New Album
Coming Soon
REDEMPTION The Album:
A GUTTER GOSPEL FOR THE DAMNED
There’s no pearly gates waiting at the end of this road. Redemption, the latest album by Richie Owens, isn’t about salvation—it’s about survival. It’s about crawling through the dirt, dragging your sins behind you like a busted suitcase, and daring to keep walking even when the road’s been washed out.
Owens writes like a man who’s seen the bottom of a bottle and the edge of a blade, weaving stories that bleed, bruise, and blister with a raw honesty that don’t ask for forgiveness. His words are gospel for the broken, drenched in dark humor, whiskey-worn wisdom, and the kind of faith that comes from knowing the devil on a first-name basis.
This is not an album for saints. It’s a dirge for the lost, a sermon for the forgotten, a hymn for the bastard sons and wayward daughters who know that heaven don’t take walk-ins. It swings like a hammer on rusted steel, bruises like a bad decision, and burns like the whiskey confession of a man who knows he’s been played but not ready to fold just yet.
From the gut-punch of All That Matters, where regret tastes like cheap bourbon and memory flickers like a dying neon sign, to The Hammer, a battle hymn for the weary who still got some fight left in ‘em, every song is a scar, a prayer, and a curse wrapped in barbed wire.
TROUBLE isn’t just a song—it’s a specter with a debt to collect, and The Evening Show lets you laugh at the absurdity of a world too busy doom-scrolling to notice the apocalypse already started. Sixty Miles North of Jerusalem don’t offer no salvation, just a one-way ticket to reckoning, and Trash Talk Redemption takes what the world throws away and spits it back out with teeth bared.
There’s blood under the fingernails of these songs, and the weight of old debts hangs heavy. But make no mistake—this isn’t about surrender. Fighting for Our Sins throws punches at the hypocrisy of redemption sold like snake oil, and How Long asks the question every weary soul has whispered into the dark: How much longer ‘til we get somewhere worth staying?
Redemption ain't a promise, it's a fight. And if you're still standing by the last note, maybe—just maybe—you've earned the right to keep swinging.
AVAILABLE MUSIC
'Richie Owens'
Richie Owens is a true product of his heritage, a fifth-generation Smoky Mountains musician whose deep roots and rich family history have shaped his extraordinary career. His lineage is a tapestry woven with tales from the American Civil War, featuring his great-great-great-grandfather, Henry Grooms, a real-life figure in the historic novel and film Cold Mountain. After the war, the family settled in the Sevier and Cocke County areas of Tennessee, where their colorful lives included moonshining, sharecropping, and preaching the Gospel, all while creating the classic Smoky Mountains music that has influenced generations.
Richie was born into this legacy as the son of Louis and Colleen Owens. He spent his childhood immersed in the musical traditions of East Tennessee and Nashville. His father, Louis, was a respected musician, songwriter, producer, and manager who played a crucial role in guiding the early career of Richie’s first cousin, the legendary Dolly Parton. Richie’s grandfather, Reverend Jake Owens, was also a musician and a preacher, whose influence can be heard in Dolly and Porter Wagoner’s hit song, “Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man.”
Growing up, Richie was constantly surrounded by music, performing on the radio by age 8, playing on The Ralph Emery Morning Show, and sharing stages with artists like Joe and Rose Lee Maphis and Leon Russell. His musical journey was further enriched by the sounds of the British Invasion, psychedelic folk-rock, glam rock, and punk, all of which expanded his musical vocabulary and shaped his eclectic style.
Richie’s passion for music extended beyond performing. He honed his skills as a luthier at the Shobud guitar shop on lower Broadway, where he was inspired by Shot Jackson, a friend of the Owens family. This experience sparked a lifelong dedication to building and designing guitars. Richie went on to create resonator guitars for legends like Ron Wood, Sonny Landreth, and Jerry Douglas, and later, his own “Owens Guitars” for iconic musicians such as Nils Lofgren of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. His craftsmanship was so revered that Washburn Guitars introduced a signature model mandolin and resonator guitar in his honor.
In addition to his luthiery, Richie Owens has made significant contributions as a producer and engineer. He has produced hit records for Dolly Parton, including her 1998 album Hungry Again, and engineered the Georgia Satellites' platinum debut album. His work with artists such as Jason and The Scorchers, Vince Gill, Michael Stipe of REM, Social Distortion, and The Bangles has earned him multiple gold and platinum records.
