In memory of Buck Owens (1929-2006)
Country music legend Alvis E. "Buck" Owens passed away early this morning at his Bakersfield, California home. The Buck Owens web site notice has these biographical remarks: Buck was born on August 12, 1929 in Sherman, Texas. The son of a sharecropper, Buck traveled with his family to the Phoenix, Arizona area in 1937 as they searched for a better life. Eventually, they traveled to California's San Joaquin Valley, doing farm work. At a young age Buck vowed that when he grew up, he would not be poor. He found a way out of his family's poverty through his musical talent. During the years I was born and raised in the Seattle area, my parents exposed me to a lot of country-and-western music on a day-to-day level. Buck Owens brought a very distinctive sound to his vocals and to his backup accompaniment (which became known in music circles as the "Bakersfield Sound"). I also recall watching "Hee Haw" when it was a current network telecast including B