Bonnie Owens
Bonnie Owens (October 1, 1929 - April 24, 2006) born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was a country singer.
Road to Stardom
Born Bonnie Camppbell, Bonnie Owens was a country music singer who was married to Buck Owens and later Merle Haggard. Mainly most people know Owens for these two previous reasons but in the 50s and the 60s Bonnie Owens was a singer/songwriter in her own right. She met Buck Owens when she was only fifteen. They played in a band in Mesa, Arizona and then later were married in 1951 and moved to Bakersfield, California. They eventually divorced but moving to Bakersfield both jumpstarted their careers in music.
Fame
Owens' first recording was a duet with Fuzzy Owen called "A Dear John Letter", a remake of the orginal by Jean Shepard. Owens recorded music for the Tally label. These songs became hits on the Country charts in 1963 and 1964 like, "Why Don't Daddy Live Her Anymore?" and "Don't Take Advantage of Me". In 1965 Merle Haggard and Owens recorded the song called "Just Between the Two of Us", a duet hit and probably Bonnie's best known hit. That year Haggard and Owens were married, but were later divorced in 1978. In 1965, Bonnie Owens was named by the Academy of Country Music the "Female Vocalist of the Year". Since 1965, Owens has dedicataed her time to his career and began touring with his band, becoming even one of the backup vocalists in his band. Today, she still tours with his band, even though have been divorced. In 2006, Owens died in a hospice, not even a month after her first husband Buck Owens died. She was 76 years old.
Albums
- 1965 - Don't Take Advantage of Me
- 1966 - Just Between the Two of Us (With Merle Haggard)
- 1968 - Somewhere Between
- 1969 - Hi-Fi to Cry Byv
- 1969 - Lead Me on
- 1970 - Mother's Favorite Hymns