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| FPM C10 |
By Robert Selna
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Country-music innovator 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 died of heart failure at his home near Bakersfield, a California city he helped put on the country-music map, his keyboard player Jim Shaw said. Owens performed the night before at his club, "Buck Owens' Crystal Palace" for about 90 minutes, Shaw said.
"He was one of the true innovators; he did it his own way, an outside gunslinger type who used his own band and made music in Hollywood rather than Nashville. That free spirit made him important to a lot of people," Shaw said.
Owens and his Buckaroos performed hits including "I've Got a Tiger by the Tail" and "Act Naturally," which was covered by the Beatles.
Several generations of musicians -- from Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Grateful Dead in the 1960s to Dwight Yoakam in the 1980s -- were influenced by Owens' gritty "Bakersfield sound," with prominent guitars and drums.
Owens was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996.
Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. was born outside Sherman, Texas, the son of sharecroppers, and the family moved to Arizona when he was young. Owens moved to Bakersfield in 1951 looking for work in the oil-and-farm town's popular country-music halls. He went on to become one of country's greatest successes, with 15 consecutive No. 1 hits in the mid-1960s.
In 1969, Owens was asked to host "Hee Haw," a country-themed music-and-comedy variety show that stayed on the air until 1986.
Despite his broad popularity, Owens vowed to stay true to country music. Accused once of abandoning country to record a "rockabilly" song, he said: "I didn't say I wasn't gonna do rockabilly. I just said I ain't gonna sing no song that ain't a country song. I won't be known as anything but a country singer."
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| FPM C10 |
Country singer Owens dies at 76
Buck Owens recorded a duet with Ringo Starr in 1989
Country singer Buck Owens, who had a string of US hit records, has died at the age of 76.
Owens, who notched 15 consecutive US country number ones in the mid-1960s, died at home in Los Angeles, his spokesman said.
Owens co-hosted US variety TV show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1986 and had hits with singles including I've Got a Tiger by the Tail and Love's Gonna Live Here.
The Beatles recorded a cover of his song Act Naturally in 1965.
Born in Texas, Owens moved to the Californian town of Bakersfield in 1951 and became associated with the electrified "Bakersfield sound" style.
Spokesman Jim Shaw, who played in Owens' band The Buckaroos, said the singer had "a raw edge".
"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," he said.
Recording break
In 1992, Owens said: "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."
After a decade-long break from recording, he released the duet Streets of Bakersfield with Dwight Yoakam in 1988.
Owens had surgery for throat cancer in 1993 and was hospitalised with pneumonia four years later.
His business interests included TV and radio stations.
[Edited by FPM C10] |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Another one of the greats passes over...
Thanks, Buck....R.I.P.
ACT NATURALLY
They're gonna put me in the movies
They're gonna make a big star out of me
We'll make a film about a man that's sad and lonely
And all I got to do is act naturally
Chorus:
Well, I bet you I'm a-gonna be a big star
Might win an Oscar you can never tell
The movie's gonna make me a big star,
'Cause I can play the part so well
Well, I hope you come and see me in the movie
Then I'll know that you will plainly see
The biggest fool that ever hit the big time
And all I got to do is act naturally
We'll make a film about a man that's sad and lonely
And begging down upon his bended knee
I'll play the part but I won't need rehearsin'
All I have to do is act naturally
Chorus:
Well, I bet you I'm gonna be a big star
Might win an Oscar you can never tell
The movie's gonna make me a big star,
'Cause I can play the part so well
Well, I hope you come and see me in the movie
Then I'll know that you will plainly see
The biggest fool that ever hit the big time
And all I got to do is act naturally...
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| Gimme Shelter |
RIP Buck |
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| RollingstonesUSA |
R.I.P. Buck.... |
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| Nellcote |
How they are appreciated once they are gone.
Long Live Buck & The Bakersfield Sound! |
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| Shawn20 |
Buck was one of the greats. Too bad his stint on HEE HAW tainted his legacy. He was a great country and western singer. |
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| nanatod |
quote:
Shawn20 wrote:
Buck was one of the greats. Too bad his stint on HEE HAW tainted his legacy. He was a great country and western singer.
