Jake Owen
| Jake Owen | |
|---|---|
 Jake Owen at Country Thunder USA 2007 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joshua Ryan Owen[1] |
| Born | August 28, 1981 [2]Vero Beach, Florida, USA |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, USA |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | RCA Records Nashville |
| Associated acts | Kenny Chesney, Little Big Town, Jimmy Ritchey, Sugarland |
| Website | Official website |
Joshua Ryan "Jake" Owen (born August 28, 1981) is an American country music artist. Signed to RCA Records Nashville in 2005, he released his debut album Startin' with Me that year. The album produced three singles, all of which reached Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart: "Yee Haw", "Startin' with Me", and "Something About a Woman". A second album, 2009's Easy Does It, has accounted for three more singles: "Don't Think I Can't Love You", "Eight Second Ride", and "Tell Me". In September 2011, Owen achieved his first number one on the country charts with the title track to his third album, Barefoot Blue Jean Night. He has also toured as an opening act for several country acts, including Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Little Big Town, Sugarland, and Keith Urban.
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[edit] Biography
Joshua "Jake" Owen and his fraternal twin brother Jarrod were born in Vero Beach, Florida on August 28, 1981.[3][4] The brothers regularly participated in a variety of sports. Jake eventually took up golf, and began pursuing a career as a professional golfer, winning his first tournament at fifteen.[3] After graduating high school, they attended Florida State University. A wakeboarding accident which resulted in reconstructive surgery left Jake unable to continue playing the sport.[5]
While recovering from his injuries, he borrowed a neighbor's guitar and began to teach himself how to play it. After seeing a guitarist perform at a campus bar, he asked the bar's owner if he could play a gig there. Eventually, he became a regular at the bar, and soon took up writing his own material as well.[3] He then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, making his first stop at a bank to open a savings account; after telling the bank teller that he was a singer and songwriter, the teller then asked if he had any recordings available.[4] He gave her a CD of his work, which she sent to the Warner/Chappell Music publishing company.
[edit] Musical career
Although Warner/Chappell did not sign him to a contract, Jake Owen eventually met record producer and songwriter Jimmy Ritchey. They, along with songwriter Chuck Jones, wrote a song entitled "Ghosts", which they had intended for Kenny Chesney. Chesney, ultimately, did not record "Ghosts", although it drew the attention of Sony BMG Nashville executives, who signed Josh to their RCA Records label in 2005.[5] Per their suggestion, Owen changed his first name to Jake, so as to avoid confusion with Josh Turner and Josh Gracin.[4]
[edit] Startin' with Me
In early 2006, Jake Owen released his debut single, entitled "Yee Haw". He describes the song (an up-tempo party anthem in which the narrator expresses his enjoyment with a cry of "yee haw") as being written "to make people have a good time."[6] It peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and served as the lead-off single on his debut album, Startin' with Me.[5]
Released on July 25, 2006, the album featured 11 tracks, all co-written by him and his producer. Among them were his own recording of "Ghosts" and a duet with Randy Owen (no relation) of Alabama) entitled "You Can Thank Dixie".[7]) After the album's release, Jake Owen was signed as an opening act for acts such as Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.[8]
The album's title track, a ballad in which the narrator expresses his desire to change everything in his life, was released as his second single. Spending more than thirty-five weeks on the Billboard country chart, "Startin' with Me" became his first Top ten hit, reaching a peak of #6.[8] Also in 2007, he went on tour with Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn.[8] "Something About a Woman" was released in late 2007 as the third single. In September 2007, he and country quartet Little Big Town joined country duo Sugarland's tour.[9] During this tour, the three acts began performing "Life in a Northern Town" (a cover of British pop group The Dream Academy's hit single from 1985). A music video of their live performance was aired on CMT. In April 2008, a recording of this performance entered the Billboard country chart based on unsolicited airplay.
[edit] Easy Does It
Jake Owen released his second studio album, Easy Does It, on February 24, 2009. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums and #13 on the Billboard 200. The lead-off single to the album, "Don't Think I Can't Love You" became his first Top 5 country hit, reaching #2 on the Hot Country Songs chart in April 2009. "Eight Second Ride", a song which was originally on Startin' with Me and newly recorded for Easy Does It, was the album's second single; it peaked at #11 in January 2010. "Tell Me" was the album's third single.
