RANDY OWEN TO RELEASE DEBUT SOLO SINGLE
“Braid My Hair” Proceeds to Benefit St. Jude

(Nashville, Tennessee) – As the lead singer of the legendary group Alabama, Randy Owen would appear to have seen and done it all – 73 million albums sold, countless miles on the road touring, a warehouse full of awards and a coveted spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Yet this singer/songwriter/entertainer/rancher is embarking on a new path – a solo career with a new album in the works and a debut single, “Braid My Hair” set to hit the radio airwaves in two weeks.
“I’m as excited about this as I’ve ever been,” said Owen. “Before I decided to do the solo thing, we put a band together and did some dates late last year to see if the fans were still out there. When I came back I was totally convinced we needed to do this.”
Written by Chris Gray and Brent Wilson, “Braid My Hair” is the first song either writer has ever had released as a single. Gray had been a teacher in a children’s hospital, helping the kids keep up with their schoolwork while they were in treatment for cancer and other conditions. He often witnessed the side effects of chemotherapy and knew kids – especially girls – wanted to be able to braid their hair again.
In a creative twist of fate, the writers tracked down Randy’s mother and sent the song to her in hopes she would listen to it and pass it along to her son. She loved the song and told a reluctant Randy he really needed to listen to it. “I tried every way I could think of to get the song to Randy with no luck,” said Gray. “I finally thought, ‘I’ll just try mama!’ I’m beyond excited about this.”
“I listened to the song four or five times and thought, ‘wow, what a song,’” Randy recalls. “The song is so real, and I’ve seen this lived out time and time again with the kids at St. Jude. It’s an incredible story done in song.”
All parties involved have graciously agreed to donate 100% of the publishing royalties to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the very organization that last year presented Randy Owen with its prestigious Founder’s Award for spearheading the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids radiothons 19 years ago – events which have raised over $315 million for the hospital. “This is the perfect situation where everybody can win,” said Brent Wilson of the arrangement with St. Jude.

Produced by John Rich, of Big & Rich fame, Randy’s album - titled "One on One" - will hit stores this spring on the newly-formed DMP Records. Randy and his 10-piece band will hit the road later this month for a tour that will extend into the fall.

Please visit randyowen.com for more information regarding tour dates and the album release.