Buckaroos Failed to Get Their Due on Big Hit

Instrumental singles were normally two-side affairs. In other words, both sides were instrumentals. That was because they were done by bands or individual instrumentalists, not by singers. It is somewhat odd then that one of the biggest instrumental hits in the history of country music, "Buckaroo," is credited to Buck Owens, and not the Buckaroos, the actual instrumental group behind the song. The Capitol single reads "Buck Owens and The Buckaroos," not just "The Buckaroos," as they are rightly billed on their many albums and some other singles efforts. Not only that, the flip side is a regular Owens vocal, "If You Want a Love." In fact, Owens' vocal singles after a certain point all read "Buck Owens and The Buckaroos." "Buckaroo" the single should have been billed as by The Buckaroos and backed with another of their instrumentals. It remains an oddity for these reasons.
-- Bryce Martin