20 Years Ago, We Said Goodbye to the “Queen of the Coast” Who Married Two Bakersfield Country Legends

On this day (April 24) in 2006, Bonnie Owens died from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 76. She was a singer and songwriter who notched a handful of hits and won an ACM Award during the 1960s. Additionally, she was married to Buck Owens and, later, Merle Haggard. Owens collaborated with both of her husbands, releasing a duets album with Haggard.

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She met her first husband, Buck Owens, when she was a teenager. At the time, he was running a local radio show. When he heard her sing, he knew she needed to be heard by as many listeners as possible. As a result, he helped her land a radio show of her own. A year later, they tied the knot and later moved to Bakersfield, California. There, she worked as a waitress and sang in local clubs.

[RELATED: 7 Country Stars from Sunny California—Including Merle Haggard and Buck Owens]

They had been in the music business for roughly two years when they divorced in 1953. That year, she sang on her first commercial recording, “A Dear John Letter,” with Fuzzy Owen, another Bakersfield heavyweight.

She released her first studio album, Don’t Take Advantage of Me, in 1965. It produced two singles–the title track and “Why Don’t Daddy Live Here Anymore”–which both reached the top 40 of the country chart. Later that year, Owens married Merle Haggard and won Female Vocalist of the Year at the ACM Awards. Their single “Just Between the Two of Us” also won the couple a shared ACM Award, according to Billboard.

Bonnie Owens and Merle Haggard

Bonnie Owens started touring with Merle Haggard and his band, the Strangers, after they tied the knot. She sang harmony for Haggard on stage. They also recorded an album of duets. Just Between the Two of Us hit record store shelves in 1966. It reached No. 4 on the country albums chart. The album’s title track was its only single. It peaked at No. 28, giving Owens her third consecutive top 40 hit.

They divorced in 1978. However, that didn’t sever their musical partnership. Owens joined Haggard on the road again after a short break.

Bonnie Owens is one of the most underrated women in the history of a genre overflowing with underrated women. While she is best remembered for her connection to and work with Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, her catalog is impressive in its own right. Her talents earned her the nicknames “The Singing Waitress” and, more fittingly, “The Queen of the Coast.”

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