Isaiah "Ikey" Owens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ikey Owens
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Ikey Owens at Outside Lands 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Randolph Isaiah Owens |
| Born | December 1, 1974 |
| Origin | Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 14, 2014 (aged 39) Cholula, Puebla, Mexico |
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| Years active | 1996–2014 |
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Randolph Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (born December 1, 1974 – died October 14, 2014) was an American keyboard player. He was well-known for his amazing work with bands like The Mars Volta and Jack White. He also played with many other groups from the Long Beach music scene.
Contents
His Musical Journey
Ikey Owens was a talented musician who played keyboards. He was a member of the Long Beach Dub Allstars. In 1998, he met Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López from the band At the Drive-In. This meeting changed his musical path.
In 1999, Ikey joined a dub reggae band called De Facto. He toured Europe with Omar, Cedric, and Jeremy Ward. Soon after, they invited him to join their new band, The Mars Volta. Ikey played with The Mars Volta from 2001 until 2011. He was one of the longest-serving members of the band, besides Cedric and Omar.
Other Music Projects
Ikey Owens was always busy with music outside of The Mars Volta. Starting in 2002, he created his own music under the name Free Moral Agents. He released several albums and EPs, like "Everybody's Favorite Weapon" in 2004 and "Control This" in 2010.
He also played with many other artists and bands. Some of these included El-P, Dave Sitek from TV on the Radio, Shuggie Otis, The Aquabats, and Mastodon. Ikey also worked with 2Mex as a hip-hop duo called the Look Daggers. He even produced music for other bands, like Dusty Rhodes and the River Band and Crystal Antlers.
Working with Jack White
Later in his career, Ikey Owens joined Jack White's backup band, The Buzzards. He played keyboards, organ, and piano for them. He went on a big world tour to support Jack White's album "Blunderbuss". Ikey also played on Jack White's second album, "Lazaretto". He was touring for this album when he passed away.
His Passing
On October 14, 2014, Ikey Owens was found in his hotel room in Puebla, Mexico. He had a heart attack and passed away at 39 years old. Because of this sad news, two of Jack White's concerts in Mexico were cancelled.
Music He Made
Ikey Owens was a very active musician and producer. Here are some of the projects he worked on:
Solo Work
- Looking for Lauryn Hill In Lakewood (2010)
With Free Moral Agents
- Everybody's Favorite Weapon (2004)
- Control This (2010)
With Look Daggers
- That Look – EP (2006)
- Suffer in Style – LP (2008)
With De Facto
- Megaton Shotblast LP (2001)
- Légende du Scorpion à Quatre Queues LP (2001)
With The Mars Volta
- Tremulant – EP (2002)
- De-Loused in the Comatorium – LP (2003)
- Frances the Mute – LP (2005)
- Amputechture – LP (2006)
- The Bedlam in Goliath – LP (2008)
Guest Appearances
Ikey played on many other artists' albums, including:
- Second-hand Smoke – Sublime (1997)
- Saul Williams – Saul Williams (2004)
- Blood Mountain – Mastodon (2006)
- Lazaretto – Jack White (2014)
As a Producer
Ikey also helped other bands record their music. Some of his production work includes:
- First You Live – Dusty Rhodes & The River Band (2007)
- Suffer in Style – Look Daggers (2008)
- Control This – Free Moral Agents (2010)
