By ROBERT PRICE

Californian staff writer

When Buck Owens first heard the Tex-Mexy strains of “All You Ever Do is Bring Me Down,” his ears did a double-take. That wasn’t his voice on the radio, but it sure might have been.

Radio listeners all over the country - even Owens’ aunt in Santa Maria - thought the same thing, and many phoned Owens’ station, KUZZ, to say so. A few wanted to congratulate Owens on his new song.

The responsible musicians, of course, were the Mavericks, the Miami-based country band that makes no secret of its collective affection for Owens’ “shuffle” style. Raul Malo, the Mavericks’ lead singer and primary songwriter, further authenticated “Bring Me Down” by bringing in Flaco Jimenez, whose accordion had added some spice to Buck’s 1988 remake of “Streets of Bakersfield.”

The Mavericks, who formed in 1989 and signed with MCA-Nashville in 1991, have been “doing” Buck almost since Day 1. And bassist Robert Reynolds believes they’ll do him for as long as they record together.

“Buck Owens and Roy Orbison, Elvis and the Beatles: I don’t think we’ll ever completely abandon those influences,” said Reynolds, in Nashville rehearsing for what will be the Mavericks’ fourth MCA album, tentatively due out in February.

“My father listened to country music, and when I heard Buck, sort of for the second time, if you know what I mean, it was ‘Oh yeah, I remember that feel.’ I don’t think you’re aware how much early musical influences can affect you. Later in life you begin to understand.”

One of the things he came to understand was Owens’ influence on pop music in general.

“The Beatles dug country music, and they knew what it meant to the formation of rock ‘n’ roll. ... We could talk all day about how Buck affected country music, and then we’d still have to talk about how he affected rock ‘n’ roll.”

The Mavericks, who have won a Grammy, two Country Music Association awards and three Academy of Country Music Awards since the release of its 1993 album, “What a Crying Shame,” have sold nearly 3 million albums.

The band met Owens when it was in Bakersfield for a performance last year. Owens picked up a guitar and sang a few bars of “Bring Me Down,” Reynolds said.

“Then he says, ‘Somebody just ripped my sound off,’” Reynolds said. “I didn’t realize we were as close to Buck as we were. That’s a credit to Raul. Above all, Raul is a fanatic for shuffles, and if you’re talking shuffles, you’re talking Buck Owens.”

There was a point, Reynolds said, when Malo “really, really got into the Buck Owens thing,” bringing the entire Owens catalog with him on the bus. Road trips became Buckaroo cram sessions.

“At that time, he was more absorbed in the Buck Owens thing than any of us,” Reynolds said. “I’d hate to go head to head with him on Buckisms, because he’s boned up on that stuff. But nowadays, between my wife (singer Trisha Yearwood) and I, if you go A to Z in our CDs, you’ll find everything there is to find on the Beatles, Johnny Cash and Buck Owens.”

The Mavericks aren’t the only band keeping the Bakersfield Sound alive. Listeners can hear strains of “Under Your Spell Again” on original tracks by BR5-49, Junior Brown and others.

Reynolds says radio might actually come alive with the shuffle sound if the Mavericks and their ilk continue to gain in popularity.

“When you get a group like the Mavericks or BR5-49 having even a hint of success, you’ll see groups like the Derailers pop up in the magazines,” Reynolds said, referring to the little-known band from Austin, Texas, signed to Watermelon Records. “That’s a band that’s been true to the (Buck Owens) form, and that could at least translate to some success for the form.”