Country star Jake Owen has some fond memories of Jimmy Buffett, and the late Buffett’s generosity is a big factor in that.
Owen recently was a guest on Rolling Stone’s “Nashville Now” podcast, where he and host Joseph Hudak spent time talking about Owen’s new album “Dreams to Dream.” It’s an independent release and a big departure from the radio-friendly mainstream country for which Owen has been known. Produced by Shooter Jennings, it’s a full-on foray into outlaw-style country music.
But Hudak also asks Owen about his association with Buffett. Owen says his admiration goes back to the days when he was just starting out.
“Jimmy was a guy that, as a kid, for me, playing in Vero Beach Fla., on a barstool, I used to play before this band and they were called the Land Sharks,” Owen says. “And all they played was Jimmy Buffett music. And if they weren’t playing there was a band called Possum that played nothing but Grateful Dead music – which I never figured out until I asked them one day, ‘Why are you called Possum?’ And he said, ‘’Cause we play dead, bro.’”
Owen said that as his star rose, he was lucky to get to know Buffett through mutual acquaintances and friends including Scotty Emerick and Mac McAnally. Eventually Owen established an annual charity concert in Vero Beach, and favors were swapped.
When it came to booking fellow artists for charity shows, he said, there were some who said “We’ll get back to you” and some who didn’t hesitate. Buffett was in the latter camp.
“I’ll never forget, I helped Jimmy, it was myself, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney and Jimmy and we did a hurricane relief [concert] in Florida, and I still have the voicemail that he sent to Keith when we asked him to do our charity event,” said Owen. “He responded and he said, ‘Hey Keith. Mr. Buffett here. Not Warren.’ … He said, ‘Jake helped me out, and helped out Tallahassee when I needed him’ and he was like, ‘I’ll be happy to be there.’
“And so he literally flew his own plane in, landed at the Vero Beach airport, got off with his flip-flops and a shirt, with Mac McAnally, and they came in, with a gig bag on his shoulder, and he came in and played for the people of Vero Beach. And then he got back on his airplane and flew himself out of there.”
“To have that kind of memory is amazing,” said Owen.
In the podcast, Owen goes on to talk about the surreal experience of participating in an all-star Hollywood Bowl tribute concert that followed Buffett’s death. Aside from the fact that he was among artists as diverse as Snoop Dogg, Joe Walsh and Paul McCartney, he said, it was where he and Jennings began to develop their collaboration.
“Only Jimmy Buffett could bring these people together and provide this type of unity,” said Owen.
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