Buck Owens The Biography

by Sisk, Eileen

• ISBN13: 9781556527685
• ISBN10: 1556527683
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-06-24
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Summary

Retracing the life of Buck Owens -- from his poverty-stricken youth as the son of a sharecropper to one of the nation's best-loved and wealthiest entertainers -- this biography pays tribute to the man and his music by revealing his genius, his warmth, his humour, his vulnerabilities, and his flaws. It is based on personal sources, including original and latter-day Buckaroos, the co-host and the producer of Hee Haw, the former president of Capitol Nashville, and numerous country singers, relatives, ex-wives, ex-lovers, and ex-employees. The result is a 360-degree profile of a shrewd businessman -- the polar opposite of the aw-shucks image he cultivated on Hee Haw. Owens was the top-selling country act of the 1960s -- with 21 number-one hits and 35 consecutive top-10 hits from 1962 to 1972, a total surpassed only by the Beatles. One of his major contributions to this era was his invention of the Bakersfield sound, mixing electric guitars with a rock 'n' roll beat, which became popular with country and rock fans alike. This biography details the rift Buck had with the Nashville establishment, his reasons for never becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the number of times Buck married, the truth about Buck posing in the nude for Playgirl, and his strained but professional relationship with Hee Haw cohost Roy Clark.

Author Biography

Eileen Sisk is a former editor at the Tennessean, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and the Washington Post and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. and the Society of Professional Journalists. She is the author of Honky-Tonks: Guide to Country Dancin’ and Romancin’.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Preface	p. xiii
Son of a Tenant Farmer	p. 1
The Exodus	p. 7
Bonnie	p. 14
The Promised Land	p. 20
Capitol	p. 27
Washington	p. 32
Dangerous Don	p. 36
Bakersfield Redux	p. 42
General Jack	p. 48
Uncle Dorothy	p. 52
"Act Naturally"	p. 54
Merle and the Moose Medicine	p. 58
Dashing Doyle	p. 61
Timid Tom	p. 69
The Peacemakers	p. 76
Dennis Payne	p. 81
The Firing of Mel King	p. 83
Willing Willie	p. 86
Road Stories	p. 91
Buck's Pledge	p. 97
The Baron of Buckersfield	p. 101
Phyllis	p. 114
Professional Jealousy	p. 117
The Flex Bus	p. 119
The Girl Singer	p. 125
Buck Owens Ranch	p. 130
Carnegie Hall	p. 134
Running with the Dogs	p. 141
James, Charley, and Ray	p. 149
If the Suit Fits	p. 152
The Studio and the Snake	p. 156
Jennifer	p. 160
Forbidden Fruit	p. 162
Friends in High Places	p. 165
Jumpin' Jerry Wiggins	p. 170
Stolen Glory	p. 173
Kris Black	p. 177
A Run-In with Rolene	p. 182
Flying High	p. 184
Bucking Tradition	p. 188
The Show Must Go On	p. 193
Jay Dee	p. 197
Hee Haw	p. 201
Drugs of Choice	p. 210
Jo McFadden	p. 213
Buck Changes His Tunes	p. 218
Ruby and the Master of Spin	p. 223
Death of a Buckaroo	p. 231
Life After Don	p. 252
Jana Jae	p. 257
The No-Record Deal	p. 262
Two Goodbyes	p. 268
The "Three-Day" Marriage	p. 272
The '80s	p. 282
The '90s	p. 288
Together Again	p. 296
Epilogue	p. 304
Chapter Notes	p. 309
Selected Sessionography and Discography	p. 335
Bibliography	p. 375
Index	p. 377
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.