Harry Robert Owens (18 April 1902 – 12 December 1986) was an American composer, bandleader and songwriter best known for his song "Sweet Leilani".

He studied for a career in law, but then started a band in 1926, when he was booked into the Lafayette Cafe in Los Angeles and auditioned a young Bing Crosby.

The big turning point in his career came in 1934 with his arrival in Hawaii and his appointment as music director[2] of The Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki.

His band featured the steel guitar, which had a trademark sound, producing tuneful and rhythmic dance music with a strong Hawaiian flavour.

[3] In 1934, Owens wrote "Sweet Leilani"[4] to celebrate the birth of his daughter, and made it the signature song of his Royal Hawaiian Hotel Orchestra.

While vacationing in Honolulu with his wife Dixie Lee, Crosby heard the song and wanted to include it in his upcoming movie Waikiki Wedding.

[4] Harry Owens and his Royal Hawaiians played "Sweet Leilani" in the 1938 Fred MacMurray film Cocoanut Grove.