Last week, my wife gave me an album called, "Christmas with Buck Owens and his Buckaroos" as an early Christmas present. It's been in heavy rotation here at the farmhouse since then as I write my final papers for the semester.

Andy and I spent a while analyzing why that album, and really any Buck Owens album, is so instantly recognizable and familiar, despite our never having heard any of the songs before. Obviously, Buck Owens songs are pretty formulaic, usually following along the lines of: intro, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, instrumental verse, chorus, repeat the last line a few times and end. Buck will sing the verses alone and Don Rich will come in with that great high harmony part on the refrains, the Telecasters are twangy and the steel guitar is crisp, with lots of major chord suspensions. The bass doesn't stray far from the 1 and the 5 or a good walk up and down a dominant 7th chord, and the drums play a shuffle no matter what.

The minimalism of the music is certainly an important part of the sound. It's deceptively simple, though, taking a few minutes to learn, and years to master (in my case, I think it's going to take a few more years). The slight variations in rhythm and dynamics are subtle but key to the sound. Los Hijos Unicos has been covering a handful of Buck Owens songs here and there over the last few months, and it really takes some concentration and group effort to keep them subdued, like they were meant to be played. The songs require all the parts to come together, and are destroyed by any one person overplaying.

Buck Owens obviously had a good time while he was playing. He sings some damned sad lyrics but he sings them with a smile and the music is almost always upbeat and danceable. Check out their smiles on this video of the Buckaroos in action on the Buck Owens Ranch show here: Foolin' Around. The Buckaroos make music that makes me want to move – it's that crisp, bright sound and strong backbeat.

Also, Buck was a real showman. Those matching sequined Nudie suits the Buckaroos all wear on most of their album covers are just about the ultimate in stage wear. Matching silver sparkle guitars and basses complete the look. What's more, that great show comes without any big dance moves or anything overly theatrical. Check out Don Rich's face during the solo 40 seconds into this clip: Love's Gonna Live Here. How can you not smile watching a man who loves playing his guitar that much?

We have a lot to learn from the Buckaroos. Let's start with Nudie suits.



Ryan
LHU