show ran for almost twenty years and made Buck Owens known far beyond the country scene. His record successes continued. At the same time he was increasingly entrepreneurial. Among other things, he opened a state-of-the-art recording studio in Bakersfield. As an artist, artist agent and business investor who did not lose control of his songs while marketing his songs, he had such great financial success within ten years that his adopted home, Bakersfield, was jokingly called "Buckersfield". In 1970 the band Creedence Clearwater Revival honored him with the line “Dinosaur Victrola, listening to Buck Owens” in their song Lookin 'out My Back Door .

Gradual withdrawal

In July 1974, his close friend Don Rich died in a motorcycle accident. At first Owens lost all motivation to continue working. His contract with Capitol was not renewed in 1975. He switched to the Warner Music Group , but here too he could no longer build on his old successes. He increasingly withdrew from the music business and focused on his businesses and the still popular television show. In 1987 Dwight Yoakam , a young musician on the Bakersfield scene, persuaded Owens to make a comeback. Their jointly produced single Streets of Bakersfield reached the top of the country charts.

Encouraged by the success, Owens tried a fresh start. In 1988 he signed another contract with his old Capitol label. Two albums and some singles were produced, including a duet with ex- Beatle Ringo Starr . In the early 1990s he survived a cancer operation that slightly impaired his ability to speak and sing. In 1996 he received the greatest honor awarded in country music: he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame . In the same year he opened the Crystal Palace club restaurant in Bakersfield, where he performed regularly until shortly before his death. Buck Owens died in 2006 of complications from cancer that he had suffered from since 1993.

Discography

Albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	Country
1963	Buck Owens Sings Tommy Collins	-	Country1 (30 weeks) Country
	On the bandstand	-	Country2 (50 weeks) Country
1964	Together again	US88 (18 weeks) US	Country1 (39 weeks) Country
	I do not care	US135 (5 weeks) US	Country1 (32 weeks) Country
1965	I've Got a Tiger by the Tail	US43 (22 weeks) US	Country1 (33 weeks) Country
	Before you go	-	Country1 (33 weeks) Country
	The Instrumental Hits of Buck Owens and His Buckaroos	-	Country4 (28 weeks) Country
1966	Roll out the red carpet	US106 (10 weeks) US	Country1 (30 weeks) Country
	Dust on Mother's Bible	-	Country1 (23 weeks) Country
	Open up your heart	-	Country1 (26 weeks) Country
1967	Your tender loving care	US177 (7 weeks) US	Country1 (26 weeks) Country
1968	It takes people like you	-	Country1 (20 weeks) Country
	Sweet Rosie Jones	-	Country2 (19 weeks) Country
	The Guitar Player	-	Country27 (6 weeks) Country
	I've Got You on My Mind Again	US199 (2 weeks) US	Country19 (11 weeks) Country
1969	Tall Dark Stranger	US122 (10 weeks) US	Country2 (26 weeks) Country
	Big in Vegas	US141 (6 weeks) US	Country9 (18 weeks) Country
1970	Your Mother's Prayer	US198 (2 weeks) US	-
	We're gonna get together	US154 (6 weeks) US	Country10 (22 weeks) Country	with Susan Raye
	The Kansas City Song	US196 (2 weeks) US	Country10 (16 weeks) Country
	The Great White Horse	-	Country22 (15 weeks) Country	with Susan Raye
	I wouldn't live in New York City	US190 (2 weeks) US	Country12 (13 weeks) Country
1971	Bridge Over Troubled Water	-	Country11 (14 weeks) Country
	Ruby	-	Country9 (17 weeks) Country
1972	Too Old to Cut Mustard	-	Country35 (4 weeks) Country	with Buddy Alan
1973	In the Palm of Your Hand	-	Country21 (8 weeks) Country
	Ain't It Amazing Gracie	-	Country17 (11 weeks) Country
	The Good 'Ol Days (Are Here Again)	-	Country29 (7 weeks) Country	with Susan Raye
	Arms full of empty	-	Country32 (9 weeks) Country
1974	It's a Monster's Holiday	-	Country10 (14 weeks) Country
1975	41st Street Lonely Heart's Club	-	Country21 (5 weeks) Country
1976	Buck 'Em	-	Country39 (9 weeks) Country
1988	hot dog	-	Country37 (13 weeks) Country

