Randy Owen
| Randy Owen | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Randy Yeuell Owen |
| Born |
December 13, 1949 Fort Payne, Alabama, USA |
| Genres | Country, southern rock, bluegrass |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments |
Vocals Guitar |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Labels |
RCA Nashville (in Alabama) DMP/New Revolution (solo) Broken Bow (solo) |
| Associated acts | Alabama |
| Website | http://www.randyowen.com |
Randy Yeuell Owen (born December 13, 1949) is an American country music artist. He is best known for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band which saw tremendous mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Alabama became, undoubtedly, the most successful band in the history of country music, releasing over 20 gold and platinum records, dozens of #1-ranked singles, and selling over 75 million records during their career. Although Alabama currently only records new albums on occasion, Owen himself has maintained a career in country music as a solo performer. He released his solo debut One on One in late 2008 and charted two singles from it.
Randy Yeuell Owen grew up on a farm near Fort Payne, Alabama. He is of English and Native American descent. He dropped out of high school in the ninth grade, however he went back and graduated from Fort Payne High in 1969. In the late 1960s, Owen and his cousin, Teddy Gentry, began playing music together. They recruited another cousin, Jeff Cook, to form a band, which they called Wildcountry. Their first public performance was at a high school talent show, which they won.
Owen's music career was put on hiatus as he earned a degree from Jacksonville State University. Upon his graduation, however, the three cousins moved into an apartment in Anniston, Alabama and by 1973 were pursuing a full-time music career. In 1980, the band, now called Alabama, were signed to a recording contract by RCA Records and quickly reached country superstardom. For the next twenty-two years, Alabama had a tremendous impact on country music, attracting a younger group of listeners, crossing over into pop radio, and paving the way for groups to be successful on country radio.
Alabama released 21 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums, 42 singles that topped the charts at #1, and sold over 75 million records in total. They have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and were named the Academy of Country Music's Artist of the Decade in 1989, and the Recording Industry Association of America's Country Group of the Century in 1999.
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