Birthdate: February 19

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas. Moved to Nashville with family at age 5.

Family: Father was a chemist, mother is an elementary school teacher. One older sister and one younger brother. Married television producer Jim Owens in 1985. No children, but they have three beautiful cats!

Education: McGavock High School, Nashville. Magna cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University, Nashville. Bachelor of Arts degree in Russian and Chinese languages. Graduate of Indiana University, Slavic Language School. Lorianne now holds the degree Master of Science, Holistic Nutrition and has completed certification in Plant-Based Nutrition with Cornell University.

Previous Jobs: In junior high and high school: babysitting, taking in neighbor's laundry. During college: waitressing, Hawaiian dance team, cheerleader for Nashville Sounds Baseball Team (she says 'don't laugh'...it helped put her through college!) 

Extracurricular Activities: High School: Class President, Cheerleading Captain, Homecoming Queen, Russian Club, Gymnastics Team. College: Top Ten Finalist, Miss Nashville Pageant (country star, Lorrie Morgan was 1st runner up!), Dobro Slovo Russian Language Club. 

Most Unusual College Experience: On the day of a difficult and scary Russian exam, only three students showed up in class...Lorianne and two other female language majors. The professor, Dr. Richard Porter, was so disappointed in the rest of the class that he automatically gave Lorianne and the other two ladies an A, then took them to a fancy lunch at the professor's club instead of giving them the test. During that lunch, he dubbed them "Dickie's Angels" for being brave enough to show up and face his most difficult exam.

Beginnings in Television: Lorianne was "discovered" during her college days while working as a Nashville Soundette for the Nashville Sounds baseball team. The girls did local television commercials for the team and even appeared in People Magazine with then-owner, Conway Twitty.

First Television Jobs: News reporter for KAUZ-TV in Wichita Falls, Texas. Then hired as the PM Magazine co-host for the same station, 1980-81. In1982, Lorianne was hired as PM Magazine co-host for WKRN-TV, Nashville. There, Lorianne co-wrote and co-produced two national award winning specials and was named Outstanding Feature Reporter of the Year by the AWRT (American Women in Radio and Television).

Crook & Chase: Lorianne and Charlie first teamed up in 1983 to host the nationally syndicated This Week In Country Music. It was later seen every weekend on TNN, The Nashville Network . Soon, Lorianne and Charlie were hosting the daily Crook & Chase show, which was named Best Entertainment News Program by Cable Guide magazine, in 1988. In 1992, that same magazine named Lorianne one of the "Ten Most Beautiful Women on Cable Television". Crook & Chase later hosted TNN's flagship prime time live show, Music City Tonight. In 1996 and 1997, Crook & Chase again went into national syndication, doing their unique daily show for Universal Studios in Los Angeles, while continuing to host shows for TNN until its demise as a country network in 2000. Now, she and Charlie host their weekly hour-long TV show Crook & Chase, which can be seen in more than 130 cities across the U.S., as well as on the newly launched TNN. (Click on Stations at the top of the page to find out how to tune in!)

Radio: In addition to their tv shows, Lorianne and Charlie have hosted a long-running weekly radio show called The Crook and Chase Countdown, and a number of holiday specials. Again, by click on Stations at the top of the page, you can find out how to tune in!

Other Television Credits: Through the years, Lorianne has produced and hosted many award winning television specials, including Celebrities Offstage, as well as the annual This Year In Country Music, and CMA Preview. In 1997, she co-hosted Candid Camera with Alan Funt's son, Peter, for CBS. In recent years, Lorianne has served as host of Off Stage with Lorianne Crook and Lorianne Crook's Celebrity Kitchen.  

Books: In 1995, Lorianne and Charlie published their first literary work,Crook and Chase: Our Lives, the Music, and the Stars. The book shares their insider's view of the industry, its stars, and themselves.

Hobbies: Lorianne enjoys cooking and trying new recipes.  She is fascinated by the relationship between food, nutrition and health and continues to study the newest research, earning the degree Master of Science, Holistic Nutrition with certification in Plant-Based Nutrition. She is also an avid reader, favoring autobiographies and inspirational books of all kinds. She and her husband also make time to relax at their 4-story chalet in the Smoky Mountains with a spectacular view of Mount LeConte.

Accolades: The Crook & Chase Countdown has been nominated many times for Best National Radio program by both the ACM and the CMA. In 2013, Crook & Chase were be inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame. Lorianne has also been named One of Radio's Most Influential Women by Radio Ink Magazine for the past two years.

Lorianne's Favorites

• Lorianne loves to cook using organic, natural ingredients.  She has even converted a room in her house into a "cookbook" room.
• Lorianne is a big Led Zeppelin fan.
• Lorianne enjoys red wine in the evening, and was introduced to a great combination by Lonestar's Keech Rainwater and his wife.  Marshmallows and red wine!