William Reese "Will" Owsley III (March 6, 1966 – April 30, 2010), known professionally as Owsley, was an American singer and songwriter. His two solo albums won critical acclaim, and his debut album was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

, as was the song "Threaten Me With Heaven".Buckner, Brett (February 10, 2012)
"Swan song: After his death, Will Owsley song nominated for a Grammy award"
''

Anniston Star ''The Anniston Star'' is the daily newspaper serving Anniston, Alabama, and the surrounding six-county region. Average Sunday circulation in September 2004 was 26,747. However, by 2020 it was approximately half of this. The newspaper is locally ow ...

''. Owsley was also a record producer, a

recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproductio ...

, and the guitarist in

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...

's touring band.

Early life and influences

Owsley was born and raised in

Anniston, Alabama Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. Ac ...

in a musical household. His father was the drum major of the Million Dollar Band, the marching band of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publ ...

; his mother was a singer and stage actress; his sister was a classically trained pianist, and his brother was a rock guitarist,. Owsley graduated from the Rectory School

The Birmingham News ''The Birmingham News'' is the principal newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States. The paper is owned by Advance Publications and was a daily newspaper from its founding through September 30, 2012. After that day, the ''News'' and its tw ...

(May 3, 2010)
William Reese III obituary
Retrieved May 14, 2010. and attended the Blue Ridge School. He was a guitarist and singer in the

Southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

rock club band Baghdad in the mid-80s that played both covers and original work, before moving to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

in 1987.Wynn, Ron (January 9, 2004)
Nashville’s Will Owsley set for solo superstardom
Nashville City Paper. Retrieved May 17, 2010. Owsley started playing guitar at age nine. He was a fan of

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

and of

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

, but mostly practiced

Eddie Van Halen Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he co-founded along ...

and

Steve Morse Steve J. Morse (born July 28, 1954) is an American guitarist, best known as the founder of the Dixie Dregs and as the lead guitarist of Deep Purple from 1994 to 2022. Morse has also enjoyed a successful solo career and was briefly a member of ...

licks note-for-note. With his father's mentorship, he played

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

in the Anniston High School marching band, whilst continuing his passion for guitar, playing in his high school jazz band and in top-40 cover bands at local venues. With his brother, he would play in the band Stormfront. The songs he started writing himself were more in the style of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. As a guitarist, he also cited influences such as

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

and

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

Career

Early career and The Semantics (1986–1998)

Prior to developing his own band and solo work, he was added to the band of

Judson Spence Judson Spence (born 29 April 1965, Pascagoula, Mississippi) is an American pop music singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist based in Nashville, Tennessee. He originally gained fame when he released his eponymously titled debut solo effort on ...

, appeared in various of his videos on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, and was part of Spence's groundbreaking Nashville showcases that landed him 14 label offers. Nashville music executive

Scott Siman Scott Foster Siman (born July 22, 1954) is a leading American country music entertainment executive based in Nashville, Tennessee. He oversaw the rise of country music superstar Tim McGraw and the launch of Dancing With the Stars celebrity ...

encouraged Owsley to pursue his own writing and performing, which is why he declined an offer by

in the late 1980s to become her guitarist. Together with Millard Powers, he founded the

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, an ...

band The Semantics, which included Jody Spence and Ringo Starr's son,

Zak Starkey Zak Richard Starkey (born 13 September 1965) is an English rock drummer who has performed and recorded with English rock band the Who since 1996. He is also the third drummer to have appeared with English rock band Oasis. In 2020, Starkey toure ...

. They were signed to

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

by John Kalodner. The band recorded an album entitled ''Powerbill'' in 1993, which was never released in the U.S for being "too pop for alternative and too alternative for pop." It eventually got distributed in Japan in 1996.VanTassell, Kathy (November 21, 2004).
Zak Starkey's work with: The Semantics
, ''Kathy's Zak Starkey Site''. Retrieved May 12, 2010. Fine-tuning the album under the tutelage of producer and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

Peter Asher Peter Asher, (born 22 June 1944) is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and r ...

for four years taught him much about the production process and about management. Suddenly being dropped from the label left the band members destitute and broke. Amy Grant turned out to have heard tapes of The Semantics and she contacted Owsley in 1994 to let him know how much she liked it, and to ask him to join her as her guitarist on the House of Love tour. Owsley would subsequently hold the position of tour guitarist for 16 years, until his death.Cooper, Peter (May 1, 2010).
Musician Will Owsley dies
", ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

''. Retrieved May 1, 2010. He would later also co-write and record various songs with her.Colurso, Mary (May 3, 2010).
The Birmingham News interviews Will Owsley in 2004
, ''

''. Retrieved May 14, 2010.

