The artistic path of Brian Owens has long charted both tribute territory and totally new ground, and Owens is known to navigate both well. The local singer-songwriter鈥檚 2017 album 鈥淪oul of Cash鈥� premiered via Rolling Stone, and that same year Owens released the song 鈥淔or You,鈥� showcasing the vocals of five-time Grammy winner Michael McDonald alongside his own.
McDonald and Owens share a hometown 鈥� Ferguson, Missouri 鈥� and are collaborating musically again this Sunday during a at the Touhill Performing Arts Center celebrating McDonald鈥檚 legacy.
Owens joined St. Louis on the Air鈥檚 Sarah Fenske on Friday to discuss the event, which is billed as 鈥淎 Night for Life鈥� and also features 鈥淭he Voice鈥� contestant Kennedy Holmes. Owens also discussed his journey as a musician and community activist.
In addition to continuing to record original music as well as timeless classics, Owens heads up , a locally focused nonprofit that provides underserved young people with artistic resources, mentorship and positive experiences. He鈥檚 also an artist-in-residence at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
That local involvement so close to his heart hasn鈥檛 kept him from making his mark nationally, too, over the years. Owens鈥� past gigs include venues ranging from New York鈥檚 Apollo Theater to the World Series, and he also performed for former first lady Michelle Obama at the White House in 2012.
Listen to the conversation and some music as well:
Related Event
What:
When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019
Where: Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL (1 University Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63121)
NOTE: Tickets are required for this event and are available .
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , , , and Tonina Saputo. The engineer is , and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.
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