Brian and Thomas Owens bring ‘Duets with Dad’ to the Sheldon on Sunday

For Belleville native and longtime Ferguson resident Brian Owens, it doesn’t get any better than being able to share a musical moment with his father Thomas Owens.  

The feeling is mutual – and based on the viral video of them performing a duet of the Sam Cooke classic “A Change Is Gonna Come,” the whole world agrees. The clip has garnered 117 million views and counting – 40 million more than the official lyrical video featuring Cooke’s vocals.

“It’s a blessing,” Thomas Owens said. “I see it as a service. I see all the lyrics, our singing and the vocal arrangements as a service – and I hope it sends that family message.”

Last year, they commemorated the 10th anniversary of the video with the inaugural “Duets With Dad” concert – and a musical project of the same name. On Sunday they will spend Father’s Day on the Sheldon stage for their second annual performance. The 6 p.m. show will serve as a preview for their upcoming album entitled “Forever Young,” which features major names in music that share a St. Louis connection.  The show will introduce the project, slated for release next month, and The Owens Family – including Brian Owens’ wife and children.

“June 16th for me is a launching off point. It’s a new brand,” Brian said. “‘Duets with Dad’ is the show brand. The Owens Family is the family brand and ‘Forever Young’ is the album.”

The album consists of cover songs curated with the intention to encourage and inspire. The title track was released last week and features another father and son musical duo – Dylan McDonald and his father Michael McDonald.

“Recording with my dad, Michael McDonald and his son Dylan was one of the top three musical moments I have ever experienced in my life,” Brian said. “Seeing Mike and my dad sing together, that’s bucket list.” That’s saying a lot, considering Brian has performed at The White House on “The Today Show” and during The World Series.

“Mike came in and he’s so humble. Dylan is so laid back,” Brian said. “Immediately it was like old friends reconnecting and making something meaningful.”

“For me, this was a vocal connection made in heaven,” Thomas Owens added. “And his humility was just a blessing for me.”

The album also features the late David Sanborn, a personal friend of Brian’s. The Kirkwood native played a saxophone solo on Brian and Thomas Owens’ rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.”

“It felt like we weren’t there just to make a record,” Brian Owens said of recording with Ferguson native Michael McDonald, his son Dylan and Brian’s dad Thomas. “We were all engaged in a meaningful experience that was transcendent of what was happening in that moment.”

Sunday will also be about more than them and their new music.

“We will be celebrating fatherhood – celebrating the men who have stepped up and been in our lives and take up that mantle. Especially God, the Father,” Brian Owens said. “It’s not about me and dad. There is a Father who loves us more than our earthly fathers could ever imagine.”

Both Thomas and Brian Owens have used fatherhood as a demonstration of Christ’s love. Brian watched Thomas Owens sing in gospel groups and preach the Word while working for Nestle Ralston for 40 years. Thomas Owens passed up opportunities that could have resulted in mainstream musical success.

“I chose to be with my family,” Thomas said. “The sacrifice would have been if I had made a different choice. I had the opportunity to be with my family – that was the only choice for me.”

He now gets to do what he loves full-time – and it is a family affair.

“I’m excited to be at this place in life. I’m excited to be at this place with my dad alive,” Brian said. “I wish my mom was here to see it, because she would have flipped.”

Brian also had the opportunity to present his gifts on national and international platforms, but was obedient to the call of using music and mentorship to promote healing at home.

“I don’t have any regrets about letting go of certain ambitions or no longer chasing all the stuff that was out there in the industry,” Owens said. “When I look at my kids and know that I have been blessed to watch them grow up, the artists that I have been able to mentor and the meaningful music I have made – and that I have a video that touches and helps people in some way – that’s my Grammy.”

Brian doesn’t see their current experience as living a dream, but rather that his father, his family and him are experiencing what it is like to “live God’s reality for our lives.”

“Live every moment that He gives you to the full extent,” Thomas Owens said. “Capture the moment. I think that’s what our music does. It engages people to capture His blessings and live in the full moment of them to the extent in which God, our Father, gives them to you.”

The 2nd Annual Duets with Dad Concert featuring Brian and Thomas Owens will take place at 6 p.m. on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 16 at The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd. For tickets visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.