Jay Owens (musician)
| Jay Owens | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Isaac Jerome Owens |
| Born | September 6, 1947 Lake City, Florida, United States |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Orlando, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Electric blues, soul blues[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1960s–2005 |
| Labels | Atlantic, EastWest |
Jay Owens (September 6, 1947 – November 26, 2005)[2] was a blind American electric blues and soul blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.[1]
Life and career
Isaac Jerome Owens was born in Lake City, Florida, United States.[1] His mother was a minister in a local church, where Owens first learned to sing. He learned to appreciate blues from an uncle of his.[3] Having obtained his first guitar, Owens was playing music professionally by the time he left high school.[4]
Owens played alongside his friend, Johnny Kay, in the 1970s and 1980s, leading a succession of bands playing in the Tampa Bay and St. Petersberg area of Florida.[1] In such a role he supported many other musicians such as O. V. Wright, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Aaron Neville and Little Milton.[4]
Mike Vernon produced Owens' debut solo album, The Blues Soul of Jay Owens, which was released on Atlantic Records in 1993, and featured Pete Wingfield playing keyboards[5] It won Living Blues magazine's 'Best Blues Album' and 'Best Debut Album' awards.[3] In 1995, EastWest issued Movin' On, which included contributions as before from Vernon and Wingfield, whilst Dave Bronze played bass guitar on the collection.[6]
He was also a prolific songwriter, and his songs have been recorded by Jim Leverton ("Only Human"),[7] James Booker ("1-2-3" and "One Hell of a Nerve"),[8][9] and K. T. Oslin ("Come On-A My House").[10]
In 1997, Owens moved to Orlando, Florida after spending twenty years in New York.[4]
Owens died at his home in Orlando, at the age of 58, from complications of diabetes in November 2005.[4]
Discography
| Year | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Blues Soul of Jay Owens | Atlantic |
| 1995 | Movin' On | EastWest |
See also
References
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