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

More albums

• 1961: Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard
• 1962: You're for Me
• 1965: Christmas with Buck Owens and his Buckaroos
• 1968: Christmas Shopping
• 1971: Merry Christmas from Buck Owens & Susan Raye (with Susan Raye)
• 1977: Our Old Mansion
• 1989: Act Naturally
• 1991: Kickin 'In
• 2018: Country Singer's Prayer

Live albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	Country
1966	Carnegie Hall Concert	US114 (10 weeks) US	Country1 (29 weeks) Country
1967	In Japan!	-	Country1 (22 weeks) Country
1969	Buck Owens "Live" in London	US113 (5 weeks) US	Country5 (23 weeks) Country
1972	Live at John Ascuga's Nugget	-	Country3 (21 weeks) Country
	Live at the White House	-	Country10 (12 weeks) Country

More live albums

• 1970: Buck Owens Live in Scandinavia
• 1974: Live in New Zealand
• 1974: Live at the Sydney Opera House
• 2007: Live in Austin, TX

Compilations

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	Country
1964	The Best of Buck Owens	US46 gold (31 weeks)US	Country2 (41 weeks) Country
1968	Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 2	-	Country5 (26 weeks) Country
1969	Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 3	-	Country12 (19 weeks) Country
1971	The Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 4	-	Country17 (16 weeks) Country
1972	The Best of Buck and Susan	-	Country15 (12 weeks) Country	with Susan Raye
1974	The Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 5	-	Country35 (6 weeks) Country
1976	The Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 6	-	Country34 (5 weeks) Country
2006	21 # 1 Hits: The Ultimate Collection	-	Country55 (3 weeks) Country
2012	Coloring book	-	Country63 (1 week) Country
2015	Classic # 1 hits	-	Country49 (1 week) Country

More compilations

• 1961: Buck Owens
• 1970: Merry Hee Haw Christmas
• 1994: The Very Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 1
• 1994: The Very Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 2
• 2013: Honky Tonk Man: Buck Sings Country Classics

