Jim Owen (April 21, 1941 – March 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter.
Biography
Owen was born in
Robards, Kentucky. When he was eight years old, he saw
sing, and from that time, he became completely fascinated by the star and his music. After completing his education, he worked variously as a journalist and as a golf coach until 1969 when, with
Mel Tillis
Lonnie Melvin Tillis (August 8, 1932 – November 19, 2017) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, ...
’ help, he relocated to
Nashville Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, to work as a songwriter.
Over the next few years, several artists had chart hits with his songs. These included "Too Lonely Too Long" and "One More Drink" (both
Mel Tillis
Lonnie Melvin Tillis (August 8, 1932 – November 19, 2017) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, ...
), "Little Boy’s Prayer" (
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour.
In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...
), "Sweet Baby On My Mind" (
June Stearns), "Southern Loving" and "Broad Minded Man" (both
Jim Ed Brown
James Edward Brown (April 1, 1934 – June 11, 2015) was an American country singer-songwriter who achieved fame in the 1950s with his two sisters as a member of the Browns. He later had a successful solo career from 1965 to 1974, followed by ...
), "The Telephone" (
Jerry Reed
Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and songwriter as well as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Guitar Man", " U.S. Male", "A Thi ...
) and arguably the best-known of all, "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" (
Conway Twitty and
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Ma ...
). He never lost his obsession with Hank Williams, and encouraged by his wife, (who once dreamed that she saw Owen onstage at the
Grand Ole Opry, but that it was Williams’ voice that she heard coming from him) he began to recreate his idol as an
impressionist or
impersonator. He talked with people that had known or worked with Williams and practiced his mannerisms and stage presentation.
In 1976, he presented "Hank," a one-hour
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
television special that won him an Emmy award for the best show of the year on public television. He then produced a 90-minute one-man live stage show: "An Evening With Hank Williams" which had backing tracks provided by Hank’s band: "The Drifting Cowboys." He commenced touring extensively with the show and regularly drew audiences of thousands at countless venues.
He also starred in the 1980 film ''Hank Williams: The Man And His Music'', for which he received an Emmy nomination.
In 1978, his Epic recording of "Lovesick Blues" recorded with the "Drifting Cowboys" was a minor chart hit and in the early 1980s, he scored two more minor hits with "Ten Anniversary Presents" and "Hell Yes, I Cheated".
In 1985, he wrote and produced a 10-hour Hank Williams radio show which, on New Year’s Day was broadcast on various U.S. stations as a tribute. Owen has also appeared as Williams for the noted "Legends In Concert" at the Imperial Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada and made many appearances on the
Grand Ole Opry, including a special one on January 1, 1993, the 40th anniversary of Williams’ death, which gained him a standing ovation. He continued to tour into the 1990s, still wrote songs and, at times, worked as an auctioneer near his
Henderson, Tennessee
Henderson is a city in and the county seat of Chester County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,309 at the 2010 census, up from 5,670 at the 2000 census.
History
Henderson was platted in 1857, when the railroad was extended to th ...
home. He is also noted for his collection of classic cars.
Jim Owen mentioned at
Music of Missouri
The U.S. state of Missouri has a storied musical history. It has been the scene of major developments in several popular music genres as well as the birthplace of many notable musicians. St. Louis was an important venue for early blues and jazz, ...
entertained audiences with his comedy and award winning musical talent for years in
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postm ...
. He performed many of the classic songs he wrote for country music stars which became huge hits. Owen won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Hank Williams Sr. in a made-for-TV movie that he both wrote and starred in. His show was complete with clips and songs of Hank as well as other legendary artists.
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The De ...
once called Jim Owen country music's least known country superstar.
In 2012, Owen had only 45 shows scheduled although most years he topped 150.
Performances in Branson were curtailed following the
2012 Leap Day tornado outbreak
The 2012 Leap Day tornado outbreak was a significant and deadly tornado outbreak on February 28 and February 29, 2012. It caused severe damage in several regions, especially the Great Plains and Ohio Valley regions. It also resulted in s ...
when his Branson Mall venue was destroyed, but he performed again at the Doug Gabriel Theatre for several years after that before retiring.
References
External links
"Jim Owen Morning Show"Biography: Jim Owenon AllMusic
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Entry at 45cat.com*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Jim
1941 births
2020 deaths
American country singer-songwriters
American male singer-songwriters
People from Henderson County, Kentucky
People from Henderson, Tennessee