Introduction:
Randy Owen and the Woman Behind the Music: A Mother’s Day Tribute to Martha Owen
By Kathy Kemp, The Birmingham News (Originally published May 13, 2001)
FORT PAYNE — On any given day, Randy Owen could spoil his mother with lavish gifts—a luxury yacht, a brand-new Cadillac, or even a dream vacation to Paris. But when it comes to Mother’s Day, Martha Owen, the mother of the legendary Alabama frontman, asks for only one thing:
“I just want him to come see me,” she says gently, seated next to her famous son in his Fort Payne home. “I’ve never been one for material things.”
And so, Randy Owen—whose career has yielded one of the most celebrated collections of gold records in country music history—gives his mother exactly what she cherishes most: his presence. And in doing so, he believes he’s become a better man.
“For me, staying close to home has always been important,” Owen explains. “Some people need to leave to grow, but I never wanted that. Sure, maybe I could’ve done more with my career if I’d moved away, but I think being rooted here—being proud of Alabama—is what gave us longevity. Success hasn’t changed our family values.”
Now 51, Owen lives with his wife Kelly in a Tudor-style home just down the road from the farm where he was raised—and where his mother still lives. The family’s land sits near Lookout Mountain, not far from Little River Canyon. Like his father before him, Owen raises cattle, staying grounded in the lifestyle that shaped him. His only regret: that his father, Gladstone Owen, passed away just as Alabama began soaring with chart-topping hits like “Mountain Music,” “Close Enough to Perfect,” and “My Home’s in Alabama.”
Martha Owen, then 69, remains a humble figure in the community—known for her towering bun of silver-streaked hair and her famous homemade apple pies. She lives in a modest red-brick house, where her son still tends her vegetable garden. Her daughters, Reba and Rachel, live nearby, and when the extended family gathers, the room overflows with stories of growing up with little money, but an abundance of love, music, and laughter.
One of her favorite memories is of a young Randy constantly losing his pocket knives around the farm. Eventually, his parents tied the knife around his neck with a chain. Family photos show a barefoot boy running through the grass, the knife swinging in the breeze.
Mrs. Owen chuckles as she recounts one particularly vivid moment:
“When he was about eight, I chased him around the kitchen table after he’d done something mischievous. He ran for the screen door—he didn’t know someone had fixed the latch. He hit it full force, broke the door in half, and ended up with a screen-print on his forehead. I didn’t even want to scold him then—I was just so relieved he wasn’t hurt.”
They both erupt in laughter at the memory.
Music ran deep in the Owen household. Randy credits his parents, both gospel singers, with passing down their musical gifts. Together with their children, they even recorded an album. To this day, Martha and her daughters still sing at church and local funerals.
Another of her favorite stories involves Randy’s grandfather—known as Paw Paw—who once mistakenly loaded a rifle cartridge into his pipe while packing loose tobacco from his overalls. The resulting explosion left him holding nothing but the stem.
“That,” she says with a smile, “was reason enough to never smoke.”
Owen calls his mother “the hardest-working person I’ve ever known,” recalling vivid scenes of her laboring under the sun while pregnant with his youngest sister. “It must’ve been 100 degrees, and she was out there picking peppers. I remember thinking, ‘How does she do this?’”
That work ethic lives on in Randy. As he shared during that 2001 interview, he was planning his first true vacation in 21 years—time he intended to spend with family.
His daughter Alison had just graduated from Jacksonville State University with dreams of becoming a doctor. His son Heath played baseball at Samford University. And his youngest, Randa, only 12 at the time, was a budding cowgirl showing heifers at county fairs.
Looking back, Martha Owen never dreamed her son would become a global music icon. “I didn’t have time to think about things like that,” she said simply. “But I always believed he’d grow into a good man.”
And he did.
They share a smile. Then laughter returns, just like it always has—echoing through a family grounded not in fame, but in love.