Dancing among the crowds of loyal fans at a Bobby Owen show, you might assume Owen was one of Vero Beach’s native sons, playing to packed houses here since he was young. In truth, the crowds are there because this Owen has talent for a particular craft: cover music.

While the art of covering another artist’s song may not earn a musician a lot of ink in Rolling Stone magazine, it is far from undervalued by bar owners and music venue operators. Cover bands draw in enthusiastic – and thirsty – audiences, many eager to jump onto dance floor and flail with nostalgia at the first notes of songs they’ve known for years.

That shared knowledge – part of the fun at events like Riverside Theatre’s Howl at the Moon soirees – is best understood by musicians like Owen, who knows how to work a room starting from his opening song. Tapping into pop music, classic rock and even standards, Owen takes care that his band never strays too far from the original, and turns its talent to replicating the sounds people already love. How he came to understand those nuances of American tastes in music is something of a marvel.

Owen was born Tokyo, far from the tranquil shores of the Treasure Coast on the grounds of the Johnson Air Force base. It was 1959. Bobby was one of six children born to Bobby Joe Owen, an expert marksman in the U.S. Army’s 6th Pistol Team and Bobby’s mother, Haruko, whom Bobby Joe met on tour. The Owen family finally settled in Miami and the early 1970s found Owen and his brothers John and Monroe teaching each other chords, new songs and practicing regularly. The trio formed their first musical group and called it The Cat House Band, named for the backyard structure where their mother kenneled her feline pets and allowed her boys to practice. “We played all the popular tunes from the ’60s and ’70s and, of course, we played a lot of Beatles,” recalls Owen. “They were my favorite. They still are.”

As Owen navigated the demands of academics and athletics – he was quarterback for Southwest Miami High – he still found time to practice guitar. With his band of brothers, he was soon asked to play house parties for neighborhood families. After graduation, Owen’s connections with the Central Bible Church provided him the opportunity to lead the Praise and Worship Team. As leader of a Christian rock band, he began to learn a great deal about music theory, performance and songwriting. Throughout the ’80s, Owen pursued his professional interests in construction management. On the side, he also formed another band, Owen Grey, continuing to play alongside his brothers. It allowed him to meet and gig with talented musicians from the Miami area.

“The positive power of word of mouth is really all the advertising that we do,”
Owen says.
In fact, it is his talent that does that talking. His pitch-perfect vocals and extensive repertoire, which includes songs from Elvis, the Allman Brothers, Sinatra, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker and Clapton make him a favorite for the fun-loving music crowds at Sebastian’s Riverview Park events, Riverside Theatre's Live in The Loop, Square Grouper, local street festivals and at popular watering holes like Earl’s Hideaway and many upscale, private Yacht and Country Clubs on the Treasure Coast.