"Buck Owens and The Buckaroos were so barroom raw and hillbilly edgy, that combined with their exposure to the California culture of the 50's and 60's, they were the hippest act in country music." -- Dwight Yoakam

Interesting Facts

• Merle Haggard who was once a member Bucks band gave the band its name "The Buckaroos"
• Buck has never been a member of The Grand Old Opry
• Buck was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1996.

Alvis Edgar Owens grew up in Texas and Arizona. At the age of three it is said that he gave himself the nickname of "Buck," which was the name of a family horse. He has been known by that name ever since.

At the age of 13 Buck began playing the mandolin, followed by the guitar, horns, and drums. By the age of sixteen he was performing with a friend on his own radio show. In 1951 at the recommendation of a family member who said that Bakersfield had plenty of work for musicians, Buck, his wife Bonnie and their young son moved there.

In California, Buck made ends meet by being a studio musician. He played on records for Sonny James, Wanda Jackson, and even Gene Vincent. In the mid 1950s, Buck began playing with now legendary country music artist Tommy Collins.

Buck released his first records in 1955 and 1956 using his own name for country songs and the alias "Corky Jones" for rockabilly songs. His first charting song was "Second Fiddle" which reached #24 on Billboard's country charts. All in all he has had more then 75 country hits, and more then 40 of which have been Top 10 hits.

It's sad to say that at the peak of his career, tragedy had to strike when after leaving the studio late one night, Don Rich, guitarist of the Buckaroos, and some have said Bucks "twin soul" musicallly was killed in a motorcycle accident. This sent Buck into a tailspin and no longer having the heart for the music he loved so dearly, he retired from the music business.

Buck's retirement came to an end when he was offered a part on the new country music program "Hee Haw." It's sad that a whole new generation of country music listeners had to grow up thinking of Buck as the cornball sidekick of Roy Clark, and not the musical genius and creator of the famous Bakersfield sound.

After leaving "Hee Haw" in 1986, Buck settled into quiet retirement until a new young singer named Dwight Yoakam brought him back out into the spotlight with their hit re-release of Buck's classic song "Streets of Bakersfield." It was Buck's first #1 since 1972.

These days Buck is busy with various music projects including several songs on Dwight Yoakam's album, "Tomorrows Sounds Today," and with his 7 million dollar "Crystal Palace" just outside of Bakersfield, which is a museum, concert hall (where he performs regularly), and restaurant.

Popular Songs Of Buck Owens

• Act Naturally 1963
• I've Got A Tiger By The Tail 1965
• Together Again 1964

Audio clips courtesy of Barnes & Noble.