Jake Owen

Infobox musical artist
Name = Jake Owen


Img_capt = Jake Owen at Country Thunder USA 2007
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Josh Owen
Born = birth date and age|1981|08|28 [cite web |url=http://countrymusic.about.com/od/jakeowen/p/jakeowen_pr.htm |title=Jake Owen profile |accessdate=2008-07-23 |last=Fabian |first=Shelly |work=About.com]
Origin = Vero Beach, Florida, USA
Instrument = Vocals
Guitar
Genre = Country
Occupation = Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 2006–present
Label = RCA Nashville
URL = [http://www.jakeowen.net/ Official website]
Associated_acts = Kenny Chesney
Little Big Town
Sugarland

Jake Owen (born Josh Owen, August 28, 1981 in Vero Beach, Floridacite web |url=http://www.myhometownnews.net/index.php?id=35730 |title=Country music star comes home to Vero Beach |accessdate=2008-04-06 |last=Isenberg |first=Barbara |date=2007-12-14 |work=My Hometown News] ) is an American country music artist. Signed to RCA Records Nashville in 2005, Owen released his debut album "Startin' with Me" that year. This album produced three singles ("Yee Haw", "Startin' with Me" and "Something About a Woman"), all of which reached Top 20 on the "Billboard" Hot Country Songs charts. In addition, Owen has toured as an opening act for several country acts, including Brad Paisley, Little Big Town and Sugarland.

Biography

Jake Owen, along with his fraternal twin brother Jarrod, were born in Vero Beach, Florida on August 28, 1981.cite web |url=http://www.gactv.com/gac/ar_artists_a-z/article/0,,GAC_26071_4751625,00.html |title=Jake Owen biography |accessdate=2008-04-06 |work=Great American Country] Both brothers regularly participated in a variety of sports. Jake eventually took up golf, and began pursuing a career as a professional golfer, winning his first golf tournament at age fifteen. After graduating high school, both Owen brothers attended Florida State University, and Jake served as a walk-on member of the university's golf team. However, a waterskiing accident which resulted in reconstructive surgery left him unable to continue playing the sport.cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3nfwxqlsldfe~T1 |title=Jake Owen biography |accessdate=2008-04-06 |last=Apar |first=Corey |work=Allmusic]

While recovering from his injuries, he borrowed a neighbor's guitar and began to teach himself how to play it. After seeing a guitarist performing at a campus bar, Owen asked the bar's owner if he could play a gig there. Eventually, Owen became a regular at the bar, and soon took up writing his own material as well. He then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, making his first stop at a bank to open a savings account there; after telling the bank teller that he was a singer and songwriter, the teller then asked if he had any recordings available. Owen gave her a CD of his songs, which she sent to the Warner/Chappell Music publishing company.

Musical career

Although Warner/Chappell did not sign him to a contract, Owen eventually met record producer and songwriter Jimmy Ritchey. They, along with songwriter Chuck Jones, wrote a song entitled "Ghosts", which they had intended for Kenny Chesney to record. Chesney, ultimately, did not record "Ghosts", although the song drew the attention of Sony BMG Nashville executives, who signed him to their RCA Records label in 2005. Per their suggestion, Owen also changed his first name to Jake, so as to avoid confusion with Josh Turner and Josh Gracin.

In early 2006, Owen released his debut single, entitled "Yee Haw". Owen describes the song (an up-tempo party anthem in which the narrator expresses his enjoyment with a cry of "yee haw") as being written "to make people have a good time." [cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1564719/jake-owen-gets-a-boost-from-startin-with-me.jhtml |last=Shelburne |accessdate=2008-04-06 |first=Craig |title=Jake Owen Gets a Boost From "Startin' with Me" |date=2007-07-13 |work=Country Music Television] This song, which peaked at #16 on the "Billboard" Hot Country Songs charts, served as the lead-off single to his debut album, "Startin' with Me".

Released on July 25, 2006, the album featured eleven tracks, all co-written by Owen and his producer. Among these were Owen's own recording of "Ghosts", as well as a duet with Randy Owen (formerly the lead singer of the band Alabama) entitled "You Can Thank Dixie". (Jake Owen and Randy Owen are not related. [cite web |url=http://entertainment.lycos.com/music/artist_bio.php?fml=1&id=Jake+Owen |title=Jake Owen biography |accessdate=2008-04-06 |work=Lycos Music] ) After the album's release, Jake Owen was signed as an opening act for acts such as Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood on their tours.cite web |url=http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=664&t=Jake_Owen_scores_first_Top_10_single |title=Jake Owen scores first Top 10 single |accessdate=2008-04-06 |date=2007-06-11 |work=Country Standard Time]

The album's title track, a ballad in which the narrator expresses his desires to change everything in his life (starting with himself), was released as Owen's second single. Spending more than thirty-five weeks on the "Billboard" country charts, "Startin' with Me" became Owen's first Top ten hit, reaching a peak of #6. Also in 2007, he went on tour with Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn.

"Something About a Woman" was released in late 2007 as the third single from Owen's album. In September 2007, he and country quartet Little Big Town joined country duo Sugarland's tour. [cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1570623/little-big-town-is-ready-to-roll-with-sugarland.jhtml |title=Little Big Town Is Ready to Roll With Sugarland |accessdate=2008-04-05 |last=Shelburne |first=Craig |date=2007-09-26 |work=Country Music Television] During this tour, the three acts began performing "Life in a Northern Town" (a cover of British pop group The Dream Academy's hit single from 1984) together. A music video of their live performance was aired on the network CMT. In April 2008, a recording of this performance entered the "Billboard" country charts based on unsolicited airplay.

Owen's fourth official single, "Don't Think I Can't Love You", was released in August 2008. It is the first single from a forthcoming second album.

Discography

Albums

ingles

*^A Charted from unsolicited airplay.
*^B Current single.

References

External links

* [http://www.jakeowen.net Official Website]
*