Paul Owens

Singer, Musical Artist

1924 – 2002

73

Who was Paul Owens?

Paul Owens was one of the foremost artists in African American gospel music, performing with the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Swan Silvertones and the Sensational Nightingales. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, he started as a soloist with the Israelite Gospel Singers, the Baystate Gospel Singers and the Evangelist Singers, then joined a group known as the Nightingales before moving to the Hummingbirds in 1948. Paired with Ira Tucker, Sr., they adopted a daring style, which they called "trickeration", in which they would mix melisma with intricate harmonies, sharing the lead while often improvising phrases.

Owens left the group in 1952 to join the Swan Silvertones, to whose aggressive shouting style he added the smooth harmonies and melodious tenor for which he was known as a member of the Hummingbirds. He later left them to join the Sensational Nightingales, for whom he sang as a baritone, then returned to the Hummingbirds in 1989.

Owens died aged 78.

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Born
Jul 27, 1924
Greensboro
Ethnicity
  • African American
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Died
Oct 17, 2002

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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"Paul Owens." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/paul_owens>.

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