Chris Owens is a United States burlesque performer, club owner and entrepreneur who bases her act out of the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. She has been a French Quarter fixture and celebrity from the start of the 1960s through the early 21st century. Though perhaps not a name of world-wide recognition, Owens is extremely well known in Louisiana and throughout the U. S. South. Tourists visiting the famous Bourbon Street cannot miss huge posters of her wearing revealing costumes as they walk by her nightclub.
Chris Owens, nightclub performer
As with many who are legends of their time, details about Owen's past and career are sketchy at best. She claims to have arrived in New Orleans at the age of 19.
She can be seen in the 1962 movie The Wacky World of Doctor Morgus.
She eventually, through burlesque performance, met and married millionaire Sal Owens. They opened a nightclub on St. Louis Street in the French Quarter; it was originally intended to be a low-key sideline establishment, but business exploded.
Realizing that Owen's risque performance numbers were a huge draw, they sold their home in 1977 and purchased the building on the corner of St. Louis and Bourbon. Soon the "Chris Owens Review" became a noted act in town.
In 1979 Sol had a heart attack and died; Chris Owens took over management of the club and of the 30 apartments and 4 shops located within the building. As of 2006 the club and Owen's act continue to be a draw, though whether it is because of an authentic interest in the show or a morbid curiosity over Owens herself is debatable.
Owens has achieved a reputation for being a lover of plastic surgery. Though her real age is not public knowledge, many would guess her to be between the ages of 65 and 75. She hosts a yearly "Patriotic Easter Parade" that rolls down Bourbon street, and many locals refer to it as "The Zombie Easter Parade" because of Owen's perfectly sculpted, lineless face.
However, not one to skip an opportunity, Owens began production in 2004 of her first feature film, Let's Ballroom. Owens stars as a wealthy widow who falls in love with her dance instructor. The Chris Owens Club is located at 502 Bourbon Street.
She is currently engaged to be married to Chris Shores A.K.A. Laughing Bear in July of 2006.