Jake Owen

A self-taught country rocker, Jake Owen started dreaming of becoming a golf pro when he was 12. He was on his way to realizing his dreams -- even playing on the Florida State University golf team -- when a water-skiing accident and subsequent reconstructive surgery forced him to shovel his game and, instead, pick up a guitar. With his good looks and ambitious personality, Owen began performing country covers in local bars around Florida State, but he soon got bored playing other people's music. He began penning his own songs and was further encouraged by the positive response. Only nine credits short of graduating from Florida State, Owen packed up his guitar and headed to Nashville with a new found dream of becoming a country superstar. His rich, resonant baritone voice has the sound of fine-tuned country stars twice his age. Mixing down-home ballads with hard-rockin' country anthems, Owen has brought a youthful image to contemporary country music. His debut album, Startin' With Me, was released in 2006 and saw success due in part to single "Yee Haw" and the poignant title track. The singer's sophomore effort, Easy Does It, appeared in early 2009.