Biography

Joshua Ryan "Jake" Owen and his fraternal twin brother Jarrod were born in Winter Haven, Florida on August 28, 1981. The brothers regularly participated in a variety of sports. Jake eventually took up golf, and began pursuing a career as a professional golfer, winning his first tournament at fifteen. After graduating from Vero Beach High School, they attended Florida State University. A wakeboarding accident which resulted in reconstructive surgery left Jake unable to continue playing the sport.

While recovering from his injuries, he borrowed a neighbor's guitar and began to teach himself how to play it. After seeing a guitarist perform at a campus bar, he asked the bar's owner if he could play a gig there. Eventually, he became a regular at the bar, and soon took up writing his own material as well. He then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, making his first stop at a bank to open a savings account; after telling the bank teller that he was a singer and songwriter, the teller then asked if he had any recordings available. He gave her a CD of his work, which she sent to the Warner/Chappell Music publishing company.

Musical career

Although Warner/Chappell did not sign him to a contract, Jake Owen eventually met the record producer and songwriter Jimmy Ritchey. They, along with songwriter Chuck Jones, wrote a song titled "Ghosts", which they had intended for Kenny Chesney. Chesney, ultimately, did not record "Ghosts," although it drew the attention of Sony BMG Nashville executives, who signed Jake to their RCA Nashville label in 2005. Per their suggestion, Owen changed his first name to Jake, so as to avoid confusion with Josh Turner and Josh Gracin.

2006-10: Startin' with Me and Easy Does It

In early 2006, Jake Owen released his debut single, titled "Yee Haw". He describes the song (an up-tempo party anthem in which the narrator expresses his enjoyment with a cry of "yee haw") as being written "to make people have a good time." It peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and served as the lead-off single on his debut album, Startin' with Me.

Released on July 25, 2006, the album featured 11 tracks, all co-written by him and his producer. Among them were his own recording of "Ghosts" and a duet with Randy Owen (no relation) of Alabama entitled "You Can Thank Dixie". After the album's release, Jake Owen was signed as an opening act for acts such as Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

The album's title track, a ballad in which the narrator expresses his desire to change everything in his life, was released as his second single. Spending more than thirty-five weeks on the Billboard country chart, "Startin' with Me" became his first top 10 hit, reaching a peak of No. 6. Also in 2007, he went on tour with Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn. "Something About a Woman" was released in late 2007 as the third single. In September 2007, he and country quartet Little Big Town joined country duo Sugarland's tour. During this tour, the three acts began performing "Life in a Northern Town" (a cover of British pop group The Dream Academy's hit single from 1985). A music video of their live performance was aired on CMT. In April 2008, a recording of this performance entered the Billboard country chart based on unsolicited airplay.

Jake Owen released his second studio album, Easy Does It, on February 24, 2009. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums and No. 13 on the Billboard 200. The lead-off single to the album, "Don't Think I Can't Love You" became his first top 5 country hit, reaching No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart in April 2009. "Eight Second Ride", a song which was originally on Startin' with Me and newly recorded for Easy Does It, was the album's second single; it peaked at No. 11 in January 2010. "Tell Me" was the album's third single, reaching number 35.

2011-13: Barefoot Blue Jean Night and Endless Summer

Owen released his third studio album, Barefoot Blue Jean Night, on August 30, 2011. The lead-off single and title track to the album, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night", became his first number one single on the country chart. The album's second single, "Alone with You", was released in October 2011, and like its predecessor, it reached number one on the country chart in March 2012. The album's next two singles, "The One That Got Away" and "Anywhere with You", both reached number one on the Country Airplay chart. Owen toured with Keith Urban in 2011 on his Get Closer World Tour.

Jake Owen released an extended play titled Endless Summer on September 25, 2012. It includes "Summer Jam", a collaboration with Florida Georgia Line, which charted within the top 40 of Hot Country Songs despite not being released as a single.

2013-15: Days of Gold & "Real Life"

The first single from Owen's fourth studio album, "Days of Gold", was released to country radio in August 2013. During Owen's June 2013 StageIt show, he confirmed that the album will also feature the new song "Ghost Town." The album, also titled Days of Gold, was released on December 3, 2013. In May 2015, Owen released a new non-album single to country radio, titled "Real Life". The song peaked at number 17 on the Country Airplay chart.

2016-present: American Love

On February 2, 2016, Owen announced via Facebook that a new single would be released to country radio on March 7, 2016, titled "American Country Love Song". It is the lead single from his upcoming fifth studio album "American Love" which will be released in July 2016.

Personal life

Owen married model Lacey Buchanan on May 7, 2012, in Vero Beach, Florida. The couple had become engaged on April 7, 2012, after Owen proposed to Buchanan on stage in front of a hometown crowd in Vero Beach, Florida, at his annual charity event. After proposing, he jokingly asked "You're probably wondering where your ring is, right?" referring to the fact that he proposed without a ring, and his single "Don't Think I Can't Love You" which he had performed prior to proposing. The couple has a daughter named Olive Pearl. She was born on November 22, 2012.

On August 7, 2015 Owen announced on his Twitter account that he and wife Lacey were divorcing after 3 years of marriage.

Discography

Main article: Jake Owen discography

• Startin' with Me (2006)
• Easy Does It (2009)
• Barefoot Blue Jean Night (2011)
• Days of Gold (2013)
• American Love (2016)

Tours

• The Summer Never Ends Tour with Florida Georgia Line and Love and Theft (duo) (2012)
• Days of Gold Tour with The Cadillac Three and Eli Young Band (2014)

Awards

• 2009: ACM - Top New Male Vocalist
• 2012: American Country Awards - Breakthrough Artist of the Year

[ Source: Wikipedia ]