Singer Buck Owens has died

*Raph's Girl* · 03-25-2006, 11:48 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060325/ap_en_tv/obit_owens

Singer Buck Owens, the flashy rhinestone cowboy who shaped the sound of country music with hits like "Act Naturally" and brought the genre to TV on the long-running "Hee Haw," died Saturday. He was 76.

Owens died at his home, said family spokesman Jim Shaw. The cause of death was not immediately known. Owens had undergone throat cancer surgery in 1993 and was hospitalized with pneumonia in 1997.

His career was one of the most phenomenal in country music, with a string of more than 20 No. 1 records, most released from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s.

They were recorded with a honky-tonk twang that came to be known throughout California as the "Bakersfield Sound," named for the town 100 miles north of Los Angeles that Owens called home.

"I think the reason he was so well known and respected by a younger generation of country musicians was because he was an innovator and rebel," said Shaw, who played keyboards in Owens' band, the Buckaroos. "He did it out of the Nashville establishment. He had a raw edge."

Owens was modest when describing his aspirations.

"I'd like to be remembered as a guy that came along and did his music, did his best and showed up on time, clean and ready to do the job, wrote a few songs and had a hell of a time," he said in 1992.

An indefatigable performer, Owens played a red, white and blue guitar with fireball fervor. He and the Buckaroos wore flashy rhinestone suits in an era when flash was as important to country music as fiddles.

Among his biggest hits were "Together Again" (also recorded by Emmylous Harris), "I've Got a Tiger by the Tail," "Love's Gonna Live Here," "My Heart Skips a Beat" and "Waitin' in Your Welfare Line."

And he was the answer to this music trivia question: What country star had a hit record that was later done by the Beatles?

"Those guys were phenomenal," Owens once said.

Ringo Starr recorded "Act Naturally" twice, singing lead on the Beatles' 1965 version and recording it as a duet with Owens in 1989.

In addition to music, Owens had a highly visible TV career as co-host of "Hee Haw" from 1969 to 1986. With guitarist Roy Clark, he led viewers through a potpourri of country music and hayseed humor.

"It's an honest show," Owens told The Associated Press in 1995. "There's no social message — no crusade. It's fun and simple."

Owens himself could be rebellious, choosing among other things to label what he did "American music" rather than country.

"I took a little heat," he once said. "People asked me, `Isn't country music good enough for you?' "

He also criticized the syrupy arrangements of some country singers, saying "assembly-line, robot music turns me off."

After his string of hits, Owens stayed away from the recording scene for a decade, returning in 1988 to record another No. 1 record, "Streets of Bakersfield," with Dwight Yoakam.

He spent much of his time away concentrating on his business interests, which included a Bakersfield TV station and radio stations in Bakersfield and Phoenix.

"I never wanted to hang around like the punch-drunk fighter," he told The Associated Press in 1992.

He had moved to Bakersfield in 1951, hoping to find work in the thriving juke joints of what in the years before suburban sprawl was a truck-stop town on Highway 99, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area.

"We played rhumbas and tangos and sambas, and we played Bob Wills music, lots of Bob Wills music," he said, referring to the bandleader who was the king of Western swing.

"And lots of rock 'n' roll," he added.

Owens started recording in the mid-1950s, but gained little success until 1963 with "Act Naturally," his first No. 1 single.

Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. was born in 1929 outside Sherman, Texas, the son of a sharecropper. With opportunities scarce during the Depression, the family moved to Arizona when he was 8.

He dropped out of school at age 13 to haul produce and harvest crops, and by 16 he was playing music in taverns.

He once told an audience, "When I was a little bitty kid, I used to dream about playing the guitar and singing like some of those great people that we had the old, thick records of."

Owens' first wife, Bonnie Owens, sometimes performed with him and went on to become a leading backup singer after their divorce in 1955. She had occasional solo hits in the '60s, as well as successful duets with her second husband,
Merle Haggard.

One of her two sons with Owens also became a singer, using the name Buddy Alan. He had a Top 10 hit in 1968, "Let the World Keep on a-Turnin'," and recorded a number of duets with his father.

In addition to Buddy, he is survived by two other sons, Michael and John.

Raph's Girl note: Dangit...all the good ones are goin...Buck Owens is one of my fave singers! *sings* I've got a tiger by the tail it's plain to see....I won't be much when you get through with me... Well, I'm a losing weight and a turnin' mighty pale...Looks like I've got a tiger by the tail

*Anarky* · 03-25-2006, 12:05 PM

Oh no! Not Buck Owens!!! Not good ol' Buck! I mean, he was the buckiest of them all, he was like "The buck of Bucks".

Let me ask you one question: Do you even know who all those dead "celebrities" are/were or are you just posting them for the sake of having another thread dedicated to future wormfood?

*Raph's Girl* · 03-25-2006, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anarky

Let me ask you one question: Do you even know who all those dead "celebrities" are/were or are you just posting them for the sake of having another thread dedicated to future wormfood?

Yea...I know who they are...for the most part....like I said Buck Owens is one of my fave singers.

*Sewer Bull* · 03-25-2006, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anarky

Oh no! Not Buck Owens!!! Not good ol' Buck! I mean, he was the buckiest of them all, he was like "The buck of Bucks".

Let me ask you one question: Do you even know who all those dead "celebrities" are/were or are you just posting them for the sake of having another thread dedicated to future wormfood?

Honestly, it kinda cheers me up that there are still people in this world for whom the death of Dana Reeve bears much bigger significance than the death of Slobodan Milosevic.

... I know, I know, political issues and all that stuff.

~~Turtledude2k3~~ · 03-25-2006, 01:10 PM

It's sad that we don't know alot of these singers that some of you do..

It's sad. Someone like Dana Reeve had a bigger impact on all of us..

