Bonnie Owens
Encyclopedia
Bonnie Owens born Bonnie Campbell, was an American
country music
singer who was married to Buck Owens
and later Merle Haggard
.
, met Buck Owens when she was only 15. 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 jumpstarted both their careers in music.
Her first recording was a duet with Fuzzy Owen called "A Dear John Letter" and was on Mar-Vel Records #MV-102 and dates about 1950. Side B contained a song titled “Wonderful World”. Bonnie and Fuzzy’s “A Dear John Letter” was not a remake of the 1953 Jean Shepard
/Ferlin Husky
version as some believe, as theirs predated Shepard/Husky by 3 years.
Owens recorded on numerous labels during the 1950s and early 1960s including Merle Haggard’s and Fuzzy Owens own Tally label, all of which were singles. Her first album titled “Don’t Take Advantage Of Me” came in 1965 on Capitol Records # ST-2403.
Owens was named “Female Vocalist Of The Year” in 1965 by the Academy Of Country Music and she and Haggard were married that same year. From that point on Bonnie dedicated her time to Haggard’s children and his career, touring with Merle’s band The Strangers as a backup vocalist. During the early stages of Bonnie and Merle’s careers together, Bonnie was the headliner, and Merle, the up and coming (and underlining) new star.
Owens and Haggard divorced in 1978, and after a brief hiatus, she continued touring with him
She had hits on the country charts in the early 1960s with the songs "Why Don't Daddy Live Here Anymore?" and "Don't Take Advantage Of Me". In 1965 Haggard and Owens recorded the song called "Just Between the Two of Us", a duet hit and probably Owens' best known hit. It was also the title song to their 1966 duet album on Capitol Records #ST-2453.
In 2006, Owens died in a hospital, not even a month after her first husband Buck Owens had died. She was 76 years old.
Demographics of the United States
As of today's date, the United States has a total resident population of , making it the third most populous country in the world. It is a very urbanized population, with 82% residing in cities and suburbs as of 2008 . This leaves vast expanses of the country nearly uninhabited...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer who was married to Buck Owens
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
and later Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
.
Biography
Bonnie Campbell (no relation to Glen), born in Oklahoma City, OklahomaOklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, met Buck Owens when she was only 15. 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 jumpstarted both their careers in music.
Her first recording was a duet with Fuzzy Owen called "A Dear John Letter" and was on Mar-Vel Records #MV-102 and dates about 1950. Side B contained a song titled “Wonderful World”. Bonnie and Fuzzy’s “A Dear John Letter” was not a remake of the 1953 Jean Shepard
Jean Shepard
Ollie Imogene Shepard , better known as Jean Shepard, is an American honky tonk singer-songwriter who was a pioneer for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which reached the #1 spot...
/Ferlin Husky
Ferlin Husky
Ferlin Eugene Husky was an early American country music singer who was equally adept at the genres of traditional honky honk, ballads, spoken recitations, and rockabilly pop tunes...
version as some believe, as theirs predated Shepard/Husky by 3 years.
Owens recorded on numerous labels during the 1950s and early 1960s including Merle Haggard’s and Fuzzy Owens own Tally label, all of which were singles. Her first album titled “Don’t Take Advantage Of Me” came in 1965 on Capitol Records # ST-2403.
Owens was named “Female Vocalist Of The Year” in 1965 by the Academy Of Country Music and she and Haggard were married that same year. From that point on Bonnie dedicated her time to Haggard’s children and his career, touring with Merle’s band The Strangers as a backup vocalist. During the early stages of Bonnie and Merle’s careers together, Bonnie was the headliner, and Merle, the up and coming (and underlining) new star.
Owens and Haggard divorced in 1978, and after a brief hiatus, she continued touring with him
She had hits on the country charts in the early 1960s with the songs "Why Don't Daddy Live Here Anymore?" and "Don't Take Advantage Of Me". In 1965 Haggard and Owens recorded the song called "Just Between the Two of Us", a duet hit and probably Owens' best known hit. It was also the title song to their 1966 duet album on Capitol Records #ST-2453.
In 2006, Owens died in a hospital, not even a month after her first husband Buck Owens had died. She was 76 years old.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Don't Take Advantage of Me | 15 |
| 1966 | Just Between the Two of Us (with Merle Haggard Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,... ) |
4 |
| 1967 | All of Me Belongs to You | 35 |
| 1968 | Somewhere Between | 34 |
| 1969 | Hi-Fi to Cry By | |
| 1969 | Lead Me On | |
| 1970 | Mother's Favorite Hymns | |
| 1999 | The Best of Bonnie Owens |
Singles
| Year | Title | US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | "Why Don't Daddy Live Here Anymore" | 25 | Don't Take Advantage of Me |
| 1964 | "Don't Take Advantage of Me" | 27 | |
| "Between the Two of Us" (w/ Merle Haggard Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,... ) |
28 | Just Between the Two of Us | |
| 1965 | "Number One Heel" | 41 | Don't Take Advantage of Me |
| 1966 | "Consider the Children" (w/ The Strangers) | 69 | All of Me Belongs to You |
| 1969 | "Lead Me On" (w/ The Strangers) | 68 | Lead Me On |