NOVEMBER 1 2007
AMERICANWAY 71
Buck, mymusical memory of him.
What do you think the impact of
HeeHaw
was
onOwens’s reputation?
Maybe this is too strong,
but it sort of distorted his legacy in away. Once a
hit television program occurs— especially in the
’60s, when therewere only three networks— its
effect is indelible. At the very least, it clouded the
clear sight of how important hewas as amassively
crucial artist in countrymusic.
How important do you thinkOwenswas?
In
maintaining a bridge between country and rock,
he played a pivotal role in causing the genre of
country-rock to occur.Without BuckOwens, the
Byrdswouldn’t have done a
Sweetheart of theRo-
deo
, people likeGramParsons andClarenceWhite
wouldn’t have been introduced to the public, and
I don’t know if therewould’ve been anEagles or a
LindaRonstadt either.
You spoke at Owens’s funeral, and toanyone
who saw that, itwas clear that you’d grown
close tohim.
Hewas like a surrogate parent tome
—much tomy chagrin sometimes andmuch tomy
mother’s delight. Thefirst time hemetmymomwas
inAtlanta in 1988.Wewere all at dinner, andBuck
was admonishingme about something inmy career;
mymom looked over atme and said, “Now, Dwight,
you need to listen toBuck.”Well, I never heard the
end of that. Until the lastweek of his life, he [often]
remindedme, “Dwight, now, you knowwhat your
mother told you— you’re to listen tome!”
The twoof you are linked in country-music
history and also in theminds ofmany fans.
People actually thought youwere always
together.
It’s funny. For the first couple of years
I knew him, hewould call up and say, “Dwight, it’s
BuckOwens.” I’d tell him, “You know, Buck, you
don’t have to tell me your last name. I knowwhich
Buck it is by the sound of your voice.” Later, he’ddo
that just to teaseme. ¶Theweek that Buck passed,
he and I had a four-hour phone conversation. Be-
fore he hung up, hementioned that someone had
asked him if Iwould autograph something and
where he should send it. He said, “They act like I
have dinnerwith you every night.” I said, “I know.
They thinkwe live across the street from each
other.” He laughed and said, “Well, Dwight, we’ll
just always be linked.” I knewwhat hemeant at
the time. But I couldn’t have fathomed that just
four days later itwould come into play in another
way. [He chokes up.] ¶You’ll have to excuseme. I
haven’t donemany interviews about Buck and this
album. Recording his songs for the first time since
his passing, I really couldn’t have anticipated the
journey itwas going to become forme emotionally.
I just hope that people know that I did itwith tre-
mendous love and respect.
1. “Who’sGonnaMowYour Grass”
Hint:
This songwas coveredby the rockabilly group theDerailers aswell as byRobZombie. It’s true.
2. “SinCity”
Hint:
A hauntingduet, it appeared on his fourth album, whichwas amasterpiece frombeginning to end.
3. “It OnlyHurtsWhen I Cry”
Hint:
Sweet, sad, funny, this songwas cowrittenwithRogerMiller, whowrote “King of theRoad.”
4. “Hot Dog”
Hint:
This one is pure fun, rockabilly genius, andwas recorded under the title “Corky Jones.”
5. “TwoDoorsDown”
Hint:
The album it’s onwaswritten after a failed relationship. It’s amasterwork of painful beauty.
6. “TakeMeBackAgain”
Hint:
This slow-dancing, mellow-swinging song is a tribute to the country cosmopolitan sound.
YouKnowThem
andYouLikeThem
Have youwalked the streets of Bakersfield enough to be able to tell
Yoakam fromOwens?Give yourself
10points
if you can guesswhich
singer recorded the following songs. Allot another
five points
if you can
guess the album onwhich the songs appear.
—ERICCELESTE
10 to 30:
30 to 50:
50 to80:
80 to90:
Youmay
have ridden
ahorse,
but only
once. And
notwell.
Youbelieve
theBoys
Don’t Cry
song that
goes, “I
wannabe
a cowboy,
and you can
bemy cow-
girl” counts
as country.
It does not.
Youwear
denim
just right,
friend. But
you’ve got
topull your
hat down a
little lower.
You should
invite us to
your ranch
someday.
You are
Dwight
Yoakam, and
you should
really stop
reading your
ownpress
clippings.
0 to 10:
Answers
1. Owens, from
TheVeryBest of BuckOwens, Volume 1
, 1994
2. Yoakam, withK.D. Lang, from
Just Lookin’ for aHit
, 1989
3. Yoakam, from
If ThereWas aWay
, 1990
4. Owens, from
YoungBuck: TheCompletePre-Capitol Recordings of BuckOwens
, 2001
5. Yoakam, from
This Time
, 1993
6. Owens, from
BuckOwens
, 1961
