Johnny Cash has been on the popular radar ever since hipster rock and roll music producer Rick Ruben decided in the late ’90s that the true calling of The Man In Black was singing Soundgarden covers, but in my book of country greats, way way way up higher than Cash is the great Buck Owens, who died today at the age of 76. You may not find Buck Owens’ recordings sandwiched between “Death Cab for Cutie” and “Polyphonic Spree” CDs on the shelves of art school students, but Owens was every bit as important, if not much more so, than Cash to the history of American music. He had 20 number one hits and pretty much singlehandedly invented the “Bakersfield Sound” that would go on to influence a generation of singers, most noticably Dwight Yoakam. Buck Owens never kicked out the stage lights at the Ryman or had an amphetamine addiction, but his music was amazing and he’ll be missed by those who know his songs.
“I’d like to be remembered as a guy that came along and did his music, did his best and showed up on time, clean and ready to do the job, wrote a few songs and had a hell of a time.” – Buck Owens
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I say horsefeathers! Buck Owens isn’t sandwiched in between Death Cab CD’s now because he already had his resurgence, in the 60’s and 70’s! Bash Cash all you want for being fashionable now, but he’s just going through the same surge Owens did then when all the hip youngsters like the Beatles and Paul Simon were covering his songs, and his albums were sandwiched between theirs on the shelves of impressionable hipsters (or, hippies in this case).