Hee Haw didn't taint anyone's legacy. Roy Clark was and is a good guitar player. Grandpa Jones had been singing and playing on the Opry since way before Hee Haw. Owen's duet with Dwight Yoakam on Streets of Bakersfield is just terrific. I'm sorry I missed Owens when he toured with Dwight. |
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| Larry Dallas |
Let's hope that Buck's music gets a second helping of the praise it deserves. Here's a story about Buck's last night on earth. Other than Entwistle going out with an eight ball and some whores, Buck's story ranks pretty high on the way to go out....
From CMT.COM
Country Music Hall of Fame member Buck Owens died of an apparent heart attack just hours after performing Friday night (March 24) at his Crystal Palace restaurant, club and museum in Bakersfield, Calif., according to his longtime spokesman, Jim Shaw.
"He had come to the club early and had a chicken-fried steak dinner and bragged that it's his favorite meal," Shaw told the Los Angeles Times. After the meal, he planned to cancel his Friday appearance after telling band members he wasn't feeling well. Before he reached his car, however, a group of fans introduced themselves and explained they had traveled from Oregon to attend the show. The 76-year-old singer returned to the club and performed the show.
Shaw recalled Owens telling the audience, "'If somebody's come all that way, I'm gonna do the show and give it my best shot. I might groan and squeak, but I'll see what I can do." Shaw added, "He died in his sleep ... probably of heart failure. So he had his favorite meal, played a show and died in his sleep. We thought, that's not too bad."
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| Break The Spell |
A true American original, yet another irreplaceable figure in American music. I'm also glad his fellow Hee-Haw star Grnadpa Jones got some mention, he died too just about 8 or so years back. May they all RIP!! |
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| nanatod |
Break, sometime between 1986 and 1996 I saw an interesting show at the Rialto in Joliet, Illinois. Ralph Emory hosted a country hall of fame show that included Grandpa Jones, Bill Monroe, Little Jimmy Dickens, Pee Wee King with Redd Stewart, Jett Williams with drifting cowboys' Don Helms and Jerry Rivers. No Buck Owens, unfortunately.
[Edited by nanatod] |
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| Break The Spell |
quote:
nanatod wrote:
Break, sometime between 1986 and 1996 I saw an interesting show at the Rialto in Joliet, Illinois. Ralph Emory hosted a country hall of fame show that included Grandpa Jones, Bill Monroe, Little Jimmy Dickens, Pee Wee King with Redd Stewart, Jett Williams with drifting cowboys' Don Helms and Jerry Rivers. No Buck Owens, unfortunately.
[Edited by nanatod]
Sounds like a great show, I saw a few guys from your list at the Opry but not all in one show like what you got to see. You must have some good memories of that night. The funny thing about Grandpa Jones is he started dressing like an old man when he was in his 20's, after a DJ interviewed him and said his voice sounded like an old man's. |
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| nanatod |
"You must have some good memories of that night."
It was a weekend matinee. Some years later the Rialto had Emory emcee a show with Johnny Russell, Holly Dunn, Wilma Lee Cooper, Charlie Louvin, and Jimmy C. Newman.
Other than going to the Opry in 1990, I haven't had a chance to see much old country music this far north of Nville. |
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| Break The Spell |
quote:
nanatod wrote:
"You must have some good memories of that night."
It was a weekend matinee. Some years later the Rialto had Emory emcee a show with Johnny Russell, Holly Dunn, Wilma Lee Cooper, Charlie Louvin, and Jimmy C. Newman.
Other than going to the Opry in 1990, I haven't had a chance to see much old country music this far north of Nville.
The Rialto sounds like another good show. Ya, I can imagine its a decent haul down to the opry from where you live. For me, its only about a 5 hour drive. |
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| nanatod |
quote:
Break The Spell wrote:
The Rialto sounds like another good show. Ya, I can imagine its a decent haul down to the opry from where you live. For me, its only about a 5 hour drive.
I found that the best part of the Opry was hanging out at the bar closest to the opry in between the two (nightly) shows and watching the opry stars getting drunk right up until the moment that they have to go back to the opry and go on stage for their particular song or songs.
If I had had more daring back then, I would have bought a certain female opry performer drinks and tried to take her home, even though she was several years older than I was.
