Fuzzy Owen

[Keith Hilton]

Fuzzy Owen was Merle Haggard's manager and a really good steel player. On YouTube google Fuzzy Owen and listen to a interview he gave concerning west coast music in the early days. Also on YouTube google the Buck Owens Ranch Music Show with guest Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owens. Fuzzy is playing his Fender 2000 for Merle on songs like Swinging Doors. If you like the West Coast Mooney style of playing, you will love these video's of Fuzzy backing Merle Haggard.
Fuzzy got Merle with Ken Nelson and Capital Records. I know Ralph Mooney was credited with playing on those first few hits Buck Owens had, but I wonder if it wasn't Fuzzy who was playing on the first Merle Haggard hits? Norm Hamlet became Merle's steel player, because Fuzzy was busy running his record label "Tally Records". Fuzzy was a really good singer besides being a great steel player. He has several vocal recordings, and some with Bonnie Owens.

[scott murray]

definitely Mooney on those early Hag records but Fuzzy did a great job emulating him.

I've got Fuzzy's book 'Merle Haggard, Bonnie Owens, & Me' and he confirms that Ralph played on those recordings and was also an official member of The Strangers for awhile. there's a fairly well-known story of Ralph's desire to not only quit the band in the middle of a tour but also his attempt to drive the tour bus home and see "Mrs. Moon."

they stopped him and finished the tour but he was let go after that. that's when Fuzzy, who was also Merle's manager, came in to take Ralph's place. he did for awhile, but Merle decided Fuzzy couldn't do both and so Norm Hamlet was brought in.

Fuzzy (and Norm) remained for the duration of Merle's career, and traveled with Merle until the end.

here's 2 Buck Owens Ranch shows featuring Fuzzy with The Strangers. Buck would record multiple shows in one day and that was the case here, both recorded on Jan. 9, 1967:

Episode 35
(short chat with Tom Brumley at 20:00)

Episode 36
(Merle introduces the Strangers at 9:45 followed by Sing A Sad Song and a great solo by Fuzzy)

[Keith Hilton]

Scott, Bob Morris was a early member of Buck Owens band. Bob wrote some 90 chart songs, including Buck's theme song Buckaroo. Bob in later years moved back from California to Hardy, Arkansas. I played pedal steel guitar in Bob's band in Branson, Missouri for a time. If you will google some of those Buck Owens Ranch videos, Bob and Faye Morris are featured guests.

[Gary Spaeth]

merle tells a story about how fuzzy had trouble with his steel and gave up playing after he couldn't fix it. i think it was on the country music hall of fame tribute to merle.

[scott murray]

memory is a funny thing, there must be some truth in there if Merle remembered it that way

but Fuzzy played steel for many years starting at age 15, live and on sessions. he was also a mechanic and the one who kept Merle's first tour bus up and running... he even thought Merle wrote "Shade Tree Fix-It Man" in his honor. it's a little hard to believe that a mechanical issue would cause him to quit playing. he states several times in his book that it was Merle's decision to replace him on steel, and that his hearing issues years later finally stopped him from playing.

by the way, it looks like our friend at Classic Country Music Shows on youtube uploaded 2 more Buck Owens shows with Merle (and Fuzzy) from that same recording date:

Episode 37
(featuring Tom Brumley on dobro at 20:45)

Episode 38
(featuring Tom Brumley on Neosho Waltz at 15:25)

[scott murray]

two more Buck/Merle episodes uploaded, this stuff is pure gold:

Episode 39
(Tom plays Steel Guitar Polka at 18:30!)

Episode 40

[Craig A Davidson]

Fuzzy and Bonnie Owens were the first couple to record Dear John Letter. In fact Fuzzy was a co-writer.

[Craig Stock]

The biography 'Hag' has some good stuff about Fuzzy in it.

[Gary Hoetker]

Even though I had never met him, he came up to me to say hi at Bonnie Owens's Funeral. He was a gracious gentleman.