Bakersfield's Finest Son.

Buck Owens and Ringo Starr. Buck died this morning in Bakersfield, California.

As I sit here writing this sentence I have this vivid memory in my head of standing in front of my Grandfather Andrew's house on his tobacco farm about 2 miles from my chair I am sitting in. I was right in front of the side door standing on rocks that my mother and her brothers and sisters had gathered from the surrounding fields as children. On that day there was this "stereo" as we called them back then right inside the "screen window" playing a 45 RPM record...yeah vinyl record of "Act Naturally."

"I've Got a Tiger by the Tail", on and on, there are so many Buck Owens songs that all the great rock bands listened too. The Rolling Stones were huge fans. You can hear the influence come right though their music at times. I actually thought of Buck Owens back in October, 2005 when I saw the Stones play at Wallace Wade on the Duke campus. I turned to my daughter and I said over the loud music with my hands cupped to her ear...hear that? That is Buck Owens coming out of that song...remember that.

I spent 7 years living in the Mississippi delta town of Greenwood. Looking back I would not trade that experience for the world. Isn't it funny how your mind works? I have this black and white film reel running right now of a "Hee Haw" show in my head. Buck is sitting on a hay bale with that red, white, and blue striped acoustic guitar playing it..the show was in color but my mind has it in black and white because I think the first time I saw that show it was in black and white... I can remember visiting my friend David on weekends and his Mom and Dad would have that show on the television on Saturday nights as we left to go get into whatever it was we were going to get into....that's a whole 'nother story for another time. So many stories, so little time.

Sail on Buck Owens. Thanks for the music.

Together again my tears have stopped falling
The long lonely nights are now at an end
The key to my heart you hold in your hand
And nothing else matters now we're together again
[ steel ]
Together again the grey skies're gone
You're back in my arms now where you belong
The love that I knew is living again
And nothing else matters now we're together again
And nothing else matters now we're together again