Bonnie Owens
Bonnie Owens (born Bonnie Campbell; October 1, 1929 – April 24, 2006)[1] was an American country music singer who was married to Buck Owens and later to Merle Haggard.
Bonnie Owens
Bonnie Campbell
October 1, 1929
Blanchard, Oklahoma, U.S.
April 24, 2006 (aged 76)
Singer-songwriter
Vocals, guitar
1949–1981
Tally
Capitol
Biography[edit]
She was born Bonnie Campbell in Blanchard, Oklahoma, United States.[1] She met Buck Owens when she was 15. They played in a band in Mesa, Arizona, and married in 1948.[1] They were the parents of musician Buddy Alan.[2] They moved to Bakersfield by 1951 and started music careers. They divorced in 1953.[3]
Bonnie Owens's first recording was "A Dear John Letter", a duet with Fuzzy Owen on Mar-Vel Records (#MV-102) in 1953.[4] The B-side contained the song "Wonderful World".[4]
Owens recorded on numerous labels during the 1950s and early 1960s, including Merle Haggard’s and Fuzzy Owen's 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.[5]
Owens had hits on the country chart in the early 1960s with the songs "Why Don't Daddy Live Here Anymore?" and "Don't Take Advantage of Me".[3] In 1965, Haggard and Owens recorded the song "Just Between the Two of Us", a duet, and probably Owens's best known hit. It is also the title song to their 1966 duet album on Capitol Records (#ST-2453), that was recorded with The Strangers.[6]
Bonnie Owens was named Female Vocalist of the Year in 1965 by the Academy of Country Music. She and Haggard married the same year.[3] From this point, Owens dedicated her time to Haggard's children and his career, touring with Merle's band The Strangers as a backup vocalist.[3]
Owens and Haggard divorced in 1978; after a brief hiatus, she continued touring with him.[3]
On April 24, 2006, Owens died at the age of 76, in hospice for Alzheimer's disease.[7]