Dean Owens

Originating from Scotland, Owens established himself as a singer-songwriter and guitarist through his tenure in the Felsons, a prominent Scottish country rock group that cut three well-received albums toward the end of the 1990s. His debut solo project in 2001 emerged from informal taping sessions held inside a lochside cottage in the Scottish Highlands alongside Kevin McGuire, the Felsons’ bassist; the performances were committed straight to a portable DAT machine and released after only light editing and overdubs, yielding an atmospheric lo-fi set that favored natural ambience over polished production. The next two years found Owens frequently on tour, logging considerable time in the United States with the Mavericks, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and Chip Taylor.

The 2004 follow-up, My Town, assembled an impressive roster of collaborators that included former Flying Burrito Brothers pedal steel guitarist Al Perkins, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Will Kimbrough, and Scottish artist Karine Polwart. The resulting Americana album placed its thematic focus squarely on Owens’ Scottish roots. To record the 2007 successor, Whisky Hearts, Owens moved temporarily to Nashville, again working with Perkins and Kimbrough while adding the ex-Mavericks rhythm section of Paul Deakin and Robert Reynolds; the introspective, tuneful collection was widely praised as one of the strongest singer-songwriter releases of the year.