Bobby Bare

Robert Joseph "Bobby" Bare (born April 7, 1935 in Ironton , Ohio ) is an American country singer and songwriter . His most famous songs are Detroit City , 500 Miles Away from Home and Marie Laveau .

Life

Beginnings

When Bare was five years old, his mother died and his sister was put up for adoption. His father did not earn enough to support his family. At the age of 15, Bobby took care of himself. He first worked as a farm helper, later in various factories and also took odd jobs. As a teenager, he got himself a guitar and performed with a local band in Springfield. In 1955 Bare went to Los Angeles and published his first three singles on Capitol between December 1956 and August 1957.

In 1958 he composed the song The All American Boy , a parody of the hype surrounding Elvis Presley's army time, and sold it for $ 50 with full rights to the Fraternity label in the hope that they would make a record with it. However, because he was drafted into the army shortly afterwards, the record company released the demo version Bares in November 1958 as a record on which Bill Parsons was specified as the singer . It became one of the most successful country singles of the year, which also climbed to number 2 in the pop charts and was also successful in the British charts with number 22. The next single Buddies With The Blues , which appeared in June 1959, was released under the pseudonym Bill Parsons , which, according to the record company, was necessary because at that time Bare was still under contract with Capitol Records.

Career

After Bare had previously performed as a country singer, he decided after his discharge from the army to work in the future in rock'n'roll and pop. He took part in the tours of Roy Orbison and Bobby Darin and made a number of records with various Californian record companies. At the same time he wrote various songs for other singers and for soundtracks (including for the Chubby Checker film "Teenage Millionaire").

Since his own records were not very successful, he returned to country music and mixed it with influences from pop and folk. In 1962, Chet Atkins brought him to the RCA and recorded the title Shame on Me with him ; the record is believed to be one of the first Nashville recordings to make concessions to the pop realm by using horns . The song reached number 18 in the country charts and number 23 on the pop charts in the summer of 1962. The following year, Bare took on the titles Four Strong Winds and Detroit City , with which he again reached top positions in both the pop and country charts. For Detroit City , Bare was awarded a Grammy in 1964. His biggest chart success up to that point was with 500 Miles from Home . The recording climbed to number 10 on the pop and number 5 on the country charts.

With the title Detroit City , Bare also hit the German charts in July 1964, the single lasted eight weeks and reached number 40. In the period that followed, RCA released a number of German-language singles, the first with the title Everyone believes that I'm happy in April 1965 was able to occupy position 26 in the German charts. In 1965 and 1966 three more singles appeared for the German market: Abilene , Das Haus auf der Sierra and Molly Brown , none of which, however, reached any chart placements.

Bare met the as yet unknown Waylon Jennings on a tour in Phoenix , Arizona and worked with Atkins to ensure that he also got a contract with RCA.

In 1968 Bobby Bare stayed for a long time in England, where he enjoyed great popularity, and made a long-playing record there with the Liverpool band "The Hillsiders". Back in the USA, Bare switched to the Mercury label in 1970 . He had turned back to the country songs and was able to bring several titles into the top 10 of the country charts. After a short interlude with United Artists Records , he went back to his old record company RCA in 1973, where he recorded a successful LP with songs by the composer Shel Silverstein . A year later, Bare had his only number 1 country single with Marie Laveau . In 1975, Bare released another record of Silverstein songs, Bobby Bare and the Family Singin 'in the Kitchen . Shortly after the album was recorded, Bare's stepdaughter Cari died of a lung disease at the age of 15.

In 1977 he signed a contract with the successful concert promoter Bill Graham, who called him the " Springsteen of Country Music". Graham made sure he found new audiences among students and in Canada. In 1980 Bare resumed the collaboration with Silverstein, the live collection Down and Dirty was created , which included the hits Numbers and Tequila Sheila . Until the 1980s, Bobby Bare continued to record with various companies.

Bobby Bare has been married to Jeannie Sterling, who used to be a background singer in his band, since 1964, and they have two sons. Bobby Bare Jr. , born in 1966, is also a musician.

