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Buck Owens, the "King of Bakersfield" has passed..
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Posted by matt Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
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5 responses 4 comments It's a sad day on the Streets of Bakersfield..

Buck Owens, the King of Bakersfield, has died....

Last night Fatt Katt (of The Von Zippers,) Manny G (Vanity Avenue,) and I were sitting at Fishlips talking about how much fun we had on St. Patty's Day.

Just this morning, I had just finished talking to my girlriend about my Fishlips round table with Fatt Katt and Manny G, when I read the news online...

Flashback to last night...
Before Manny G popped in to Fishlips, Fatt Katt was telling me about his band's latest recording project, the importance of having the "Bakersfield Sound" prominently layered in the mix, and how much he was looking forward to presenting a special song to Buck onstage at The Crystal Palace, during one of their upcoming scheduled performances.

For those of you who don't know, Fatt Katt and his band, The Von Zippers, have been the house band at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace for a few years now.

To hear the the excitement in Fatt Katt's voice talk about his hero, Buck Owens, and the experiences he's had with the man over the years was really cool, not only as a member of the Bakersfield music scene, but a musician who has performed on the same bill as the man himself..

I'm still shaking when I remember our long conversation about Buck and what he means to so many people.

Fatt Katt told me all about how...

"The Bakersfield Sound was created by Buck Owens."

"Leo Fender personally handcrafted Buck's guitars for him and personalized his amps."

"There are Fender guitar amps with a pre-set button on them, labeled "Bakersfield Sound."

"Buck insisted that there be an accordian on his hit, "Streets of Bakersfield," as a tribute to the Mexican people he so dearly loved."

"The Crystal Palace is set-up to stay open for 40 years after Buck's death."

"Buck lived life to the fullest."

We swapped stories about about how Buck made country superstar Clint Black wait in the lobby of The Crystal Palace when Black made a surprise visit after he performed at the local Wal-Mart. Buck never came out of his office.

Fatt Katt was hoping Buck would give him one of his prized guitars after a rave session about it's beauty. Buck then looked at him and said, "You'd really like that guitar, wouldn't ya'?"

"Well you write me out a check for $5,000.00 and I'll give it to ya," replied Buck, and walked out the door to an eruption of laughter.

I remember going to one of Buck's many birhday bashes at The Palace, and watching a packed house with fans and friends wish Buck many more years of life and laughter.

So many amazing memories at The Crystal Palace.

My band, Mento Buru, has had the privilege of performing on The Crystal Palace stage many times, most times right after Buck Owens himself!! Talk about imtimidation!!

Sitting on the side of the stage soaking up the country vibes, laughing at Buck's (mostly bad)  jokes, were always the highlight of each visit to The Palace. My parents celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary there and Buck dedicated a song to them even joking about how he was amazed at how many years my parents were together. I guess it is pretty amazing if you've lived the life Buck has..

I always hoped to meet Buck before our sets, but most times Buck would say, "Goodnight," and dash into a car waiting outside. I guess I missed my chance.....

Not being a country performer and being invited to perform at The Crystal Palace always intrigued me, but we weren't stupid, we always said, "YES!"

Longtime fan and Mento Buru supporter, Rick Peace, always said, "You guys (Mento Buru,) always sound the best when you play at The Crystal Palace."

We must've had Buck's blessing, indeed...

My buddy and musical compadre', Rudy Parris, was also a frequent visitor to the Crystal Palace stage. Rudy would always call me and say, "Hey man, we're playing at The Palace after Buck, come on out!"

I could go on forever about all the times I've spent at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace marvelling at the multitude of photos, memorabilia, Elvis' car above the bar, my favorite picture with a young Buck playing the saxophone, another local country legend, Red Simpson sitting in with The Buckaroos, Junior Brown's numerous shows, but most of all, seeing Buck Owens perform.

Rest In Peace Buck....


The following was taken from CMT.COM
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Buck Owens, a principal architect of country music's famed Bakersfield Sound, died Saturday (March 25) at his home in Bakersfield, Calif., at age 76. The cause of death was not immediately known. He underwent surgery for throat cancer in 1993 but
maintained a busy schedule in recent years at his Crystal Palace restaurant and nightclub in Bakersfield. He was scheduled to perform there this weekend, according to his official Web site.

A man of boundless talents, Owens distinguished himself as a singer, guitarist, songwriter, bandleader, music publisher, talent booker, television personality and broadcaster. Although he regularly topped the country charts during the 1960s and early '70s, his greatest recognition came from his role as the grinning co-host of the country music television series, Hee Haw.

Alvis Edgar Owens was born Aug. 12, 1929 in Sherman, Texas. His parents were sharecroppers who moved to Mesa, Ariz., in 1937. It was in that city that Owens got his start in radio when he was 17, performing on the Buck & Britt show on radio station KTYL. In 1948, he married singer Bonnie Campbell, who would later carve out her own career as Bonnie Owens and marry Merle Haggard.

In 1951, the young couple migrated to Bakersfield, where Owens formed a band, the Schoolhouse Playboys, in which he played saxophone and trumpet. He had also developed his skills as a guitarist. During most of the '50s, he played in the house band at the Blackboard nightclub near Bakersfield. At times, he would venture into Los Angeles to play guitar on sessions for such artists as Tommy Collins, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Sonny James and Gene Vincent. He even got a deal himself with Pep Records in 1955. For that label, he cut several singles, including the rockabilly tune "Hot Dog," which he recorded under the name Corky Jones. (Owens returned to that song in 1988 for his short-lived comeback effort as a recording artist.)