*Raph's Girl* · 03-25-2006, 06:18 PM

Further info on the passing of the great Buck Owens:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060325/people_nm/owens_dc

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.

~~Turtledude2k3~~ · 03-25-2006, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raph's Girl

Further info on the passing of the great Buck Owens:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060325/people_nm/owens_dc

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.

I saw this on the news this afternoon. I don't remember what they said but he won several awards and had some good songs..

03-25-2006, 11:48 AM	#1
Raph's Girl Dierna Soul, Reporter Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Jakku Posts: 10,831	Singer Buck Owens has died http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060325/ap_en_tv/obit_owens Singer Buck Owens, the flashy rhinestone cowboy who shaped the sound of country music with hits like "Act Naturally" and brought the genre to TV on the long-running "Hee Haw," died Saturday. He was 76. Owens died at his home, said family spokesman Jim Shaw. The cause of death was not immediately known. Owens had undergone throat cancer surgery in 1993 and was hospitalized with pneumonia in 1997. His career was one of the most phenomenal in country music, with a string of more than 20 No. 1 records, most released from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. They were recorded with a honky-tonk twang that came to be known throughout California as the "Bakersfield Sound," named for the town 100 miles north of Los Angeles that Owens called home. "I think the reason he was so well known and respected by a younger generation of country musicians was because he was an innovator and rebel," said Shaw, who played keyboards in Owens' band, the Buckaroos. "He did it out of the Nashville establishment. He had a raw edge." Owens was modest when describing his aspirations. "I'd like to be remembered as a guy that came along and did his music, did his best and showed up on time, clean and ready to do the job, wrote a few songs and had a hell of a time," he said in 1992. An indefatigable performer, Owens played a red, white and blue guitar with fireball fervor. He and the Buckaroos wore flashy rhinestone suits in an era when flash was as important to country music as fiddles. Among his biggest hits were "Together Again" (also recorded by Emmylous Harris), "I've Got a Tiger by the Tail," "Love's Gonna Live Here," "My Heart Skips a Beat" and "Waitin' in Your Welfare Line." And he was the answer to this music trivia question: What country star had a hit record that was later done by the Beatles? "Those guys were phenomenal," Owens once said. Ringo Starr recorded "Act Naturally" twice, singing lead on the Beatles' 1965 version and recording it as a duet with Owens in 1989. In addition to music, Owens had a highly visible TV career as co-host of "Hee Haw" from 1969 to 1986. With guitarist Roy Clark, he led viewers through a potpourri of country music and hayseed humor. "It's an honest show," Owens told The Associated Press in 1995. "There's no social message — no crusade. It's fun and simple." Owens himself could be rebellious, choosing among other things to label what he did "American music" rather than country. "I took a little heat," he once said. "People asked me, `Isn't country music good enough for you?' " He also criticized the syrupy arrangements of some country singers, saying "assembly-line, robot music turns me off." After his string of hits, Owens stayed away from the recording scene for a decade, returning in 1988 to record another No. 1 record, "Streets of Bakersfield," with Dwight Yoakam. He spent much of his time away concentrating on his business interests, which included a Bakersfield TV station and radio stations in Bakersfield and Phoenix. "I never wanted to hang around like the punch-drunk fighter," he told The Associated Press in 1992. He had moved to Bakersfield in 1951, hoping to find work in the thriving juke joints of what in the years before suburban sprawl was a truck-stop town on Highway 99, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. "We played rhumbas and tangos and sambas, and we played Bob Wills music, lots of Bob Wills music," he said, referring to the bandleader who was the king of Western swing. "And lots of rock 'n' roll," he added. Owens started recording in the mid-1950s, but gained little success until 1963 with "Act Naturally," his first No. 1 single. Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. was born in 1929 outside Sherman, Texas, the son of a sharecropper. With opportunities scarce during the Depression, the family moved to Arizona when he was 8. He dropped out of school at age 13 to haul produce and harvest crops, and by 16 he was playing music in taverns. He once told an audience, "When I was a little bitty kid, I used to dream about playing the guitar and singing like some of those great people that we had the old, thick records of." Owens' first wife, Bonnie Owens, sometimes performed with him and went on to become a leading backup singer after their divorce in 1955. She had occasional solo hits in the '60s, as well as successful duets with her second husband, Merle Haggard. One of her two sons with Owens also became a singer, using the name Buddy Alan. He had a Top 10 hit in 1968, "Let the World Keep on a-Turnin'," and recorded a number of duets with his father. In addition to Buddy, he is survived by two other sons, Michael and John. Raph's Girl note: Dangit...all the good ones are goin...Buck Owens is one of my fave singers! sings I've got a tiger by the tail it's plain to see....I won't be much when you get through with me... Well, I'm a losing weight and a turnin' mighty pale...Looks like I've got a tiger by the tail __________________

03-25-2006, 12:05 PM	#2
Anarky Outlaw Hero Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Tannhauser Gate Posts: 4,867	Oh no! Not Buck Owens!!! Not good ol' Buck! I mean, he was the buckiest of them all, he was like "The buck of Bucks". Let me ask you one question: Do you even know who all those dead "celebrities" are/were or are you just posting them for the sake of having another thread dedicated to future wormfood? __________________ Because it's... I dunno... brutal.

03-25-2006, 06:18 PM	#6
Raph's Girl Dierna Soul, Reporter Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Jakku Posts: 10,831	Further info on the passing of the great Buck Owens: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060325/people_nm/owens_dc 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. __________________

03-25-2006, 01:10 PM	#5
~~Turtledude2k3~~ Banned Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Canada, BC Posts: 783	It's sad that we don't know alot of these singers that some of you do.. It's sad. Someone like Dana Reeve had a bigger impact on all of us..