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	Country
1959	Second Fiddle Buck Owens	-	Country24 (2 weeks) Country
	Under Your Spell Again Buck Owens	-	Country4 (22 weeks) Country
1960	Above and Beyond Buck Owens	-	Country3 (30 weeks) Country
	Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache) Buck Owens	-	Country2 (24 weeks) Country
	I've got a right to know	-	Country25 (3 weeks) Country	B-side of Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache)
1961	Foolin 'Around Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard	-	Country2 (26 weeks) Country
	High as the Mountains	-	Country27 (1 week) Country	B-side of Foolin 'Around
	Mentally Cruelty Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard	-	Country8 (12 weeks) Country	with Rose Maddox
	Loose talk	-	Country4 (14 weeks) Country	B-side of Mental Cruelty with Rose Maddox
	Under the Influence of Love You're for Me	-	Country2 (24 weeks) Country
1962	Nobody's Fool But Yours You're for Me	-	Country11 (16 weeks) Country
	Save the Last Dance for Me Together Again	-	Country11 (11 weeks) Country
	Kickin 'Our Hearts Around On the Bandstand	-	Country8 (8 weeks) Country
	I Can't Stop (My Lovin 'You)	-	Country17 (5 weeks) Country	B-side of Kickin 'Our Hearts Around
	You're for Me You're for Me	-	Country10 (14 weeks) Country
	House down the block	-	Country24 (3 weeks) Country	B-side of You're for Me
1963	Act Naturally The Best of Buck Owens	-	Country1 (39 weeks) Country
	Love's Gonna Live Here The Best of Buck Owens	-	Country1 (30 weeks) Country
	We're the talk of the town	-	Country15 (6 weeks) Country	with Rose Maddox
1964	My Heart Skips a Beat Together Again	US94 (2 weeks) US	Country1 (26 weeks) Country
	Together again	-	Country1 (27 weeks) Country	B-side of My Heart Skips a Beat
	I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me) I Don't Care	US92 (3 weeks) US	Country1 (27 weeks) Country
	Don't let her know	-	Country33 (9 weeks) Country	B-side of I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me)
	I've Got a Tiger By the Tail I've Got a Tiger By the Tail	US25 (9 weeks) US	Country1 (20 weeks) Country
1965	Before You Go Before You Go	US83 (2 weeks) US	Country1 (20 weeks) Country
	Only You (Can Break My Heart) Your Tender Loving Care	-	Country1 (19 weeks) Country
	Gonna have love	-	Country10 (21 weeks) Country	B-side of Only You (Can Break My Heart)
	Buckaroo The Instrumental Hits of Buck Owens and His Buckaroos	US60 (9 weeks) US	Country1 (17 weeks) Country
	If you want a love	-	Country24 (9 weeks) Country	B-side of Buckaroo
1966	Waitin 'in Your Welfare Line Open Up Your Heart	US57 (7 weeks) US	Country1 (19 weeks) Country
	Think of Me Open Up Your Heart	US74 (5 weeks) US	Country1 (21 weeks) Country
	Open Up Your Heart Open Up Your Heart	-	Country1 (20 weeks) Country
	Where Does the Good Times Go It Takes People Like You	-	Country1 (16 weeks) Country
1967	Sam's Place Your Tender Loving Care	US92 (2 weeks) US	Country1 (16 weeks) Country
	Your Tender Loving Care Your Tender Loving Care	-	Country1 (16 weeks) Country
	It Takes People Like You (To Make People Like Me) It Takes People Like You (To Make People Like Me)	-	Country2 (18 weeks) Country
1968	How Long Will My Baby Be Gone Sweet Rosie Jones	-	Country1 (15 weeks) Country
	Sweet Rosie Jones Sweet Rosie Jones	-	Country2 (15 weeks) Country
	Let the World Keep On a Turnin ' I've Got You on Mind Again	-	Country7 (15 weeks) Country	with Buddy Alan
	I've Got You on Mind Again I've Got You on Mind Again	-	Country5 (15 weeks) Country
1969	Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass Buck Owens "Live" in London	-	Country1 (15 weeks) Country
	Johnny B. Goode Buck Owens in London "Live"	-	Country1 (15 weeks) Country
	Tall Dark Stranger Tall Dark Stranger	-	Country1 (15 weeks) Country
	Big in Vegas Big in Vegas	US100 (1 week) US	Country5 (13 weeks) Country
1970	The Kansas City Song The Kansas City Song	-	Country2 (15 weeks) Country
	I Wouldn't Live in New York City (If They Gave Me the Whole Dang Town) I Wouldn't Live in New York City	-	Country9 (13 weeks) Country
