Many fans remember Buck Owens from the long-running comedy variety show Hee Haw. However, Owens’ contributions to country music go much deeper than that. He was a pioneer of the Bakersfield Sound. The sound combined rock, honky tonk, and Western Swing and brought us artists like Tommy Collins, Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam, Marty Stuart, and many more.
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Owens’ career started in 1945 playing in bars and honky tonks. He played until the end of his life in 2006. Over the course of his career, Owens and his band The Buckaroos launched 21 songs to the top of the Billboard Country charts. He’s a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
[RELATED: 5 Fascinating Facts About the Most Devoted Country Music Purist Ever: Buck Owens]
For those who are new to Owens’ material or those who are just looking to relive the good old days, here are three of his hits that every country fan should know.
“Act Naturally”—Buck Owens’ First No. 1 Hit
Written by Johnny Russell, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos released “Act Naturally” as a single on March 11, 1963. After years of underperforming singles, Owens and the band started to get hits in 1960. They had several top 10 hits between 1960 and 1963. Then, “Act Naturally” brought them their first chart-topper.
“Act Naturally” is from the perspective of a man who has been so hurt by his former lover that he could play “a man who’s sad and lonely” in a film convincingly enough to win an Oscar. Russell’s clever writing and Owens’ delivery made this song a timeless hit. The Beatles famously included a cover of the song on their album Help!.
“I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail”—Bucks’ Biggest Hit
Buck Owens and Harlan Howard came together to write songs in 1964. However, the session was going nowhere. There, Owens saw an Esso gas station ad with the slogan “Put a tiger in your tank” which inspired him to write the song. It was the lead single and title track from Owens’ 1965 album. It would go on to be his biggest hit and signature song.
“I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail” was Owen’s fifth No. 1 in a string of 14 No. 1 singles. It topped the country chart and stayed there for five weeks. Additionally, it went to No. 25 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it his biggest crossover hit as well.
“Streets of Bakersfield”—Buck Owens’ Final No.1
Songwriter Homer Joy wanted nothing more than to have Buck Owens cut one of his songs. He tried several times to get in front of Owens to pitch his songs and was shot down every time. Inspired by this rejection, he wrote “Streets of Bakersfield.” Thankfully, he didn’t give up. When he got in front of Owens for the first time, he played this song and Buck was almost instantly on board.
He and the Buckaroos recorded it for their 1973 album Aint It Amazing, Gracie and the song didn’t do much for them. Then, more than a decade later, an up-and-coming Dwight Yoakam invited Owens to join him on a CBS television special. They performed “Streets of Bakersfield” together. It went over so well that Owens and Yoakam decided to record it as a duet.
Yoakam released it as a single from his 1988 album Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room and it went to the top of the Billboard country chart. Though he was a featured artist on the song, “Streets of Bakersfield” gave Owens his final chart-topper.
Featured Image by David Redfern/Redferns
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