Will Owsley , known professionally as simply Owsley, died from an apparent sucide he was 44. Owsley was an American singer-songwriter, who worked as the guitarist in Amy Grant's touring band, but whose own albums won critical acclaim and one Grammy Award nomination. He was also a recording engineer and record producer. | ( 1965 – April 30, 2010) |
Owsley was raised in Anniston, Alabama, in a musical household. His father was a drummer in a marching band; namely, the Million Dollar Band at the University of Alabama. His mother was a singer and a singing instructor, his sister was a classically trained pianist, and his brother was a rock guitarist.[1] Owsley himself played guitar from an early age. He was a fan of Kiss and of Todd Rundgren, but mostly practiced Eddie Van Halen licks note-for-note.[2] With his father's mentorship, he played snare drum in his high school marching band, but he also continued his passion for guitar, playing in a jazz and top-40 cover band at local venues.[1] Later, when he began writing his own songs, they were more similar to the style of The Beatles. As a guitarist, he also cited influences such as Chet Atkins and Robert Johnson.[2]
Prior to developing his own band and solo work, he was added to the band of Judson Spence and was part of Spence's groundbreaking Nashville showcases that landed him 14 label offers.[citation needed] Nashville music executive Scott Siman encouraged Owsley to pursue his own writing and performing. Owsley went on to work with such artists as Shania Twain, Amy Grant, the Neville Brothers, Wynonna, Faith Hill,[2] Vince Gill, Michael McDonald, and Charlotte Church.[3] He and Millard Powers founded the power pop band the Semantics, which included Jody Spence and Ringo Starr's son, Zak Starkey, and was signed to Geffen Records and toured with Ben Folds Five,[1] but the album was released only in Japan.
His work as part of Amy Grant's touring band, since 1994, allowed him to save the funds needed to build his own home recording studio.[4]
He released his self-titled solo album in 1998. Then Giant Records picked it and re-released it and was mixed by Tom Lord-Alge and Millard Powers in 1999. Recorded entirely in his home studio in Anniston, Alabama, it garnered him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album.[5]
He released his second album, The Hard Way, on the indie record label Lakeview Entertainment in February 2004, with Owsley in multiple roles including record producer.[6] It was recorded over the span of three years, using a variety of recording formats, at a number of studios in Tennessee.[5]
In 2004 he entered into an agreement with UMe Digital, a new label in the Universal Music Group, and the first major label to distribute music only through digital downloads.[7]
In the late 2000s he continued work as a session guitarist and mandolin player, backing such musicians as Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and the Jonas Brothers.[3] He also continued his work as a record producer, producing some of the songs on Chris Sligh's 2008 album Running Back to You.[8] He co-produced Kevin Max's 2007 album The Blood.
He died April 30, 2010 at Williamson County Hospital in Franklin, Tennessee; he was 44.[9] The Tennessean reported the cause of death as "an apparent suicide."[10] He had a wife, and two children from his previous marriage.[11]
To see more of who died in 2010 click here
No comments:
Post a Comment