	We're Gonna Get Together We're Gonna Get Together	-	Country13 (11 weeks) Country	with Susan Raye
	Togetherness We're Gonna Get Together	-	Country12 (12 weeks) Country	with Susan Raye
	The Great White Horse The Great White Horse	-	Country8 (13 weeks) Country	with Susan Raye
1971	Bridge Over Troubled Water Bridge Over Troubled Water	-	Country9 (13 weeks) Country
	Ruby (Are You Mad) Ruby	-	Country3 (17 weeks) Country
	Rollin 'in My Sweet Baby's Arms Ruby	-	Country2 (14 weeks) Country
	Too Old to Cut the Mustard Too Old to Cut Mustard	-	Country29 (10 weeks) Country	with Buddy Alan
1972	I'll Still Be Waiting for You Live at John Ascuaga's Nugget	-	Country8 (12 weeks) Country
	Made in Japan In the Palm of Your Hand	-	Country1 (15 weeks) Country
	You Ain't Gonna Have 'Ol Buck to Kick Around No More In the Palm of Your Hand	-	Country13 (14 weeks) Country
	In the Palm of Your Hand In the Palm of Your Hand	-	Country23 (12 weeks) Country
	Looking Back to See The Best of Buck and Susan	-	Country13 (14 weeks) Country
1973	Ain't It Amazing, Gracie Ain't It Amazing, Gracie	-	Country14 (11 weeks) Country
	Arms Full of Empty Arms Full of Empty	-	Country27 (11 weeks) Country
	Big Game Hunter The Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 5	-	Country8 (12 weeks) Country
	The Good Ol 'Days Are Here Again The Good Ol' Days Are Here Again	-	Country35 (8 weeks) Country
1974	On the Cover of Music City News It's a Monster's Holiday	-	Country9 (13 weeks) Country
	(It's a) Monster's Holiday It's a Monster's Holiday	-	Country6 (13 weeks) Country
	Great Expectations It's a Monster's Holiday	-	Country8 (15 weeks) Country
1975	41st Street Lonely Heart's Club 41st Street Lonely Heart's Club	-	Country19 (7 weeks) Country
	The Battle of New Orleans The Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 6	-	Country51 (7 weeks) Country
	Love Is Strange We're Gonna Get Together	-	Country20 (13 weeks) Country
1976	Hollywood Waltz Buck 'Em	-	Country44 (9 weeks) Country
	California Okie Buck 'Em	-	Country43 (8 weeks) Country
1977	It's Been a Long, Long Time Buck 'Em	-	Country100 (1 week) Country
	World Famous Holiday Inn Our Old Mansion	-	Country90 (4 weeks) Country
	Our Old Mansion Our Old Mansion	-	Country91 (3 weeks) Country
1978	Nights Are Forever Without You	-	Country27 (12 weeks) Country
	Do You Wanna Make Love	-	Country80 (5 weeks) Country
1979	Play Together Again, Again	-	Country11 (13 weeks) Country	with Emmylou Harris
	Hangin 'In and Hangin' On	-	Country30 (10 weeks) Country
	Let Jesse Rob the Train	-	Country22 (13 weeks) Country
1980	Love is a warm cowboy	-	Country42 (9 weeks) Country
	Moonlight and Magnolias	-	Country72 (4 weeks) Country
1981	Without you	-	Country92 (2 weeks) Country
1988	Hot dog hot dog	-	Country46 (9 weeks) Country
1989	A-11 hot dog	-	Country54 (6 weeks) Country
	Put a quarter in the jukebox hot dog	-	Country60 (7 weeks) Country

More singles

• 1956: Down on the Corner of Love
• 1956: Right After the Dance
• 1957: Hot Dog (as Corky Jones)
• 1957: I'd Rather Have You (with Pauline Parker)
• 1957: There Goes My Heart
• 1957: Country Girl (Leaving Dirty Tracks)
• 1957: Come Back
• 1958: Sweet Thing
• 1958: I'll Take a Chance on Loving You
• 1960: Heartaches For a Dime
• 1968: Things I Saw Happening at the Fountain
• 1975: Country Singer's Prayer
• 1977: Let the Good Times Roll
• 1990: Tijuana Lady
• 1992: If You Can't Find a Reason to Be Happy

Guest Posts

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	Country
1988	Streets of Bakersfield Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room	-	Country1 (18 weeks) Country	with Dwight Yoakam

literature

• Siegfried Schmidt-Joos , Barry Graves : Rock Lexicon. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1973, 2nd edition 1975, reprint 1978, ISBN 3-499-16177-X , p. 264.

Web links

• Official website

swell

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Chart sources: US
2. ↑ Music Sales Awards: US