One of the first stars to meld country and rock together, Buck Owens created a
form of wild hillbilly boogie, defined by its twanging, electrified distortion
and old time rockabilly roots. Born Alvis Owens, he renamed himself Buck as a
child (after the family horse) and dropped out of school in the 9th Grade to
help out on the family farm during the Great Depression. Teaching himself to
play the guitar, he started performing on local Arizona radio stations before
moving to California during the Dust Bowl era and became a hero to the migrant
workers of the 1950s and 1960s. Offerin...