[edit] Barefoot Blue Jean Night
He released his third studio album, Barefoot Blue Jean Night, on August 30, 2011. The lead-off single and title track to the album, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" has become his first Number One single on the country chart.
In 2011, he joined Keith Urban on his 2011 Get Closer world tour.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [10] |
US [11] |
||
| Startin' with Me |
|
8 | 31 |
| Easy Does It |
|
2 | 13 |
| Barefoot Blue Jean Night |
|
1 | 6 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [12] |
US [13] |
CAN [14] |
|||||||
| 2006 | "Yee Haw" | 16 | 83 | — | Startin' with Me | ||||
| "Startin' with Me" | 6 | 83 | — | ||||||
| 2007 | "Something About a Woman" | 15 | 104 | — | |||||
| 2008 | "Don't Think I Can't Love You" | 2 | 57 | — | Easy Does It | ||||
| 2009 | "Eight Second Ride" | 11 | 70 | — | |||||
| 2010 | "Tell Me" | 35 | — | — | |||||
| 2011 | "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" | 1 | 21 | 52 |
|
Barefoot Blue Jean Night | |||
| "Alone with You"[A] | 14 | 53 | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
- Notes
- A^ Current single.
[edit] Other charted songs
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN | |||
| 2008 | "Life in a Northern Town" (with Sugarland and Little Big Town) |
28 | 43 | 53 | Love on the Inside (Sugarland album) |
| 2011 | "Mele Kalikimaka" | 40 | — | — | A Very Country Christmas |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
[edit] Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Yee Haw" | Wes Edwards |
| 2007 | "Startin' with Me" | Shaun Silva |
| 2008 | "Life in a Northern Town" (with Sugarland and Little Big Town) |
Becky Fluke |
| "Don't Think I Can't Love You" | David McClister | |
| 2009 | "Eight Second Ride" | Deaton-Flanigen Productions |
| 2010 | "Tell Me" | Mason Dixon |
| 2011 | "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" | |
| "Alone with You" |
[edit] Awards
- 2009 ACM Top New Male Vocalist
[edit] References
- ^ Full name per BMI
- ^ Fabian, Shelly. "Jake Owen profile". About.com. http://countrymusic.about.com/od/jakeowen/p/jakeowen_pr.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
- ^ a b c Isenberg, Barbara (2007-12-14). "Country music star comes home to Vero Beach". My Hometown News. http://www.myhometownnews.net/index.php?id=35730. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ a b c "Jake Owen biography". Great American Country. http://www.gactv.com/gac/ar_artists_a-z/article/0,,GAC_26071_4751625,00.html. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ a b c Apar, Corey. "Jake Owen biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p781820/biography. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ Shelburne, Craig (2007-07-13). "Jake Owen Gets a Boost From "Startin' with Me"". Country Music Television. http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1564719/jake-owen-gets-a-boost-from-startin-with-me.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ "Jake Owen biography". Lycos Music. http://entertainment.lycos.com/music/artist_bio.php?fml=1&id=Jake+Owen. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ a b c "Jake Owen scores first Top 10 single". Country Standard Time. 2007-06-11. http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=664&t=Jake_Owen_scores_first_Top_10_single. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ Shelburne, Craig (2007-09-26). "Little Big Town Is Ready to Roll With Sugarland". Country Music Television. http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1570623/little-big-town-is-ready-to-roll-with-sugarland.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
- ^ "Jake Owen Album & Song Chart History - Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/jake-owen/chart-history/730957?f=320&g=Albums. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- ^ "Jake Owen Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/jake-owen/chart-history/730957?f=305&g=Albums. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- ^ "Jake Owen Album & Song Chart History - Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/jake-owen/chart-history/730957?f=357&g=Singles. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- ^ "Jake Owen Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/jake-owen/chart-history/730957. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- ^ "Barefoot Blue Jean Night - Jake Owen". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/jake-owen/barefoot-blue-jean-night/25234056. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- ^ "American singles certifications – Jake Owen – Eight Second Ride". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Eight+Second+Ride%22. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select ', then click SEARCH
- ^ "American singles certifications – Jake Owen – Barefoot Blue Jean Night". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Barefoot+Blue+Jean+Night%22. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select ', then click SEARCH
[edit] External links
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