BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Richie Owens and his band were tuning guitars and other gear early Thursday afternoon, inside Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem.
It was all in preparation for their upcoming Thursday evening performance.
“I would consider myself a contemporary folk artist, or some would call now Americana,” Owens said.
Owens has been playing music his whole life. He’s currently visiting the Lehigh Valley from his home in Nashville to promote his new book.
“Appalachia Ballads, Bloodlines and the Long Journey Home” is a five-part series, with a song for each story. Part two just came out.
It’s about Owens’ family — and in Owens’ family is a familiar name most will recognize.
“My dad and his brothers all got into the music business back in the 50s and into the early 60s and eventually moved to Nashville. Through that, they brought their little young niece,” Owens said. “Because they saw potential and opportunities for her.”
That niece, with that potential? None other than the late, great Dolly Parton.
“She was an angel,” Owens said. “She’s an angel. She always is an angel. She was an angel here on Earth.”
The venue Owens is playing, Godfrey Daniels, was originally unaware of the famous connection.
“I can say that we get a lot of requests from artists who want to perform here,” Ramona LaBarre, the venue’s managing director, said.
LaBarre says Owens was booked based on recommendations.
“To my knowledge, there was no mention of Dolly in any of that,” she said.
LaBarre and the venue had just learned about Owens’ internationally beloved cousin the day of his concert.
“Now the excitement is upped a little bit, I’ll say that,” she said.
But while Owens shows a lot of pride and love toward his cousin, he prefers not to name-drop while on tour for his own music.
“I don’t put that foot forward,” he said. “I want you to like me for what I do. And I’ve done that all my life.”
The doors open at 6:30, and the opening music starts at 7 p.m. at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem.