Hoping” followed. Again, the two young men hit the road and played as many places as they could. Now out of high school, Owens decided a change of scenery was needed and he headed north to upstate New York near Rochester, where he had family. Staying just under a year, Bolden lured him back to the Big Easy with another recording project. This time it was one that attracted attention from bigger recording labels, as well as support and a new offer. Known for writing and recording sweet ballads, Bolden and Owens hit that sweet spot for soul music lovers in the early 1970s with “Confessin’ a Feelin’,” a song that not only got airplay, but received plenty of requests as well. Local DJs at stations like WYLD were inundated with requests for the song and it began to be heard all over the state. The success from the ballad resulted in a call from Cotillion Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, and a record deal was presented. Owens happily signed and “Confessin’ a Feelin’” sold enough copies to break into the Billboard Top 50 R&B chart. On the strength of the song, Owens began touring and doing club gigs all across the East Coast. Following up that success, Henry Allen, an executive at Cotillion, wanted Owens’ next project to be produced by renowned hit-makers, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, along with the Poindexter Brothers, producers of the 1971 hit “Thin Line Between Love and Hate by The Persuaders. The project was to be recorded at Miami’s Criteria Studios, renowned for producing such albums as Hotel California for The Eagles and making hits for groups like The Bee Gees and KC & The Sunshine Band. Owens, who was on tour when the offer came in, cut the tour short to meet with record company officials in New Orleans. During negotiation discussions, Allen offered Bolden a deal that would allow Cotillion to use the other producers but Bolden balked at the proposal. “Isaac felt he was being cut out and that he didn’t have the freedom he enjoyed otherwise, so he turned down the offer,” said Owens. Bolden decided to record another project himself and present it to Cotillion as a song called "I Need Your Love" but Cotillion turned the project down. The whole deal was now dead. Owens felt that he needed to stand loyally by his friend and longtime collaborator, so he never signed the follow-up contract. However, deal or no deal, music was not over for Owens. A devoted family man, he continued to record, but spaced the sessions out more, taking time to raise his six children and provide for his loved ones. “I’m very, very close with my family and have lots of relatives here and in upstate New York,” said Owens. He is proud of his children, grandchildren and the fact that he has greatgrandchildren as well. Working in insurance and later as a tour guide, Owens emphasizes that music will always be his love and something he will never fully let go of. Though he officially retired as a buggy driver and tour guide, Owens still dabbles in other ventures, such as film. Most recently, he was seen in The Green Lantern portraying a nightclub singer, a role he was clearly born for. For several years, between 2009 and 2013, Owens was part of a 15-member ensemble of local singers and musicians who performed a musical tribute to the great R&B songs of New Orleans titled “Joint’s Jumpin’.” The show, which was created and produced by the late music impresario Bill Johnston, was staged at Harrah’s Casino and the Joy Theater and recorded on a CD. In recent months, he has been busy with a new recording project that he originally created for Antoine Domino III, the son of Fats Domino. Owens was going to record Antoine singing some of his father’s hits, along with some of Owens’ tunes as well. Unfortunately, Antoine III passed away without recording his vocals so Owens will record them himself. He is collaborating with Warner Williams, another well-known local musician and the two hope to wrap up the project this year. “I’m going to go to sleep doing music,” predicts Owens. “It’s in my heart. It’s what I do,” he says matter-of-factly. For those who want to find his music, clips of Owens’ songs can still be found online on YouTube, as well as on a wellreceived local funk compilation called “New Orleans Funk”. There are several websites that tell his story and link to his music and judging from the positive reviews, comments and feedback, Owens remains a hero to many - not just here in New Orleans, but to fans all over the world. �� PHOTOS COURTESY OF TONY OWENS J U LY / AU G U S T 2 0 1 7 breakthrumediamagazine.com | BREAKTHRU MEDIA | 7
20320BM
To see the actual publication please follow the link above