Buck Owens is a renowned figure in country music, credited with popularizing the Bakersfield Sound, a unique blend of honky-tonk and rock influences. Born in Arizona, Owens grew up playing the mandolin, guitar, and horns, and began his radio career at the age of 16.
He married Bonnie Campbell, the lead singer of the Mac's Skillet Lickers, and they had a son, Buddy. The family moved to Bakersfield, California, in the early 1950s, where Owens worked as a session guitarist and played with the Orange Blossom Playboys.
After a few years of recording rockabilly songs under the pseudonym Corky Jones, Owens signed with Capitol Records in 1957. His early recordings failed to gain traction, but he eventually hit the charts with "Second Fiddle" in 1959.
The follow-up single, "Under Your Spell Again," reached number four on the Billboard country singles chart, solidifying Owens' position in country music. He went on to have a string of top-five hits, including "Above and Beyond," "Under the Influence of Love," and "Foolin' Around."
Owens' biggest hits came in 1963 with "Act Naturally" and "Love's Gonna Live Here," which stayed at number one for 16 weeks. He went on to have 18 more number one hits, all in the Bakersfield tradition, featuring his chief guitarist and close confidant, Don Rich.
Owens was an astute businessman, maintaining control of his publishing rights and master tapes, and even purchasing several radio stations and forming a booking agency. He also appeared on two country music TV shows, the syndicated "Buck Owens Ranch Show" and CBS' "Hee Haw."
After Don Rich's death in 1974, Owens' career faltered, but he found renewed popularity in 1988 when he duetted with Dwight Yoakam on "Streets of Bakersfield," which reached number one. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996 and continues to perform occasional shows at his Crystal Palace.
