Artists: Biography Jake Owen  

Jake Owen was raised in Vero Beach, Fla., and grew up with a passion for sports. At age 12, he took up golf and soon realized he had the knack for it. Before long, he had his eye on the professional circuit. When he enrolled at Florida State University (along with fraternal twin Jarrod), Owen became a walk-on member of the golf team, but a serious waterskiing accident quickly ended his professional golf aspirations.

Instead of studying, he spent his downtime learning how to play his neighbor's guitar. One night, he heard somebody in a campus bar playing songs on stage. The next day, he asked the manager how he could sign up for the same gig. Within a few hours, Owen was onstage singing, too, making $75 a night, drinking free beer and attracting the eyes of college girls.

He formed a band called Yee Haw Junction and started putting original songs in his set of country covers. Although he had only nine credit hours of college until his degree, he left for Nashville. He spent a lot of time writing songs in his apartment. One of his songs, "Ghost," was almost cut by Kenny Chesney. That close call brought Owen's music to the attention of RCA Records. Within two years of moving to Nashville, Owen signed to the label and released his debut album, Startin' With Me, in 2006.