Catch of the Day – Jake Owen – “If He Ain’t Gonna Love You” [AUDIO]

Today's focus falls on artist found his musical abilities completely by accident, focusing on music while rehabbing an injury that ended his dreams of a golf career. While attending Florida State University, he injured his wrist wake boarding, requiring reconstructive surgery, so he borrowed a guitar and taught himself to play.

Soon after his dreams of PGA stardom ended, Jake Owen started down another path. After reconstruction surgery on his wrist, Jake borrowed a neighbors guitar, not knowing how to play. Undaunted, he taught himself to play, and soon after began writing his own songs on the guitar. After seeing a friend play at a local campus bar and knowing that he might just be onto something, Owen asked the bar's owner if he could play the club. The owner agreed, and the former golfer was on his way.

After a short period playing clubs around the FSU campus, Owen went all in, moving to Nashville. His first stop was at a local bank to open an account, and when he told the teller that was helping him he was an aspiring singer, she asked for a sample of his work. Owen gave her a copy of a CD of his material, which she passed on to a contact the teller had at Warner/Chappell music publishing. And even though Warner/Chappell didn't sign the young singer and songwriter, it led to his introduction to producer and songwriter Jimmy Ritchey.

The pair, along with songwriter Chuck Jones, got together and wrote the song "Ghosts", which they intended for Kenny Chesney. Chesney passed on the song, but Owen's demo of the song found its way to RCA Nashville Records, who signed him, and suggested he change his name from Josh (his given name) to Jake to avoid confusion with Josh Turner and Josh Gracin. In 2006, Owen released his debut single "Yee-Haw", which peaked at #16. It served as the lead for Jake's debut album, Startin' With Me, which also featured his version of "Ghosts" as well as the singles "Somethin' About A Woman" and the album's title track, which became his first top-10 hit, peaking at #6. During this period he was on tour with Sugarland and Little Big town, and a video was released of the three act's show closer, the 80's classic rock song "Life In A Northern Town". The song was never officially released as a single, but still managed to climb in the top-20 on the strength of unsolicited airplay by radio stations across the country.

In the time since, Owen has released four studio albums, including his most recent, American Love, which hit stores on July 29th. His 5 albums have produced 9 top-10 hits, including 6 #1's, the most recent "American Country Love Song", which topped the charts just last month. The second single from American Love is in our spotlight today. Jake Owen and "If He Ain't Gonna Love You" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll wanna hear it again.