Bonnie Owens

Bonnie Campbell was born in Blanchard, Oklahoma.[1] She met Buck Owens when she was only 15. They played in a band in Mesa, Arizona, married in 1948,[1] and moved to Bakersfield, California by 1951. They later divorced, but the move to Bakersfield jump-started both their music careers.

Bonnie Owens's first recording was A Dear John Letter, a duet with Fuzzy Owen on Mar-Vel Records (#MV-102) about 1950. Side B contains the song "Wonderful World". (It was not a remake of the 1953 Jean Shepard/Ferlin Husky version as some believe, as theirs predated Shepard/Husky by three years.)

Owens recorded on numerous labels during the 1950s and early 1960s, including Merle Haggard’s and Fuzzy Owen's own Tally label, all of which were singles. Her first album titled Don't Take Advantage of Me came in 1965 on Capitol Records # ST-2403.

Owens had hits on the country charts in the early 1960s with the songs Why Don't Daddy Live Here Anymore? and Don't Take Advantage of Me. In 1965, Haggard and Owens recorded the song Just Between the Two of Us, a duet, and probably Owens's best known hit. It is also the title song to their 1966 duet album on Capitol Records (#ST-2453) that was recorded with The Strangers.

Bonnie Owens was named Female Vocalist of the Year in 1965 by the Academy of Country Music. She and Haggard married the same year. From this point, Bonnie dedicated her time to Haggard's children and his career, touring with Merle's band The Strangers as a backup vocalist. During the early stages of their careers, Bonnie was the headliner and Merle the up-and-comer.

Owens and Haggard divorced in 1978; after a brief hiatus, she continued touring with him.

In 2006, Owens died at the age of 76.

• Bonnie Owens at CMT.com