Bonnie Owens
| Bonnie Owens | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bonnie Campbell |
| Born | October 1, 1929 |
| Origin | Blanchard, Oklahoma, USA |
| Died | April 24, 2006 (aged 76) |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1963–2006 |
| Labels | Tally Capitol |
| Associated acts | Buck Owens Merle Haggard |
Bonnie Owens (October 1, 1929 – April 24, 2006), born Bonnie Campbell, was an American country music singer who was married to Buck Owens and later Merle Haggard.
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[edit] Biography
Bonnie Campbell (no relation to Glen), born in Oklahoma City, 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/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.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | US Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Don't Take Advantage of Me | 15 |
| 1966 | Just Between the Two of Us (with Merle Haggard) | 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 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | US Country | 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) | 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 |
