Dennis Owens, a popular D.C. radio personality who for decades made classical music fun and approachable, died of degenerative heart disease on Sept. 26 in Naples, Florida, where he had retired. Owens was 87.
For nearly four decades, Owens entertained listeners of WGMS not only with a wide repertoire of classical musical that soothed frayed nerves during rush hour, but also with a witty sense of humor that appealed to a broad audience.
By all accounts, Owens prided himself on making classical music accessible.
鈥淪ometimes you think classical music 鈥� you have to have studied it. And he did not present it in that way. He made it reachable for everybody. He made it fun,鈥� Christiane Owens, his wife of nearly 50 years, told WTOP.
She recalled a young woman coming up to Owens at a concert to tell him that she wasn鈥檛 a fan of classical music and actually decided to listen to him as a penance for Lent 鈥� but she wound up becoming a classical convert.
鈥淭he story ends with, 鈥業 am now a listener all the time,鈥� and that was kind of cute and funny,鈥� Christiane said. 鈥淎nd she just loved the way he was presenting everything that she got stuck with it.鈥�
His wife laughed remembering another encounter with unlikely fans 鈥� this time a group of motorcyclists who visited Owens鈥� station: 鈥淎nd they were all dressed up in, you know, the leather outfits, and they call him ‘dude,’ and they just wanted to let him know that they might not always like the music 鈥� but because of the way he was talking, they loved it so much and they wanted him to know that they were listening to him.鈥�
So were many others. The morning program that Owens hosted at WGMS, then known as Classical 103.5, consistently earned high ratings and enjoyed an impressive run from 1981 to 2002.
Owens began at WGMS in 1966 鈥� he also worked at WTOP during his early years in Washington 鈥� moving up the ranks even though he had no classical music experience. In fact, his taste in music was like his fan base: eclectic.
Born in England, Owens moved to Canada, where some people suggested he try radio because of his voice and his wit, Christiane said.
Eventually, Owens took a gig in Bermuda, where he played 鈥渞ock 鈥榥鈥� roll, he played Frank Sinatra, he played all kinds of modern music at that time,鈥� Christiane said. 鈥淗e actually didn鈥檛 consider himself a DJ.鈥�
Nor did his fans, many of whom were drawn more to Owens鈥� lively 鈥� often unfiltered 鈥� commentary than to the composers he played.
鈥淥n the air, he recited poetry, cracked wise about news headlines, and noted the surrealities of life, asking on one morning, 鈥榃hat do they list as your hair color on your driver鈥檚 license if you鈥檙e bald?鈥� and observing on another day: 鈥楽ome of you drink from the fountain of knowledge. Others merely gargle,鈥欌�� wrote Marc Fisher for The Washington Post.
WTOP General Manager Joel Oxley, who worked with Owens, described him as “one of the funniest, sharpest, smartest people I ever met. … There will never be another broadcaster like him. Humor and classical. Great combo.”
Owens delivered perhaps one of his most memorable lines when his morning show ended in 2002 and he observed that, 鈥淐lassical music is like sex. You never know how long it鈥檚 going to last, and it鈥檚 embarrassing if you clap at the wrong time.鈥�
Owens officially retired in 2005 鈥� WGMS ceased operations two years later 鈥� and moved with his wife to Naples.
Christiane said her husband grew tired of getting up in the middle of the night to go to work and was ready to retire. 鈥淗e was at the age where he was supposed to enjoy life.鈥�
But she said Owens 鈥渓oved everything about Washington.鈥� The only thing he did not love was the same thing he tried to make a little better for his fellow Washingtonians: the traffic.
In a that Owens did with The Post鈥檚 Bob Levy, one listener thanked Owens 鈥渇or making our mornings of road-clogged commuting more enjoyable and thought provoking鈥� 鈥� to which Owens replied: 鈥淵ou are very flattering and flattery will get you anywhere with me.鈥�
Owens didn鈥檛 shy away from criticizing his own industry while simultaneously thanking his 鈥淎ssembled Ears,鈥� the term he used for his listeners.
鈥淩adio today very often lacks broad freedom for an individual to emerge as a distinctive personality. Where it does emerge, it is often cloaked in vulgarism, loudness, cheapness and VERY much directed at certain segments of the perceived audience,鈥� Owens said.
鈥淚 have been extremely fortunate to acquire an audience in the Washington market to which I could play the personality role with a lot more subtlety and attempt a lot more finesse than most.鈥�
