[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 28, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H1163-H1164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BUCK OWENS

  (Mr. THOMAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1

[[Page H1164]]

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMAS. Madam Speaker, as the world now knows, early Saturday 
morning in his sleep, Buck Owens let go of the tiger's tail. What 
people probably do not know was what happened on Friday night. Because 
as Buck usually did, he acted naturally. He went to his Crystal Palace, 
his dance hall and dining room, had his usual chicken-fried steak 
Friday evening, and told the staff he did not feel very good and he was 
going to go home and miss the Friday night performance.
  In going out to his car, a car full of people from Bend, Oregon, saw 
him, and they ran over to him and they said, Buck, we came all of the 
way down to see you. He turned around and went back in and played the 
complete first set because he could not disappoint a fan.
  He went home and never woke up.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my friend and 
country music legend, Buck Owens, who passed away on Saturday, March 
25, 2006.
  With 25 No. 1 songs, Buck had one of the most successful country 
music careers in history. Known for his trademark red, white and blue 
guitar, he was on stage nearly every Friday and Saturday night with his 
band, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, at his Crystal Palace in 
Bakersfield. In fact, just hours before he passed away, he had spent 
the evening performing at the Crystal Palace, closing his portion of 
the show with his 1969 hit ``Big in Vegas.''
  Alvin Edgar Owens was born to Texas sharecroppers in 1929 and became 
known as ``Buck'' at the age of 4 when he nicknamed himself after a 
mule on the family farm. In 1937, after their trailer hitch broke 
during their move west, Buck and his family ended up in Phoenix, where 
they remained for more than a decade. During that time, Buck and his 
siblings worked in the fields picking cotton and potatoes, which Buck 
later said, ``was where my dream began to take hold . . .''
  Buck began regularly playing music in local pubs when he was 16 and, 
when he moved to Bakersfield in 1951, he quickly found work playing 
with steel guitarist Dusty Rhodes and then Bill Woods and the Orange 
Blossom Playboys. While Buck at first played a hollow-body Gibson 
guitar, after a pawnshop sold his Gibson before he could redeem it, 
Buck began using a Fender Telecaster electric guitar that made his 
music unique and eventually became known as the ``Bakersfield Sound.''
  In 1957, Buck signed a recording contract with Capitol Records and in 
1958 he cut four original songs, including ``Second Fiddle,'' which 
eventually reached No. 24 on the Billboard charts. During this time, 
Buck acquired a one-third interest in a Tacoma, WA, radio station and 
he remained in the radio business for the rest of his life. In 1959, 
Buck began doing his own live television show and his television career 
ultimately included 16 years as a co-host of ``Hee-Haw.''
  Throughout his career, Buck earned the respect of musicians from all 
different genres of music. In fact, even the Beatles recorded a cover 
of one of his songs, ``Act Naturally,'' in 1965. In 1996, he was 
recognized for his accomplishments and was inducted to both the Country 
Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
  Buck was truly a Bakersfield institution, and his No. 1 hit, 
``Streets of Bakersfield,'' has become our town's unofficial anthem and 
our favorite of Buck's songs. However, in addition to our pride in his 
accomplishments as a performer and businessman, we appreciated Buck's 
generosity, including his support for Bakersfield College's music 
program as well as his annual Toys 4 Tots event, Buck Owens Rodeo, and 
celebrity golf tournament. Bakersfield will not be the same without 
Buck Owens. He was the heart of the town and will truly be missed.

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