Gitcha Some Buck Owens, Buckaroo!

If you think Buck Owens is just some corny guy from Hee Haw, check out his Capitol Records years. In the ’60s and ’70s, he joined forces with the best backing band in country music, progressing the genre by borrowing liberally from teenage rock ‘n’ roll.

If you’re really interested, piecing together his Capitol discography ain’t too hard to do. Just hit up the $5 bin at your local record stores every few weeks. Or for a shortcut, check out Omnivore Recordings’ collections of Owens and his Buckaroos’ singles. They’re breaking up Owens’ vital years into multi-disc CD sets, with the next 36-song collection, The Complete Capitol Singles: 1967-1970, arriving on May 11.

During those years, Owens’ band continued its early ’60s momentum with such deep cuts as the surprisingly psychedelic “Who’s Going to Mow Your Grass.” Now there’s a song that belongs on that rumored Black Lips country album!