Having become acquainted with Owens via his work for other artists, Capitol Records producer Ken Nelson signed him to that label in 1957. Two years afterward, he had his first chart hit, "Second Fiddle" He followed it with three Top 10 singles, including the self-penned "Under Your Spell Again." Between 1963, when he first reached the top of the charts with "Act Naturally," and 1972, when he last topped them on his own, Owens scored 20 No. 1 singles and placed another 13 songs in the Top 10. Many that reached the No. 1 spot tended to stay there: "Love's Gonna Live Here" (1963) for 16 weeks; "I Don't Care (Just As Long As You Love Me)" (1964), "Before You Go" (1965) and "Think of Me" (1966) for eight weeks each; and "My Heart Skips a Beat" 1964) and "Waitin' in Your Welfare Line" (1966) for seven weeks each. In all, Owens racked up 28 BMI awards for his radio-friendly singles.

During the late 1950s, Owens moved to the Tacoma, Wash., area. It was here that he met Don Rich (real name Donald Eugene Ulrich), the singing partner who would give Owens' songs the distinctive high, nasalized, heart-in-the-throat pitch that became his vocal trademark. (Rich remained with Owens until he was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1974.)

Under the tutelage of his manager, the late Jack McFadden, Owens took a serious turn toward capitalism. In 1964, they formed the OMAC booking agency which eventually handled such clients as Haggard, Joe and Rose Maphis, Wynn Stewart, Freddie Hart and Rose Maddox. In 1967, Owens launched his own music publishing company, Blue Book Publishing. (He sold the company to Tree Music Publishing in the 1980s, and his catalog is now a part of the giant Sony/ATV firm.) Moreover, Owens began to acquire and develop radio stations. (In 1999, Clear Channel bought his KNIX-FM in Phoenix for $84 million and his jointly owned KESZ, also in Phoenix, for $58 million.)

Yet another feature of the Owens empire came through Buck Owens Productions, which produced his syndicated television series, The Buck Owens Ranch Show. Starting in 1966, the show was shot in "batches" in Oklahoma City, much as Hee Haw would later be done in Nashville. In all, 78 half-hour color shows were taped, and the show at its peak aired in around 100 markets. Several of these shows are now available on home video, and excerpts from them were used as country music videos in the late 1980s. Owen's top-notch band, the Buckaroos, won CMA's instrumental group of the year awards in 1967 and '68.

Owens teamed with Roy Clark in 1969 to host Hee Haw, originally a show for CBS-TV. CBS dropped it in 1971, but the show continued and became even more successful as a syndicated effort. Besides introducing acts, telling jokes and appearing in skits, Owens and Clark had a "pickin' and grinnin'" spot in each show, and both sang and recorded in the popular Hee Haw Gospel Quartet.

His recording career sagging, Owens was essentially reduced to being a face of Hee Haw until Dwight Yoakam came along in the mid-1980s. Like Owens, Yoakam was passionate about West Coast country music, and he was loud in his praise of the old master. In fact, Yoakam made so much noise -- including making a personal plea to his idol -- that Owens recorded (and made a music video of) "The Streets of Bakersfield" with him. It went No. 1 in 1988, the last time Owens would view the chart from that vantage point.

Also in 1988, Owens re-signed to his old label, Capitol Records. That union resulted in two albums -- Hot Dog in 1988 and Act Naturally in 1989 -- and five charted singles, none of which reached the Top 20. However, his "Act Naturally" duet with Ringo Starr did make it to No. 27 in 1989. (Starr also sang the lead vocal on the Beatles' 1965 cover version of Owens' hit.) It was accompanied by an amusing "Old West" music video in which Owens' manager, McFadden, played the sheriff and actor Vic Tayback the bartender.

Owens withdrew from his Hee Haw hosting duties in 1986 and was never replaced, although the show continued into 1994. In 1996, he was elected to both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Earlier that same year, he had opened his opulent Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, where he performed virtually every Friday and Saturday night.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

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Comment From: desperadoguy

http://www.buckowens.com/ Visitation 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 1 Buck Owens Crystal Palace 2800 Buck Owens Blvd. Funeral services 2 p.m. Sunday, April 2 Valley Baptist Church 4800 Fruitvale Ave. Both events open to the public Comment From: ggirl

He lives in all of us Bakersfieldians and if you don't see it, he is in our musical expressions as well. Thanks Buck. RIP Comment From: adema

He's a piece of our history; our heritage. Buck Owens has been an integral part of our lives, and a tremendous influence... He will be missed ~ Comment From: kookoonauts

STREETS OF HEAVEN, PUNK TRIBUTE TO BUCK OWENS.(By the Kookoonauts) The Lord saw fit to call upon a friend. I bit too soon for a life like that to end. I thought I saw your shadow on the wall. I thought I heard your G-i-tar down the Hall. Chorus: (Now he walks the streets of heaven, where the honky tonk angles sing Now he walks the streets of heaven, can’t you hear old Buck’s guitar ring?) Sometimes life don't seem to fair, -as I turned- I thought I saw you sittin in your chair . You left sometime just before the dawn, - we went out- we left some flowers on the lawn. Chorus