Jake Owen Celebrates First No. 1

(L-R): BMI’s Jody Williams, Cal IV Publishing’s Daniel Hill, co-writers Dylan Altman and Terry Sawchuk, Jake Owen, co-writer Eric Paslay, producers Joey Moi and Rodney Clawson, ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, and Sony’s Gary Overton. Photo: Steve Lowry

Jake Owen celebrated his first No. 1 hit “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” with a packed house at CMA on Tuesday night (11/29). The Sony Music Nashville star was joined by songwriters Eric Paslay, Terry Sawchuk and Dylan Altman at the event co-hosted by ASCAP and BMI. “Barefoot…” is also the first No. 1 for Paslay and Sawchuck, and the second for Altman.

“I’ve been to a lot of these things, standing in the back over there, drinking a free beer,” Owen laughed, “so to be up here right now is amazing.” He quickly shared the spotlight though, thanking his band, label and songwriters. He pointed out that the song would not have been successful without a genuine team effort. “There’s no single way that one person makes the big difference, unless you’re the Indianapolis Colts,” he joked, referring to the Colts’ 0-11 record while QB Peyton Manning is sidelined with an injury this season.

Paslay, a new artist signed to Capitol Nashville, got a little choked up addressing the audience. “This is the first talk like this I’ve given to a crowd about thanking them,” he explained, taking a moment to collect himself. Like Owen, Paslay expressed his gratitude to those around him, thanking his parents for his first guitar and Cal IV for jump-starting his career with an internship.

The song, which has racked up 115,000 radio spins, was produced by Joey Moi, Rodney Clawson and Tony Brown. It is one of only six songs released in 2011 to reach Platinum download status.

Owen is following up the success of “Barefoot…” with new single “Alone with You.” The video, featuring a cameo by his bulldog Merle, is premiering on Facebook. The single is already No. 24 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart.

“This song changed my life,” added Owen of his first No. 1. “I’m so grateful to the songwriters, who have become really good friends of mine. Feeling the support of this amazingly talented community is hard to describe. It’s just awesome to be part of it. This has been the best year of my life.”