Rising from dire poverty, Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens would go on to change the face of modern country music. The son of a Texas Sharecropper, Buck was born in Sherman, Texas. In 1937 10 members of the Owens family including Buck packed up and began a "Grapes Of Wrath" migration west to California. Along the way their trailer hitch broke near Phoenix, Arizona. With family in nearby Mesa, Arizona the Owens family relocated in the desert for over 10 years.
Young Buck would join his family in back breaking farm labor picking cotton, oranges and other crops all over Arizona and up into California. He held other jobs as a truck driver, newspaper and Western Union delivery boy. The poverty in his life did not appeal to him and at a young age he began teaching himself how to play several instruments including guitar, mandolin and trumpet. He began frequenting the various local dance halls and taverns that played music. He joined a band called Mac's Skillet Lickers and would eventually go on to have a short 15 minute radio show called "The Buck and Britt" show with another musician over Mesa radio station KTYL.
Married to Bonnie Campbell by the late 40's Buck would move to Bakersfield, California in 1951 on the advice of a relative who had seen the blossoming country music scene in the California city that included a large population of "Oakies" and "Texans" fleeing the dust bowl days of the depression. In due time Buck began playing the various local dancehalls honing his skills as a guitar player. He would play lead guitar on a session for singer Tommy Collins at Capitol records in Hollywood in 1953 that would garner him more exposure for his talents.
Buck signed on to play a club called the BLACKBOARD 6 nights a week and packed in the crowds every night. He would continue to supplement his income with recording sessions at Capitol for many other singers of the day. By the late 50's there was interest from Columbia records and others to sign him to a contract but in 1957 Ken Nelson of Capitol records would recognize his talents and finally offer him a recording deal. His first singles bombed.
For a short few years Buck moved to Tacoma, Washington to become part owner of a small radio station and play music gigs. It was on a small local tv show that Buck would fortunately meet a fiddle and later guitar player that would be instrumental in the future success of Buck Owens. His name was Don Rich. Buck would develop his own twisted note style and expand on the Bakersfield sound of sparse electric guitar, upfront drums and percussion that had a little bit more "kick" in the music than conservative Nashville and its brand of country music.
By the late 50's Buck had scored a couple of chart hits and feeling momentum in the music business moved back to Bakersfield and continued to record for Capitol. Don Rich would soon join him and they began touring up and down the west coast.
Several top 10 records would soon lead to his first number one Billboard hit "Act Naturally" in 1963. The many years of honing his musical skills in Bakersfield would continue to pay off where Buck would have some 15 number one records from 1963 to 1967. Buck played Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1966, only the second country act to ever play and record a live album there.
Not only was Buck becoming a huge country star in America, but would win fans over seas in Japan, Germany, Switzerland and England. In 1969 television producers approached Buck about starring in a comedy variety show. That show became HEE HAW. It had a short run on CBS television before going into syndication and lasted some 24 years on the air. Buck was part of the cast from 1969 until 1986.
Over the years Buck would continue to diversify and owned several successful country radio stations including KNIX, Phoenix and KUZZ, Bakersfield. He owned a publishing company, recording studio, his own booking agency, print publications and land. A striking personal blow came when Buckaroo lead guitarist Don Rich was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1974. Buck took Don's death pretty hard and would soon semi-retire from music and run his business empire.
Over the years Buck would continue to diversify and owned several successful country radio stations including KNIX, Phoenix and KUZZ, Bakersfield. He owned a publishing company, recording studio, his own booking agency, print publications and land. A striking personal blow came when Buckaroo lead guitarist Don Rich was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1974. Buck took Don's death pretty hard and would soon semi-retire from music and run his business empire.
In 1987 a young singer named Dwight Yoakam would take a bold step and visit Buck unannounced late one day inviting Owens to play on stage with Yoakam that night at the Kern County Fair. A friendship soon blossomed and Yoakam recorded the Homer Joy song "STREETS OF BAKERSFIELD" and invited Buck Owens to perform on the recording with him.
This song would go on to become Dwight Yoakam's first number one single and Buck Owens 21st number one hit. Buck came out of retirement to play and record for 2 to 3 more years and had another brief time in the sun.
In 1996 Buck opened his soon to be popular CRYSTAL PALACE nightclub, restaurant and museum in Bakersfield. He was finally inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame that year and would play with his Buckaroo's band every Friday and Saturday night for the last 10 years of his life. He influenced hundreds of people in country music and country radio. He was a beloved entertainer to millions of fans worldwide and helped launch and revolutionize country music with the unique Bakersfield Sound.
Buck Owens died of heart failure in his sleep on March 25th, 2006 at his ranch north of Bakersfield, California.