Artistdirect ARTISTdirect is an American online digital media entertainment company. Overview Founded in 1994, it owns several websites, including artistdirect.com and artistdirectinterviews.com. These websites are a group of affiliate websites offering mul ...

(2010).
William Owsley III Credits
'. Retrieved May 16, 2010. Through his work with producer

Mutt Lange A mutt is a mongrel (a dog of unknown ancestry). Mutt may also refer to: People * Mutt, a derogatory term for mixed-race people Nickname * Larry Black (sprinter) (1951-2006), American sprinter * Mutt Carey (1886–1948), New Orleans jazz trump ...

, Everything2 (February 7, 2001)
Owsley
Retrieved May 17, 2010. Owsley was introduced to

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

. Over the years, he would tour with her as guitarist and harmony singer, with appearances on many national television shows and awards programs. Owsley went on to work with many mainstream and

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

artists, often in the

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

genre.Flanagan, Ben (July 2, 2009).
'I want to be buried in Anniston': Anniston guitarist Will Owsley finds steady recording success in L.A.
", ''

The Anniston Star ''The Anniston Star'' is the daily newspaper serving Anniston, Alabama, and the surrounding six-county region. Average Sunday circulation in September 2004 was 26,747. However, by 2020 it was approximately half of this. The newspaper is locally ow ...

''. Retrieved May 2, 2010. During the 1990s, he among others worked with

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...

Michael W. Smith Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when " Place in This World" hit No. 6 on the '' ...

, Chris Rodriguez,

dc Talk DC Talk (stylized as dc Talk) is a Christian rap and rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max Smith. They released five major studio albums together: ...

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

(2010).
Owsley Discography at Discogs
' Retrieved May 16, 2010. (for whom he also produced), the

Neville Brothers The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. History The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937–2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 1 ...

, Vanessa L. Williams, and

Wynonna Wynonna Ellen Judd or simply Wynonna ( ; born Christina Claire Ciminella; May 30, 1964) is an American country music singer. She is one of the most widely recognized and awarded female country singers. In all, she has had 19 No. 1 singles, incl ...

Solo albums (1998–2005)

''Owsley'' (1999)

With the money he earned working with Amy Grant and Shania Twain, he bought a house in

Green Hills, Tennessee Green Hills is an affluent neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Green Hills is located south of downtown Nashville on Hillsboro Pike (U.S. Highway 431/Tennessee State Route 106). Green Hills is within a region extending south to ...

and in it built a home recording studio. In 1998, it led to the release of his self-titled solo album distributed by

Not Lame Recordings Not Lame Recordings was a Ft. Collins, Colorado based independent record label specializing in power pop music. History The label was started by Bruce Brodeen in November 1994Not Lame Recordings (2010)"About us" Retrieved November 17, 2010. It ...

. It was co-produced by Millard Powers and Jeff Balding.

Doug Morris Doug Morris (born November 23, 1938) is an American record executive. He is the current chairman of 12Tone Music Group. He previously served as chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group from 1995 to 2011 and Sony Music Entertainment from 20 ...

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

picked it and proposed the album to be rerecorded, but Owsley insisted that it simply needed to be remixed by either

Tom Lord-Alge Tom Lord-Alge (born January 17, 1963) is an American music engineer and mixer. He began his career at The Hit Factory in New York. Subsequently, he was the resident mixer at what used to be known as "South Beach Studios", located on the ground f ...

Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born January 15, 1953) is an American recording engineer, mixer and record producer. He has worked with many major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Toto, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, with whom he has a ve ...

or Andy Wallace. Tom Lord-Alge signed on, together with J.R. McNeely. Owsley > Credits

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

. Retrieved May 17, 2010. The eponymous album ''Owsley'' got re-released on March 23, 1999 under

Giant Records In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fro ...

. Many of the songs on the album are about Anniston, Alabama, where he was born and lived until he was 21, and his longing to the town. With the first single off the album being "Coming Up Roses", Owsley sent the entire staff of Giant a red rose and a

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...

card, expressing his hopes that things were "coming up roses" for all. The single didn't catch on, but "I'm Alright" later did score a minor hit. Recorded almost entirely on a vintage Studer A-80 (2-inch, 16-track of which one defectiveBarnes, Jonathan (May 2, 2010).
Owsley RIP
, ''

Posterous Posterous was a simple blogging platform started in May 2008. It supported integrated and automatic posting to other social media tools such as Flickr, Twitter, and Facebook, a built-in Google Analytics package, and custom themes. It was based in ...

