Fans of soul singer Brian Owens might assume that he grew up singing with his musical family as a child. The truth is that he didn’t start singing with his father, Thomas Owens, a successful singer and manager in his own right, until he was an adult.
Since Brian Owens uploaded a video of them singing “A Change Is Gonna Come” in 2013, as part of their “Duets With Dad” stage show, Brian and Thomas Owens have performed on the "Today" show and are set to open for Grammy Award-winning jazz-sensation Samara Joy.
Brian Owens told St. Louis on the Air that recording music and performing with his dad adds something special to the experience. “It’s something about getting older,” he said. “The project ‘Duets With Dad’ has taken a whole different perspective for both of us.”
Thomas Owens worked in the music industry before Brian Owens was born. Thomas Owens said performing with his son brings a different experience. “[Singing with Brian] is one of my million-dollar moments … just [performing] with him and having an opportunity to have a service to the audience and to sing about the relationship that we've had together as father and son,” he said.
Brian Owens added: “I think every performance that we do now is a step towards something bigger. I think getting the opportunity to open for Samara Joy is pointing in the direction of where things are heading.”
To learn more about Brian and Thomas Owens, “Duets With Dad” and the lessons learned through the music covers they sing together, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clicking the play button below.
Related Event
What: Samara Joy “A Joyful Holiday” featuring Brian and Thomas Ownes' “Duets With Dad.”
When: Dec. 12
Where: The Factory (17105 N. Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield, MO 63005)
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production intern. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