-Jim West
Invité Invité
Sujet: Re: BUCK OWENS... Mar 05 Fév 2008, 03:26
Shaun Mather's Recommended Listening:
The Buck Owens Collection (1959-1990) Rhino Records For an in-depth introduction to Buck Owens you can't do any better than Rhino's 1992 three CD box-set which is still available from pretty much any shop on the internet. Covering over thirty years the set runs to 62 tracks and features an informative booklet. It covers virtually all of his hits and is a brilliant insight into the Bakersfield sound that Buck took to the masses. The Corky Jones era is missing from the beginning but that's about the only negative thing I can think of. Kicking of with his debut hit from 1959, Second Fiddle, the Capitol hits all the way through to the mid 70's ooze class. From the Warner period of the late Œ70s we get his duet with Emmylou Harris, Play Together Again, Again. The set rounds of with the hit singles with Ringo and Dwight. More than anything else, the compilation shows how enormously talented Buck and Don Rich were together. They were as tight as brothers and this showed in both their sound and their stage interaction. This is the genuine article and is the best place to start your Buck Owens collection. Essential.
Young Buck: the Complete Pre-Capitol Recordings Audium B0000584VI This early, pre-Capitol release is the perfect companion to the Rhino collection above. It's always fascinating to hear an artist retrospectively as they search for the sound that will later make them their mark. This is pure country music from the Pep, Chesterfield and La Brea labels. For the rockabillies there's the crazy stomp of Hot Dog and Rhythm and Booze when Buck used the pseudonym Corky Jones. Recommended.
The Carnegie Hall Concert Sundazed The Sundazed label has done a great job bringing Buck's back catalogue into the CD era. When Buck Owens & the Buckaroos played this concert at Carnegie Hall in 1966 they were making a statement that country music had finally spread from the hillbilly joints of the rural south to the rest of America. The sound is first-rate with the Buckaroos smoking on a night when they must have been so up for it. They play with a skill and intensity that still comes through the grooves, some 40 years later. Essential.
Don Rich - Country Pickin': The Don Rich Anthology Sundazed SC 11091 Don Rich was more than just a Buckaroo. He was Buck's soul-mate and when Don died I'm not surprised that Buck went into such a state of disillusionment of music. Rich and the Buckaroos recorded a few instrumentals and at various sessions Buck let him record a number a two. Country Pickin' collects together 24 of these songs and the results are a solid set of Bakersfield country. Perhaps not laced with the classics of Buck, the whole thing still oozes class and is still better than a good number of stars could do. The booklet is splendid with a biography, rare photos and tributes from Buck, Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard and Marty Stuart among others. Worth checking out.
YOUTUBE HIGHLIGHTS A quick search in youtube reveals loads of Buck Owens clips and tributes, here are just a few.
Buck Owens - Loves Gonna Live Here. From the Jimmy Dean Show. Sharp haircuts, clothes and sound and picture quality from '66.
Buck Owens and Don Rich - Above and Beyond
Down to the River - Buck Owens Buck and Don Rich in a fine early clip.
Sam's Place - Buck Owens Great colour clip from 67 with Buck and Don in matching Davy Crockett jackets.
Buck's Owens version of a Charley Pride hit with Don on fiddle.
Buck Owens & Don Rich- Act Naturally From the 1964 movie "Country Music On Broadway".
Buck Owens & Jimmy Dean - Foolin' Around
Buck Owens - Truck Drivin' Man Hee-Haw hoedown with the likes of Grandpa Jones.
Buck Owens and the Buckeroos - I've Got A Tiger By The Tail
Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens, Jr., (15 août 1929 - 25 mars 2006) est un chanteur et guitariste américain qui a réussi à classer vingt de ses chansons au sommet du hit-parade de la musique country au magazine Billboard. Comme un artiste en solo et dans son groupe, the Buckaroos (nommé par Merle Haggard, un membre de ce groupe), Buck Owens était un des pionniers du Bakersfield sound (le son de Bakersfield) : une allusion à Bakersfield, Californie la ville où il habitait et de laquelle il s'est inspiré pour ce qu'il préférait appeler "la musique américaine". Avec Roy Clark, Owens a animé l'émission populaire et révolutionnaire, Hee Haw. Hee Haw, conçu au début pour être la réponse de la musique country au Laugh-In, a survécu à cette émission et aurait vingt-quatre saisons.
