Chris Owens (October 5, 1932 – April 5, 2022) was an American performer, club owner and entrepreneur who based her act out of the
French Quarter of
New Orleans,
Louisiana, in the United States. She was a French Quarter fixture and celebrity from the start of the 1960s through the early 21st century. Owens was well known in
Louisiana and throughout the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
. Tourists visiting
Bourbon Street could not miss huge posters of her wearing costumes as they walked by her nightclub. Owens was known as "Queen of the
Vieux Carré
The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Squ ...
".
Life and work
Chris Owens was born Christine Joetta Shaw on October 5, 1932, in rural
Texas, the daughter of Fred Moore Shaw Sr. and Thelma Leona Martin who married in 1925 in
Haskell, Texas. Owens grew up on a farm and went to Texas Wesleyan College (now
Texas Wesleyan University) to be a nurse. She married car dealer Sol R. Owens in 1956 and opened a nightclub on St. Louis Street in the French Quarter; it was originally intended to be a low-key sideline establishment, but business exploded. Realizing that Owens' performance numbers were a huge draw, they sold their home in 1977 and purchased the building on the corner of St. Louis and Bourbon. Soon the "Chris Owens Review" became a noted act in town. In 1979, Sol had a heart attack and died; Owens took over management of the club and of the 30 apartments and four shops located within the building.
Owens hosted a yearly Easter Parade that continues to roll throughout the French Quarter.
Owens can be seen in the 1962 film ''The Wacky World of Doctor Morgus'' (see
Morgus the Magnificent). She began production in 2003 of her first feature film, ''Let's Ballroom'', in which she stars as a wealthy widow who falls in love with her dance instructor.
Death
Chris Owens died of a heart attack on April 5, 2022, in her St. Louis Street apartment, according to her longtime manager Kitsy Adams.
Honors
On April 22, 2006, Owens was inducted into the New Orleans Musical Legends Park with a statue created in her likeness. Her image stands next to others including
Fats Domino,
Pete Fountain,
Allen Toussaint
Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...
,
Irma Thomas,
Al Hirt
Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java" and the accompanying album '' Honey in the Horn'' (1963), and for the them ...
, Ronnie Kole, and
Louis Prima.
References
Other sources
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External links
Chris Owens Nightclub*
Interview with Chris Owens, Jan. 13, 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owens, Chris
1932 births
2022 deaths
Artists from New Orleans
American neo-burlesque performers