Richie continues to celebrate and pay tribute to his musical heritage. His latest project, Dolly Parton’s upcoming album Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith & Fables, delves into the rich history of the Parton and Owens families. As the album’s producer, Richie helps bring to life the story of their ancestors’ journey from the U.K. to modern-day East Tennessee, showcasing the deep musical and cultural ties that have shaped their legacy.
This project, set to release on November 15 via Owepar Entertainment, will be accompanied by a four-part docuseries exploring the family’s musical journey. Richie's collaboration with Dolly Parton extends beyond the production of this album. The duo recently recorded a touching duet single titled "Tell Me That You Love Me," showcasing their shared family talent and deep musical connection. This heartfelt track, recorded at the Historic Fireside, captures the essence of their Smoky Mountains roots and the timeless bond that unites their family.
Richie Owens' connection to his roots and his commitment to preserving the heritage of Smoky Mountains music makes him a key figure in honoring the past while creating music that resonates with the present. His work, both on stage and behind the scenes, continues to celebrate the enduring legacy of his family and the rich cultural history of the Smoky Mountains.
History
Richie Owens was born into a family whose lineage has pre-determined the path of his life. How far do you want to go back? Let’s start with the American Civil War and the true story of the historic novel and film, Cold Mountain. The fiddle player portrayed and killed in Cold Mountain is George Grooms. George was hung with his brother Henry by Captain Teague’s Raiders after playing “Bonaparte’s Retreat.” Henry Grooms happens to be the Great–Great-Great Grandfather of Richie Owens!
After the American Civil War, Richie’s family moved from North Carolina into the Sevier and Cocke County area of Tennessee. The lives of this Tennessee family are just as colorful with occupations ranging from moonshining, share cropping, and preaching the Gospel, all-the-while playing and writing classic Smoky Mountains music.
Richie’s family tree is filled with musicians, singers, and songwriters. He was born the son of Louis and Colleen Owens, half raised in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, and his father, Louis Owens, was a musician, publisher, songwriter, producer, and manager who helped guide the early career of Richie’s first cousin, Dolly Parton.
Richie’s grandfather, Reverend Jake Owens, was also a musician, preacher, country music songwriter, and the inspiration for Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner’s hit song, “Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man.” As a child, one of Richie’s early experiences was singing and playing on the radio at the age of 8.
Another early experience was playing on The Ralph Emery Morning Show in Nashville, and as a teen backing Joe and Rose Lee Maphis and Leon Russell. But beyond his musical heritage, Owens came of age during the 1960s and ’70s, absorbing the “pow” of the British Invasion, the swirl of psychedelic folk-rock, the glitter and Marshall stacks of glam and classic rock, the attitude and craftsmanship of punk and new wave, and the bedrock country that was still in its golden era during those years. Radical exposure to a melting pot of musical expansion gave the singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist a huge musical vocabulary that has reflected in his free-ranging career since the beginning.
As a young man, Richie would go on to work at the Shobud guitar shop on lower Broadway where he began to learn the art of guitar building and luthiership. The owner, Shot Jackson, was a friend of the Owens Family, and it was then that the guitar building and design bug took hold as Richie went on to work for Dobro. Richie has built Resonator guitars for Ron Wood, Sonny Landreth, and Jerry Douglas, and later built his own “Owens Guitars” for folks like Nils Lofgren (Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young) and Bob Weir (Grateful Dead). Washburn Guitars were so impressed with Richie’s work that they created his own signature model mandolin and signature resonator guitar.
Richie’s talent doesn’t stop there. A fifth generation Smoky Mountains musician, Owens has produced several of Dolly Parton’s hit records, the Kentucky Headhunters' album 'Dixie Lullabies', and engineered the Georgia Satellites' platinum debut American record, to name a few. Richie has also engineered for Jason and The Scorchers, Vince Gill, Michael Stipe (REM), Social Distortion, The Bangles, and holds multiple gold and platinum records from his work as a songwriter, producer, and engineer.
Richie has been a member of Dolly Parton’s touring band since 1997, and Dolly has always been a fan and supporter of him and his music. As he continues to create and pay homage to his fore fathers' heritage.
—Nashville, Tennessee, May 2024
