Editor’s note: I offer my utmost apology to the family and fans of Mr. Lancelot ‘Lance’ Owens. Mrs. Em Turner Chitty submitted this acknowledgment to the East Tennessee Enlightener on Feb. 18th. It was not seen in the inbox until today.
By EmTurner Chitty
(KNOXVILLE, TN) Saxophonist Lancelot “Lance” William Owens, was 95-years old when he died on Feb. 14, 2019, in Knoxville. He leaves his former wife, Fannie Lou Owens, care manager Jerry Shelley, and numerous friends and admirers.
Mr. Lance was born on June 23, 1923, in Johnson City, Tennessee. He was raised by adoptive parents who opened his mind to music at the early age of 6 with violin lessons. In 1931, he heard big band music on the radio and was attracted to the sound of the sousaphone, that he chose to play in his high school marching band. By his mid-teens, he was playing the clarinet and then the saxophone.
At Tennessee State University he studied physics and music. Owens served in World War II in the Pacific for two years, where he strung wire as an electrician and operated diesel-powered plants. In New Guinea, he played back up to for a show for Bob Hope, “the most thrilling thing of my whole career.”
Upon his return to the United States, Owens came to East Tennessee. From Johnson City, he played in area nightspots with the Illusionaires at the Worker’s Club and the Blue Note with players Bill Scarlett and Edwin “Rocky” Wynder from the ’40s into the 2000s. His day job included running a radio repair shop in Knoxville and working at ORNL and Knoxville College as an electrician.
In 2012, jazz pianist Donald Brown produced a 13-track album that featured Owens. It was followed by a memorable “Alive After-Five” appearance. In his last years, Owens lived at Northgate Towers and spent most Thursdays socializing at the Love Kitchen, and many Saturdays playing jazz with friends.
When asked about his philosophy of life in a WUOT radio show following the release of his 2013 album, Owens told host Todd Steed, “It’s real simple: Live and let live.” Of music, he said, “Music is the pouring out of a performer’s soul.”