''. Retrieved May 14, 2010.) tape machineColurso, Mary (May 3, 2010).
The Birmingham News interviews Will Owsley in 2000
, ''

''. Retrieved May 14, 2010. in his home studio on Hobbs Road in

, it garnered him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album. The album would be labeled one of the best pop records of the 1990s. During the ensuing tour, he among others joined the Pat McGee Band and Fountains of Wayne,The Marshall Crenshaw Page.
Archive Apr 28, 1999 – Aug 2, 1999
''. whose bassist

Adam Schlesinger Adam Lyons Schlesinger (October 31, 1967 – April 1, 2020) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He was a founding member of the bands Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows, and was a key songwriting contri ...

Owsley has recorded with in later years.

''The Hard Way'' (2004)

Owsley released his second album, '' The Hard Way'', on the indie record label Lakeview Entertainment on February 24, 2004, five years after his first solo album. It was ready in 2003, but got delayed in part due to legal difficulties with his former label, Giant Records. The album had a heavier and more mature sound compared to his debut. ''Be With You'' was chosen as single, but despite some rotation on triple-A radio stations, it never reached the greater audience. The album was recorded over the span of three years, using a variety of recording formats, in his new home studio in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...

and a number of studios in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

. Owsley played multiple roles on it, including that of producer. It was entirely mixed by Paul David Hager, and dedicated to Owsley's maternal grandmother, the late Alys O. Boozer. A cover of

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

's "

Band on the Run ''Band on the Run'' is the third studio album by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, released in December 1973. It was McCartney's fifth album after leaving the Beatles in April 1970. Although sales were modest initially ...

", which Owsley recorded for a 2001

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

,D'Angelo, Joe (August 21, 2001)
Props to Paul: Two McCartney tribute albums due

. Retrieved May 26, 2010. was included as a hidden track.

''Psycho / Upside Down'' (2005)

In 2004, he entered into an agreement with UMe Digital, a new label in the

, and the first major label to distribute music only through digital downloads.Burlingame, Jon (January 17, 2005). "Net hits heavy rotation: First online-only major lures Web surfers at 'crest of wave'", ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' 397 (9): A1–3. It led to the release of the combined single ''Psycho / Upside Down'' in 2005. That same year, Owsley contributed the cover song " Got a Lot on My Head" to '' Substitution Mass Confusion'', a tribute album in honor of

The Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr ( bass guitar), Elliot Easton ( lead guitar), Greg Hawkes ( keyboar ...

.The Cars tribute CD: Substitution Mass Confusion
MySpace. Retrieved May 26, 2010.

Session work (2005–2010)

In the 2000s (decade), Owsley continued work as a session guitarist, (backing) vocalist,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of ...

player and less frequently as bassist and keyboardist. He among others recorded with

Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill' ...

, Michael McDonald,

Charlotte Church Charlotte Maria Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed, 21 February 1986) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress, television presenter and political activist from Cardiff. Church rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching ...

Jump5 Jump5 was an American Christian teen pop group active from 1999 until 2007. The group was made up of five members from Nashville: Brandon and Brittany Hargest, Chris Fedun, Lesley Moore and Libby Hodges. After Libby Hodges left in 2004, Natash ...

Natalie Grant Natalie Diane Grant (born December 21, 1971) is an American singer and songwriter of contemporary Christian music. She received the Gospel Music Association's Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year four consecutive years (2006, 2007, 2008 an ...

, David Phelps,

James Ingram James Edward Ingram (February 16, 1952 – January 29, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song. After beginning his career ...

Rodney Crowell Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...

MercyMe MercyMe is an American contemporary Christian music band founded in Edmond, Oklahoma. The band consists of lead vocalist Bart Millard, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul. The b ...

The Katinas The Katinas are a contemporary Christian music group. They are a family of five brothers. The group's members sang in Assembly of God church as children, and began playing fairs, soon moving up to nationwide slots opening for R. Kelly, Jasmine ...

Nate Sallie Nate Allen Sallie (born October 28, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and concert performer signed with Curb Records. He was previously a member of NewSong. Biography Recording artist, concert per ...

Graham Colton Graham Colton (born November 6, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His most recent album, ''Inside Out'', was released on August 14, 2020. Colton's songs have been featured on numerous TV shows including ''Am ...

, and

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

. Producer John Fields arranged for Owsley to back various

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

stars, such as

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series '' Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for p ...

, the

Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel television network. They consist of three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in ...

, and Luke Benward. Besides being a musician, Owsley also continued producing and engineering. He co-produced

Kevin Max Kevin Max Smith (born August 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk. As a solo artist following the band going on hiatus, he has recorded 12 full-length stud ...

