Bonnie Owens

{{Short description|American country music singer-songwriter (1924–2006)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Bonnie Owens

| image = Bonnie Owens promo image.jpg

| image_size =

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name = Bonnie Campbell

| alias =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|10|1}}

| birth_place = Blanchard, Oklahoma, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2006|4|24|1929|10|1}}

| instrument = Vocals, guitar

| genre = Country

| occupation = Singer-songwriter

| years_active = 1949–1981

| label = Tally
Capitol

| associated_acts = Buck Owens
Merle Haggard,
The Strangers

| website =

}}

Bonnie Owens (born Bonnie Campbell; October 1, 1929 – April 24, 2006) was an American country music singer who was married to Buck Owens and later to Merle Haggard.

Biography

She was born Bonnie Campbell in Blanchard, Oklahoma, United States.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-apr-26-me-owens26-story.html Obituary: Bonnie Owens, 76; Singer and Ex-Wife of 2 Country Stars], Articles.latimes.com, Retrieved December 5, 2014. She met Buck Owens when she was 15. They played in a band in Mesa, Arizona, and married in 1948. They were the parents of musician Buddy Alan.{{cite web |title=Buddy Alan Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/buddy-alan-mn0000537206 |website=AllMusic |access-date=30 January 2022}} They moved to Bakersfield, California, by 1951 and started music careers. They divorced in 1953.{{cite book|title=The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1993|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-726-6|pages=302/3}}

Bonnie Owens's first recording was "A Dear John Letter", a duet with Fuzzy Owen on Mar-Vel Records (#MV-102) in 1953.{{Cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/45mv102|title=Fuzzy And Bonnie Owens And The Sun Valley Playboys - A Dear John Letter|access-date=August 9, 2021|website=45cat.com}} The B-side contained the song "Wonderful World".

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/dont-take-advantage-of-me-mw0001511503|title=Don't Take Advantage of Me - Bonnie Owens | Songs, Reviews, Credits |website=AllMusic|access-date=August 9, 2021}}

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". 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.45worlds.com/vinyl/album/st2453|title=Just Between the Two of Us : Bonnie Owens And Merle Haggard|website=45worlds.com|access-date=August 7, 2021}}

Bonnie Owens was named Female Vocalist of the Year in 1965 by the Academy of Country Music. She and Haggard married the same year. 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.

Owens and Haggard divorced in 1978; after a brief hiatus, she continued touring with him.

On April 24, 2006, Owens died at the age of 76, in hospice for Alzheimer's disease.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/26/arts/music/bonnie-owens-76-country-singer-is-dead.html|title=Bonnie Owens, 76, Country Singer, Is Dead|date=April 26, 2006|access-date=August 9, 2021|website=The New York Times}}