As Jake Owen‘s career has flourished — with a growing list of hits that includes his hot new single, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” — Jake’s relationship with his father has grown, too. Seeing his son display the kind of character and values that he’d hoped to instill in him, together with a respect for Jake’s career accomplishments, have helped Jake and his dad become more than father and son: they’re buddies. (AUDIO INFO BELOW)

• Jake tells us about a special gift that he received last year from his dad — one that will always be special to the family because it dates back to when his parents were first engaged. (AUDIO INFO BELOW)
• The digital single for Jake’s “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” is available now! It’s the first smash from Jake’s new album, coming soon! 
• After playing the star-studded BAMA RISING benefit concert on June 14th, Jake hits the road this Thursday, June 16th, for his first show as special guest on the U.S. leg of Keith Urban‘s 2011 Get Closer World Tour. Check out jakeowen.net for upcoming dates!

  Jake Owen talks about his evolving relationship with his dad and how Jake’s career move to Nashville has changed things. (:42)
“My relationship with my father has been, like, an ever-changing kind of thing, so once I moved up here and honest to God put to use, like, all of the values and morals and things that he instilled in me as a kid — that he never realized that he did — and then was able to witness it from afar, goin’, ‘Wow, my son went off and did something that I know nothing about, I can’t tell him how to do it, he’s now successful.’ It completely changed our relationship to where he’s not so much a father figure anymore telling me how to do things. So my relationship with my dad has come so full circle that now he and I are like really, really good best buddies. The conversations I have with him, and the tone of the conversations are fun now.”

  Jake Owen got a special gift from his dad last year — a gift that dates back to when his mom and dad were first engaged. (:45)
“He gave me this necklace. He asked my mom to marry him 30 years ago in the Cayman Islands, and he bought this in the Cayman Islands when he asked her to marry him. And he wore it his whole life, and I never saw my dad take this off, ever. And last year he came up to me — and we were in Tampa, Florida — and handed me this in his hand. He’s like, ‘Hey, man, I want you to have this,’ and I looked at it, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God. But Dad, I’ve never seen you take it off.’ He goes, ‘Man, I’m almost 60 years old, and I look stupid wearin’ that thing.’ He’s like, ‘You’re kinda like a rock star now. You could probably wear it.’ (laughs) I was like, ‘Thanks, Dad.’ But now I have to deal with the people every now and then that go, ‘Oh, nice gold chain, dude. Where’d you get that? Mr. T?’ I’m like, ‘No, my dad asked my mom to marry him 30 years ago.'”