Johnny Owens, Jr., has been documented as
being on stage since first grade (1962), at which
time he had the only speaking part in his class
play, "At the Circus" (apparently adapted quite
freely from the Marx Brothers film). [Actually,
some less scrupulous witnesses report him as
performing as early as some five-and-a-half
years before that, regaling the delivery room staff
with a medley of "My Mammy" and "That
Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine."]
Not a year since that time went by without his
treading the boards, until the late 1970s saw him
enter a semi-retirement from the stage to enter
the realm of radio broadcasting. During a career
spanning more than 25 years he appeared in a
regular capacity on roughly a dozen stations in
the top 110 radio markets in the U. S., all of which
stations, since his departure from them, have
either gone out of business or changed their
format. He returned to the stage late in the past
millennium at the behest of his erstwhile friends.
Having been importuned to appear on television,
he has repeatedly demurred, saying that he is
saving that as a "reward" for his twilight years.
Locally, Johnny has appeared most frequently on
the stages of the Chattanooga Little Theatre and
Chattanooga Theatre Centre, the Baylor
Company Players, UTC Theatre, and the lovely
Tivoli theatre (where he first appeared as James
Bond at age seven). He was the lead singer and
front-man for Chattanooga's first new-wave punk
power-pop band, "Obscene Gesture," gaining
overmuch fame in certain quarters for his Yoko
Ono impressions. He performed for six seasons
with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera
Association, but has reportedly momentarily tired
of "doing that, y'know, longhair stuff, man."
Johnny previously appeared with the Hamilton
Community Theatre in ZAP and in Wynton
Marsalis' Jazz ABZ.
The acting accomplishments of Mr. Owens have
been the subject of much critical analysis and
comment, but even the most uncharitable writers
agree that he is at least consistent--even
tenaciously so. No challenge is too much for him
to accept, and it has even been suggested that
some inadequacies in the writing, directing, and
production of the many stage epics in which he
has appeared have kept him from greater
stardom. While most actors claim one or another
"favorite roles," Johnny feels that each of his
performances has been of Tony quality. "I just dig
Danza, Randall, and Clifton," he is sporadically
heard to say.
Mr. Owens's education often threatened to
become a lifelong affair, but he received his
undergraduate degree after ten-and-a-half years
of study (the first six-and-a-half of which he says
were spent trying to find a place to park). His
masters degree, meanwhile, was earned in a
shorter time than anyone else who had attended
the institution. Rumors circulating regarding the
faculty and staff's desire to "get him out of here
quick" are, he says, just that: rumors.
Johnny started his avocation, that of "record
collector," quite early--at age two, to be precise,
when he purchased his first record ("Pat Boone
Sings"). He has since that time amassed a
collection of over 200,000 "shiny black things,"
specializing in "everything except what anyone
actually wants to listen to." He is currently
accepting applications for educational institutions
wishing to house the collection, contingent upon
his employment as curator.
Please, don't call him John.
being on stage since first grade (1962), at which
time he had the only speaking part in his class
play, "At the Circus" (apparently adapted quite
freely from the Marx Brothers film). [Actually,
some less scrupulous witnesses report him as
performing as early as some five-and-a-half
years before that, regaling the delivery room staff
with a medley of "My Mammy" and "That
Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine."]
Not a year since that time went by without his
treading the boards, until the late 1970s saw him
enter a semi-retirement from the stage to enter
the realm of radio broadcasting. During a career
spanning more than 25 years he appeared in a
regular capacity on roughly a dozen stations in
the top 110 radio markets in the U. S., all of which
stations, since his departure from them, have
either gone out of business or changed their
format. He returned to the stage late in the past
millennium at the behest of his erstwhile friends.
Having been importuned to appear on television,
he has repeatedly demurred, saying that he is
saving that as a "reward" for his twilight years.
Locally, Johnny has appeared most frequently on
the stages of the Chattanooga Little Theatre and
Chattanooga Theatre Centre, the Baylor
Company Players, UTC Theatre, and the lovely
Tivoli theatre (where he first appeared as James
Bond at age seven). He was the lead singer and
front-man for Chattanooga's first new-wave punk
power-pop band, "Obscene Gesture," gaining
overmuch fame in certain quarters for his Yoko
Ono impressions. He performed for six seasons
with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera
Association, but has reportedly momentarily tired
of "doing that, y'know, longhair stuff, man."
Johnny previously appeared with the Hamilton
Community Theatre in ZAP and in Wynton
Marsalis' Jazz ABZ.
The acting accomplishments of Mr. Owens have
been the subject of much critical analysis and
comment, but even the most uncharitable writers
agree that he is at least consistent--even
tenaciously so. No challenge is too much for him
to accept, and it has even been suggested that
some inadequacies in the writing, directing, and
production of the many stage epics in which he
has appeared have kept him from greater
stardom. While most actors claim one or another
"favorite roles," Johnny feels that each of his
performances has been of Tony quality. "I just dig
Danza, Randall, and Clifton," he is sporadically
heard to say.
Mr. Owens's education often threatened to
become a lifelong affair, but he received his
undergraduate degree after ten-and-a-half years
of study (the first six-and-a-half of which he says
were spent trying to find a place to park). His
masters degree, meanwhile, was earned in a
shorter time than anyone else who had attended
the institution. Rumors circulating regarding the
faculty and staff's desire to "get him out of here
quick" are, he says, just that: rumors.
Johnny started his avocation, that of "record
collector," quite early--at age two, to be precise,
when he purchased his first record ("Pat Boone
Sings"). He has since that time amassed a
collection of over 200,000 "shiny black things,"
specializing in "everything except what anyone
actually wants to listen to." He is currently
accepting applications for educational institutions
wishing to house the collection, contingent upon
his employment as curator.
Please, don't call him John.
Johnny Owens
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