Buck Owens

Buck Owens, along with Merle Haggard, was the leader of the Bakersfield sound, a twangy, electrified, rock-influenced interpretation of hardcore honky tonk that emerged in the '60s. Owens was the first bona fide country star to emerge from Bakersfield, scoring a total of 15 consecutive number one hits between 1963 and 1967. In the process, he provided an edgy alternative to the string-laden Nashville country-pop that was prevalent at the time. Later in his career, his musical impact was forgotten by some due to his starring role on the country comedy program Hee Haw. Nevertheless, several generations of musicians -- from Gram Parsons in the late '60s to Dwight Yoakam in the '80s -- were influenced by his music, which wound up being one of the blueprints for modern country. 2016's The Complete Capitol Singles 1957-1966, 2018's The Complete Capitol Singles: 1967–1970, and 2019's The Complete Capitol Singles: 1971-1975 thoroughly over Owens' essential recordings from the most fertile period of his career, 1966's The Carnegie Hall Concert (aka Live at Carnegie Hall) captures him and his band the Buckaroos at the peak of their abilities on-stage, and 2021's Together Again collects the best of his duets with protege Susan Raye.