Biography

Most artists choose their musical pursuits. However, in rare cases, the music chooses them. Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Richie Owens falls into the latter category. The product of a gifted musical family, he’s part of a lineage that can be traced back to the American Civil War. His great-great-great grandfather, George Grooms, was the fiddler portrayed in the film “Cold Mountain.” Captured and then killed by the Confederate vigilantes known as Captain Teague’s Raiders, his final song was the stirring mountain ballad “Bonaparte’s Retreat,” later known as “Grooms Tune.” Richie’s grandfather was an old time preacher and a member of a 1920s string band who later composed songs for the legendary Kitty Wells. (His daughter, Dorothy Jo, and her niece, Dolly Parton, co-wrote Dolly’s hit “Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man” in his honor.) Richie’s father, Louis, was a budding musician and managed the career of Dolly Parton, Richie’s first cousin. No wonder then that his home was filled with a variety of disparate sounds – the traditional music revered by his father as well as the rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly and Beatles songs favored by his mother Colleen.

“The music was instilled in me from an early age,” Richie recalls. “It’s not like I was forced into it. I went into it because I love it.”

No wonder then that Richie’s new album, In Farm We Trust (out October 25 on Red Dirt/E 1 Records), boasts a diverse array of references. Although it runs a wide gamut -- from rock to country and from blues to bluegrass –it all flows together seamlessly. “My music combines a variety of traditional and contemporary elements, whether it’s folk or roots or rock ‘n’ roll,” he notes. “It can encompass a pretty broad spectrum. Some may see it as falling under the umbrella of Americana, but in my case, it’s all mined from a very specific southern sensibility.”

In Farm We Trust shows his ability to distill these influences, whether its his revved take onthe traditional tune “Rye Whiskey,” the emphatic stomp of “Indian Blues” or the reverberatingrocker “Mountain Girl,” a song which might be mistaken for a Tom Petty tune. Other tracks prove equally infections, from the dark swampy groove of “Why Can’t I Leave” to the reverberating refrain of “Life on the Farm” as well as the assured embrace of “Give Me Strength.” Given that diverse appeal, it’s little surprise that one of Richie’s earlier songs, “Ain’t Going Back Again,” was tapped for the film “The Boys Are Back” in 2009.

Those skills as both an innovator and interpreter were sown early on. Richie made his
performing debut on a local radio station at the age of six, and from that point on, he pursued his passion in school, at home and whenever opportunity presented itself. His career accelerated rapidly and led to his first professional gigs in the employ of rock and country superstar Leon Russell, as well as Joe and Rose Maphis, a traditional country combo who had initially gained popularity in the ‘40s and ‘50s. Yet, it was also clear his talents weren’t limited to performing; a family friend gave him a job at the Shobud Guitar Factory, and from there he went to work with Dobro, a division of Gibson Guitars. At Dobro he garnered a formidable list of clients that included Ron Wood, Mike Campbell, Sonny Landreth and Jerry Douglas, to name but a few. His burgeoning reputation as an instrumental artisan also brought him to the attention of Washburn
Guitars, which sanctioned a line of mandolins that bore his signature stamp. Later he launched his own Owens Guitars imprint, creating an instrument of choice favored by such notables as Bob Weir and Nils Lofgren.

Nowadays, Richie is focusing on his own instrumental abilities. Nashville’s leading newspaper,The Tennessean, named him one of the city’s top ten guitar gods, no small accomplishment considering the multitude of musicians who call that city home. Yet, his skills don’t stop there. Equally adept on guitar, slide, mandolin, bass and harp, he’s played alongside Dolly Parton (he produced her 1998 album Hungry Again), Doug Stone, Jason & the Scorchers and Byron Berline. No wonder then that after a performance at the Greek Theater as part of Dolly’s back-up band, The L.A. Times singled him out by noting “Richie Owens… provided some positively chilling dobro work.” Richie’s harp playing is evident on Dolly’s latest album, Better Day, and he can also be seen in her concert DVD Live From London, recorded in 2009 at London’s O2 Arena.

Richie currently resides in Nashville where he was raised following his family’s move from their ancestral home in eastern Tennessee. He runs his own studio, where he’s engineered albums by the Georgia Satellites, Vince Gill, Steve Forbert, Michael Stipe, Social Distortion, the Bangles, and Suzy Boguss as well as an upcoming effort by the Kentucky Headhunters. And if that alone doesn’t prove he’s a master of multi-tasking, Richie recently became an ordained minister.

“My family heritage helped make me what I am today and it prepared me for the present,” Richie reflects. “Now I’m ready to take my next step and focus on the future.” – Lee Zimmerman