To make independent decisions based on what was right for '60 Minutes,' right for the audience," Owens wrote in a note to the "60 Minutes" staff. After defending the show "from every angle ...

In 1966, he performed on "The Buck Owens Ranch Show" until CBS launched "Hee Haw" in 1969. The show went into syndication in 1971 and remained a weekly series until 1992. The Buckaroos served as ...