[Edited by nanatod] |
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| Break The Spell |
quote:
nanatod wrote:
I found that the best part of the Opry was hanging out at the bar closest to the opry in between the two (nightly) shows and watching the opry stars getting drunk right up until the moment that they have to go back to the opry and go on stage for their particular song or songs.
If I had had more daring back then, I would have bought a certain female opry performer drinks and tried to take her home, even though she was several years older than I was.
[Edited by nanatod]
I suppose you wouldn't want to share the name of this performer?? Did you ever get to go there when the Opryland theme park was still there?? |
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| FPM C10 |
quote:
nanatod wrote:
If I had had more daring back then, I would have bought a certain female opry performer drinks and tried to take her home, even though she was several years older than I was.
[Edited by the Hagger Twins]
LULU ROMAN?????
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| Larry Dallas |
The mention of Johnny Russell reminds me that he actually wrote "Act Naturally." |
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| nanatod |
quote:
FPM C10 wrote:
LULU ROMAN?????
No. Blonde and very thin. That's all I'll say.
This was in 1990. I suspect she's still blonde and still thin.
[Edited by nanatod] |
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| Joey |
R.I.P. Buck !!!!!!! |
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| Scottfree |
RIP BUCK |
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| FPM C10 |
quote:
nanatod wrote:
No. Blonde and very thin. That's all I'll say.
This was in 1990. I suspect she's still blonde and still thin.
[Edited by nanatod]
Is this YOU?????
Holdin' On To Nothin' (Ernest Tubb)
As recorded by Porter Waggoner, er, I mean Donald Rumsfeld, and Dolly Parton
We're holding on with nothin' left to hold on to
I'm so tired of holding on to nothin'
The years have shown no kindness for the hard times that we've been through
We've squeezed the life from every dream and still go on bluffin'
With really nothing left to hold on to
Oh why do we keep holding on with nothing left to hold on to
Let's be honest with each other that's at least that we can do
I feel guilty when I lie to the American people
We're holding on with nothing left to hold on to
[ steel ]
We were young and foolishly mistaken
Victims of a passion much too strong to be denied
With only tears to show for all the years that we've been fakin'
God only knows how long how hard we've tried
Oh why do we keep holding on...
We're holding on with nothing left to hold on to |
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| Shawn20 |
quote:
nanatod wrote:
Hee Haw didn't taint anyone's legacy. Roy Clark was and is a good guitar player. Grandpa Jones had been singing and playing on the Opry since way before Hee Haw. Owen's duet with Dwight Yoakam on Streets of Bakersfield is just terrific. I'm sorry I missed Owens when he toured with Dwight.
Hee Haw was a vehicle for seeing country and western stars in the 1970s. I watched Hee Haw during the early days when it was a country version of Laugh-In. I also admire the people you mentioned in your post. Owens was on his way to country "outlaw" status when the cheese from Hee Haw changed his legacy....I will admend the word taint. |
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| nanatod |
quote:
FPM C10 wrote:
Is this YOU?????
When he was part of corporate America, Mr. Rumsfeld used to work in the same town where I grew up, but I'm not him.
Also, the Opry performer I referred to earlier is slightly older and much less famous than Parton. |
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| Candace Youngblood |
I would just like to say that Hee-Haw rocks!
(P.S. FPM I guess you've noticed that I am still posting here, huh? I can't help it. I am bored.) |
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| Joey |
quote:
Candace Youngblood wrote:
I would just like to say that Hee-Haw rocks!
(P.S. FPM I guess you've noticed that I am still posting here, huh? I can't help it. I am bored.)
Hello Candy !
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
Candace Youngblood wrote:
I guess you've noticed that I am still posting here, huh? I can't help it. I am bored.
Are you saying RO is boring? |
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| Candace Youngblood |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
Are you saying RO is boring?
No, I am saying that it relieves my boredom!
Hi Joey! |
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| Joey |
quote:
Candace Youngblood wrote:
No, I am saying that it relieves my boredom!
Hi Joey!
I LIKE that word ' relief ' :
********** END TRANSMISSION ********** |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
Candace Youngblood wrote:
No, I am saying that it relieves my boredom!
That bored, huh? |
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