Sommaire
[masquer]
1 Biographie
2 Discographie
3 Décès
4 Références
5 Lien externe
6 Voir aussi
//
Biographie [modifier]
Alvis Owens, Jr., est né à Sherman, Texas. « 'Buck', était un mulet à la ferme des Owens », a écrit Rich Kenzle dans About Buck, la biographie sur le site officiel d'Owens. « À l'âge de trois ou de quatre ans, il a marché chez lui et a annoncé que son nom était Buck aussi. La famille n'en avait pas d'objection, et dès lors le garçon a été Buck ». En 1937, sa famille s'installe à Mesa, Arizona, durant le Dust Bowl la Great Depression. En 1945, Owens co-anime une émission à la radio qui s'appelait "Buck et Britt". À la fin des années 1940, Owens est devenu conducteur de camion et découvre la vallée de San Joaquin en Californie. Bakersfield l'a impressionné, et c'est là où il déménage avec sa femme en 1950. Peu après, Owens voyageait fréquemment à Hollywood pour des séances d'enregistrement à Capitol Records en tant qu'accompagnateur des musiciens comme Tennessee Earnie Ford, Sonny James, Wanda Jackson, Del Reeves, Tommy Sands, Tommy Collins, Faron Young, Gene Vincent, et beaucoup d'autres. Pendant l'engouement pour le rock and roll des années 1950, Owens enregistre un disque de rockabilly sous le label Pep appelé Hot Dog, en se servant du pseudonyme Corky Jones. Buck a trouvé le succès en 1959 lorsque sa chanson Second Fiddle atteint la 24e place du hit-parade country de Billboard. Dans les mois suivants, Under Your Spell Again atteint la 4e place, et ensuite Above and Beyond atteint la 3e place. Au début des années 1960, le son « countrypolitain » de Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, et Patsy Cline était le son populaire, avec son style doux, chargé des instruments à cordes et influencé par la pop. Owens allait à contre-courant, avec une sensibilité plus pure, et à l'état brut, mélangé singulièrement avec les polkas mexicaines qu'il avait écoutées à la radio pendant sa jeunesse. Billboard le nomme le chanteur country le plus prometteur de 1960, et grâce à ses duos avec Rose Maddox en 1961, qui ont atteint le « Top 10 » au hit-parade, ils ont gagné le titre de « meilleure équipe vocale de l'année ». En 1963, Act Naturally était la première chanson de Buck à atteindre le numéro un sur le hit-parade. Les Beatles l'ont repris plus tard en 1965. En 1967 Owens et "the Buckaroos" ont fait une tournée au Japon, un événement assez rare pour un musicien country à l'époque. L'album qui en a résulté, Buck Owens in Japan, est considéré comme le premier album country jamais enregistré hors des États-Unis. L'année suivante, ils jouent à la Maison Blanche pour le président Johnson. Creedence Clearwater Revival, un des plus grands groupes rock de l'époque, ont souvent montré une tendance légère vers la musique country, et ont même mentionné Owens dans leur chanson populaire, Lookin' Out My Back Door. Hee Haw a débuté à la télévision américaine en 1969, ce dont Owens s'occupait pendant les années 1970 et les années 1980. En 1972, la chanson d'Owens Made in Japan a atteint la 1re place au hit-parade. Avant la fin des années 1960, Owens, avec l'assistance de son manager Jack McFadden, s'est mis à se concentrer sur son avenir financier. Il a acheté nombreuses stations de radio, y compris KNIX et KESZ à Phoenix, Arizona, et KUZZ à Bakersfield, dont les logos étaient dotés de sa guitare rouge, blanche, et bleue. En 1999, Owens a vendu KNIX et KESZ à Clear Channel Communications ; et il a gardé la propriété de KUZZ jusqu'à sa mort. Owens a fondé Buck Owens Enterprises et a produit les albums de plusieurs artistes, sous le label Capitol. Le 7 juillet 1974, son guitariste et meilleur ami Don Rich décède dans un accident de moto. Cela a porté un coup terrible à Owens, et il ne s'est jamais remis de la perte de son ami. « Il était comme un frère, un fils, et un meilleur ami » a-t-il récemment dit, et il continue : « Je ne l'ai jamais dit, et peut-être que je n'en étais pas capable, mais je crois que ma vie musicale a pris fin en même temps que lui. C'est vrai que je continuais, et j'existais, mais la vraie joie et le vrai amour, le tonnerre et l'éclair véritables ont disparu à jamais ». Dwight Yoakam, un autre résident de Bakersfield, s'est joint à Owens pour un duo de Streets of Bakersfield en 1988. Leur duo était la première chanson d'Owens à atteindre le 1re place seize années plus tard.
Buck Owens est mort d'une crise cardiaque pendant son sommeil 25 mars 2006, quelques heures après avoir joué dans son restaurant, club et musée, le Crystal Palace à Bakersfield. Dans une interview avec le journal Los Angeles Times, Jim Shaw, le vieux porte-parole d'Owens, a dit qu'Owens « était venu au club en avance et avait dîné sur un poulet-frit et s'est vanté que c'était son repas préféré ». Ensuite, Owens a dit à son groupe qu'il ne se sentait pas très bien et qu'il n'allait pas jouer ce soir-là. Shaw a dit qu'un groupe d'admirateurs se sont présentés à Owens pendant qu'il se préparait à rentrer chez lui ; lorsqu'ils lui ont expliqué qu'ils avaient voyagé de l'Oregon afin de l'entendre jouer, Owens a changé d'avis et s'est quand-même installé en scène. Shaw s'est rappelé qu'Owens a dit aux spectateurs : « Si quelqu'un a voyagé assez loin, je vais faire un show, et je vais mettre le paquet. Il se peut que je gémisse ou glapisse, mais je ferai de mon mieux ». Shaw a ajouté : « Donc, il a mangé son repas préféré, fait un show, et est mort en dormant. On a pensé que c'était pas mal ». Owens a quitté trois ex-femmes, et trois fils : Bonnie Owens (dont quelques unes de ses chansons étaient sur le hit-parade au début des années 1970s), Michael et Johnny Owens. Sa première épouse, Bonnie Owens, est morte à l'âge de 76 ans le 24 avril 2006 à un établissement de soins palliatifs.
Sujet: BUCK OWENS... 
