About The Song
“Big in Vegas” is a 1969 single by Buck Owens, written by Owens with singer–songwriter Terry Stafford and released on Capitol Records. Issued in October 1969 as Capitol single 2646, it was backed with “White Satin Bed” on the B-side and promoted as the first single from the album Big in Vegas. Recorded with the Buckaroos during Owens’ late-1960s hot streak, the track runs a little over two and a half minutes and arrived between the chart-topping “Tall Dark Stranger” and the 1970 hit “The Kansas City Song” in his singles chronology.
The song has an interesting origin. Terry Stafford had written and recorded a song called “Big in Dallas,” reflecting a similar theme of a musician dreaming about making it in a big city. In 1969 Owens reworked Stafford’s idea, shifting the story west to Nevada and co-writing a new version titled “Big in Vegas.” Stafford is credited as co-writer on the single, and later biographies of Stafford note that Owens’ recording became the successful version, giving Stafford another songwriting entry on the country charts even though he did not sing on the hit record.
“Big in Vegas” was closely tied to Owens’ Las Vegas work on stage. Around the same time, Capitol issued the live LP The Buck Owens Show: Big in Vegas, recorded at the Bonanza Hotel and showcasing his showband in a casino setting. The single was used to promote that project and to underline Owens’ move into Las Vegas showrooms while he was still hosting the TV series Hee Haw. Track listings and catalogue notes place the studio version of “Big in Vegas” as the signature song around which the live album’s marketing was built, linking his chart success directly to his Nevada residency.
Lyrically, the song tells the story of a young singer who leaves home for Las Vegas with “my guitar and my dreams.” His mother begs him to stay, but he insists on going, determined to have his name in lights. Verses describe playing every honky-tonk and smoky bar in town, realising that he may not yet have what it takes for the big casinos, but still refusing to give up. The chorus looks ahead to a future where the lines outside the venue are long and he gets a standing ovation when he “turn[s] ’em on in Vegas,” capturing the blend of struggle and ambition behind many working musicians’ careers.
Musically, “Big in Vegas” is a mid-tempo Bakersfield-style country track. The arrangement centres on a clear backbeat, electric bass and bright Telecaster-style guitar lines, with steel guitar and harmony vocals from the Buckaroos filling in around Owens’ lead. Compared with earlier, more traditional honky-tonk singles, the production is slightly smoother but still lean, with little orchestral overdubbing. This kept the sound compatible with late-1960s country radio while preserving the punch and clarity that had made Owens a leading figure in the West Coast country movement.
On the charts, the single performed solidly. In the United States, “Big in Vegas” reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and made a brief appearance on the pop Hot 100, peaking at No. 100. In Canada it did even better, hitting No. 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in January 1970. Since then, the song has appeared on compilations and themed sets, including 1970s country anthologies and Buck Owens collections, and remains one of his best-known late-1960s sides—especially for its straightforward portrait of a singer chasing a big-city dream from honky-tonks to the Vegas Strip.
Video
Lyric
When I was young I left the home
And went away, to Vegas
With my guitar and my dreams
I had to try to play and sing, in Vegas
But my momma told me I was wrong
And she begged me to stay at home
But my will was strong and
I had to make it big, in VegasThey’ll put my name up in lights where I play
And the lines out in front will be long
I’ll get a standing ovation from the people
When I start to sing my song
When I turn ’em on in VegasWell I’ve played every
Honky tonk and smokey bar, in Vegas
And I guess I don’t have
What it takes, for Las Vegas
But my dreams still linger on
Oh my faith is almost gone
But my will is strong and
I’ve gotta make it big, in VegasThey’ll put my name up in lights where I play
And the lines out in front will be long
I’ll get a standing ovation from the people
When I start to sing my song
When I turn ’em on in VegasLa la la la la la la la
La la la la la la, big in VegasLa la la la la la la la
La la la la la la, big in VegasLa la la la la la la la
La la la la la, big in Vegas…