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Jake Owen is scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 17) after breaking his collarbone in a snowboarding accident. Owen posted the news on his Twitter page and added he will have to postpone his upcoming shows. Owen was on vacation in Crested Butte, Colo, on Friday (Jan. 13) [...]
(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that’s happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.) Jake Owen had his wisdom teeth pulled out a few days ago. Just like you or I would. The only difference? He tweeted a video of the aftermath [...]
Jake Owen and Javier Colon have been added to the talent lineup at the Discover Orange Bowl taking place Jan. 4 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Owen will headline at the Bud Light Orange Bowl Game Day Fan Zone. Colon, winner of NBC’s The Voice will perform [...]
(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that’s happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.) In this interview with his hometown newspaper, Jake Owen admits a few people were skeptical about his knack for country music. In the beginning, anyway. Mostly because he [...]
With a cold rain pelting the sidewalks and the wind picking up, it was a long way from being a “barefoot, blue jean night.” Even so, a throng of Jake Owen‘s friends and co-workers scurried into the lobby of the Country Music Association building in Nashville, Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 29) [...]
Biography
Jake Owen was raised in Vero Beach, Fla., and grew up with a passion for sports. At age 12, he took up golf and soon realized he had the knack for it. Before long, he had his eye on the professional circuit. When he enrolled at Florida State University (along with fraternal twin Jarrod), Owen became a walk-on member of the golf team, but a serious waterskiing accident quickly ended his professional golf aspirations.
Instead of studying, he spent his downtime learning how to play his neighbor’s guitar. One night, he heard somebody in a campus bar playing songs on stage. The next day, he asked the manager how he could sign up for the same gig. Within a few hours, Owen was onstage singing, too, making $75 a night, drinking free beer and attracting the eyes of college girls.
He formed a band called Yee Haw Junction and started putting original songs in his set of country covers. Although he had only nine credit hours of college until his degree, he left for Nashville. He spent a lot of time writing songs in his apartment. One of his songs, “Ghost,” was almost cut by Kenny Chesney. That close call brought Owen’s music to the attention of RCA Records. Within two years of moving to Nashville, Owen signed to the label and released his debut album, Startin’ With Me, in 2006.