's 2007 album ''

The Blood The Blood are an English, London-based punk rock band, formed in 1982. Led by Cardinal Jesus Hate and JJ Bedsore (AKA Colin Smith and Jamie Cantwell), the band formed in the early 1980s under the name "Coming Blood". Their music is a blend of ...

'' and toured with him.da Silvia, Dave (May 1, 2010).
Will Owsley dies
'. ''

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur ...

''. Retrieved May 17, 2010. He played various instruments on

Chris Sligh Charles Christopher Sligh (born April 13, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and pastor who was a finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol'', finishing in tenth place. He has released 14 albums since 2001 as a solo artist, wi ...

's 2008 album ''Running Back to You'' and produced several songs on it.Evans Price, Deborah (May 31, 2008). "Running Back to You", ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' 120 (22): 37–8. In the last two years of his life, Owsley occasionally worked as a session guitarist for

Andy Sturmer Marvin Andrew Sturmer (born March 11, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and composer who co-founded the rock band Jellyfish in 1989. He was the group's lead vocalist, drummer, and primary songwriter. Following their break-up in 1 ...

's movie soundtracks. In 2009, Owsley made a version of "When Lonely Comes Around" (Grant/Owsley), sung and recorded by himself, available to fans for free. Also in 2009, Owsley co-produced and played on Popfilter Boston's debut release Pop This.

Personal life

In sports, Owsley was a University of Alabama football fan. He himself played soccer and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

and competed in

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

in his formative years. As an adult, Owsley was a reasonably good golfer and tennis player, as well as an outstanding

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

and billiard player. Whenever he was on tour and playing a club that had a billiard table, he'd often pick-up a game prior to going on stage to perform. He was also a very good horseman and owned several

Tennessee Walking Horse The Tennessee Walking Horse or Tennessee Walker is a breed of gaited horse known for its unique four-beat running-walk and flashy movement. It was originally developed as a riding horse on farms and plantations in the American South. It is ...

s over the years. Owsley had a passion for telling jokes. He was widely known for his sense of humor, as well as being a terrific mimic, skilled at closely imitating people. He also was a fan of card tricks and coin illusion tricks and worked for years to hone his skills in illusion. Whenever he was in Los Angeles, he frequently visited the

Magic Castle The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California and it bills itself as "the most unusual private club in t ...

, located in Hollywood. Owsley was an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

buff. He was very knowledgeable on the subject and loved to interact with others who were interested in it as well. On many occasions, he helped to reenact specific battles. Owsley was a Christian and was a member of the Village Chapel in Nashville, TN. Owsley was an avid collector of vintage guitars, amplifiers, microphones and mic preamps for his studio. At one time, he had a very large collection.

Death

Owsley died on April 30, 2010 at Williamson County Hospital in

. He was 44.

(May 2, 2010). '
Accomplished Nashville musician and Anniston native Will Owsley dies at age 44
"''. Retrieved May 2, 2010. ''

'' reported the cause of death was "an apparent suicide." He is survived by his two sons Walker (born 1998) and Liam (born 2001) from his previous marriage with Rebecca Walker. In 2011,

released the song "Threaten Me With Heaven", which was co-written with

, Owsley and Dillon O'Brian. It was nominated for the 2012

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

in the category of "Best Country Song", which according to Gill is "a lasting tribute to Owsley" and "would have meant the world to him".''VinceGill.com'' (December 1, 2011)
"Vince Gill’s 'Threaten Me With Heaven' Receives Grammy Nomination for Best Country Song"
The song was recorded prior to Owsley's death and was also performed at Owsley's funeral.

Discography

The Semantics * 1996: ''Powerbill'' Owsley solo * 1999: '' Owsley'' * 2004: '' The Hard Way'' * 2005: ''Psycho / Upside Down'' (digital download only)

Cover versions by other artists

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

recorded ''Be With You'' for their 2004 album '' The Creed'' under the title ''I Wanna Be With You''. The lyrics were slightly altered. *Trevor Morgan, who toured with Owsley as bassist,Jesus Freak Hideout (September 24, 2004)
Music news archive: September 2004
Retrieved May 17, 2010. recorded his own version of ''Upside Down'' (Morgan, Dillon O'Brian, Owsley) as the opening track for ''Wonderlight'' (2004).

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Owsley 1966 births 2010 deaths People from Anniston, Alabama American male singer-songwriters Record producers from Alabama American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters American multi-instrumentalists American mandolinists Giant Records (Warner) artists Christian music songwriters Performers of Christian rock music American performers of Christian music Suicides in Tennessee Guitarists from Alabama 20th-century American guitarists People from Green Hills, Tennessee Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee 20th-century American male musicians 2010 suicides Singer-songwriters from Alabama Singer-songwriters from Tennessee