Indianapolis man's singing on 'The Voice' got a four-chair turnaround. Here's who he chose

A second Indiana contestant has made season 24 of “The Voice,” this one from Indianapolis.

Ephraim Owens had all four coaches eager to have him join their teams during night two of the Blind Auditions shown Sept. 26 on NBC.

Owens’ appearance on the singing competition follows the Sept. 25 season premiere that showed Jackson Snelling of Austin, Indiana, landing on Team Reba.

Who is Ephraim Owens?

Owens, 36, lives in Carmel and has two children with his wife, Elizabeth McRoberts Owens. (Their daughter even joined him on stage to help sing John Legend’s “Nervous.”)

Owens, who grew up in Indy and had a six-year run as an MMA fighter, currently operates a concrete block machine to earn a paycheck but keeps music in the air as it churns 600 pounds of cement.

“It makes me feel like macho just turning it on, but I’m in the control room singing ballads,” he said in a package voiceover.

”I grew up in a musical household. Whether I was singing with my family, summer theater, church — music was always constant.”

His grandmother sang background vocals for Marvin Gaye and Al Green, and his father was a minister of music.

Getting all four judges to woo him

Owens sang Labrinth’s “Beneath Your Beautiful,” and almost immediately won the approval of coaches Gwen Stefani and Niall Horan. John Legend was next to press his button to compete for Owens. Then Reba McEntire made it a four-chair turnaround.

McEntire described his performance as explosive. “You are a firecracker,” she said. “You are explosive. You were dynamic all over the stage.”

In his pitch to get Owens to choose him as his coach, Legend told the Hoosier that he detected urgency in his voice.

“You were singing like your life depended on it,” Emmy-Grammy-Oscar-Tony winner Legend said. “Not only did you give us that feeling, but you were executing the song with great skill.”

Who did Owens pick for a coach?

Owens was seen riding a horse in his introductory package while talking about working with McEntire. And when face-to-face with all four coaches in recruiting mode he told the country music superstar how excited he was to learn she’d be on the show this season.

“When I found out who the coaches were going to be this year, my wife screamed out at the top of her lungs, ‘Rebaaaaa!’” he said.

But then he told Legend that he had been an inspiration to him.

That’s who he chose.

Where to watch 'The Voice'

"The Voice" airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC and streams next day on Peacock.

Also airing this week: 'The Golden Bachelor'

Owens and Jackson aren’t the only Hoosiers in national competition shows this week.

“The Golden Bachelor” premieres on ABC at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, with lead Gerry Turner.

Hudson, Indiana: What's it like where 'The Golden Bachelor' lives?

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter: @cherylvjackson.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy singer's performance scores with 'The Voice' judges