Discography

Albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
year	title	US	Country	Remarks
1963	“Detroit City” and Other Hits	US119 (3 weeks) US	Country9 (6 weeks) Country
1964	500 Miles Away from Home	US133 (5 weeks) US	Country9 (9 weeks) Country
1964	The Travelin 'Bare	-	Country14 (4 weeks) Country
1965	Tunes for Two	-	-
1966	Talk Me Some Sense	-	Country6 (14 weeks) Country
1966	The Streets of Baltimore	-	Country7 (13 weeks) Country
1967	A Bird Named Yesterday	-	Country20 (7 weeks) Country
	The Game of Triangles	-	Country18 (8 weeks) Country
	This I believe	-	Country17 (13 weeks) Country
1968	The Best of Bobby Bare - Volume 2	-	Country33 (3 weeks) Country
1968	The English Country Side	-	Country29 (10 weeks) Country
1969	(Margie's At) The Lincoln Park Inn (And Other Controversial Country Songs)	-	Country39 (6 weeks) Country
1970	This is bare country	-	Country37 (6 weeks) Country
1971	Where Have All the Seasons Gone	-	Country44 (2 weeks) Country
1972	What Am I Gonna Do?	-	Country19 (11 weeks) Country
1973	I Hate Goodbyes / Ride Me Down Easy	-	Country31 (10 weeks) Country
1974	Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies	-	Country5 (30 weeks) Country
1974	Singin 'in the Kitchen	-	Country36 (9 weeks) Country
1975	Hard time hungrys	-	Country33 (8 weeks) Country
1976	Cowboys and Daddys	-	Country21 (12 weeks) Country
1976	The Winner and Other Losers	-	Country18 (20 weeks) Country
1977	Me and McDill	-	Country27 (9 weeks) Country
1978	Bare	-	Country44 (3 weeks) Country
1980	Down & Dirty	-	Country21 (30 weeks) Country
1980	Drunk & Crazy	-	Country47 (12 weeks) Country
1981	As Is	-	Country43 (11 weeks) Country
1982	Ain't got Nothin to Loose	-	Country29 (20 weeks) Country

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)				Remarks
year	Title album	DE	UK	US	Country	Remarks
1958	The All American Boy “Detroit City” and Other Hits	-	UK22 (2 weeks) UK	US2 (16 weeks) US	-	as Bill Parsons Author: Bobby Bare
1962	Shame on Me “Detroit City” and Other Hits	-	-	US23 (12 weeks) US	Country18 (8 weeks) Country
1963	Detroit City “Detroit City” and Other Hits	DE40 (8 weeks) DE	-	US16 (12 weeks) US	Country6 (18 weeks) Country	Author: Mel Tillis Grammy (Country)
1963	500 Miles Away from Home 500 Miles Away from Home	-	-	US10 (11 weeks) US	Country5 (16 weeks) Country	Authors: Bobby Bare, Curley Williams, Hedy West
1964	Miller's Cave	-	-	US33 (7 weeks) US	Country4 (17 weeks) Country	1960 was a country hit for Hank Snow
	Have I Stayed Away Too Long	-	-	US94 (1 week) US	Country47 (3 weeks) Country	1944 a hit for Perry Como ; Author: Frank Loesser
	Four Strong Winds	-	-	US60 (7 weeks) US	Country3 (19 weeks) Country
1965	Everyone thinks I'm happy	DE26 (4 weeks) DE	-	-	-
	Times Are Gettin 'Hard Constant Sorrow	-	-	-	Country30 (8 weeks) Country	Author: Bobby Bare
	It's Alright Constant Sorrow	-	-	-	Country7 (16 weeks) Country
	Just to Satisfy You Constant Sorrow	-	-	-	Country31 (6 weeks) Country	Original: Waylon Jennings
1966	Talk Me Some Sense Talk Me Some Sense	-	-	-	Country26 (12 weeks) Country
	In the same old way	-	-	-	Country34 (6 weeks) Country	Author: Spooner Oldham
	The Streets of Baltimore The Streets of Baltimore	-	-	-	Country5 (20 weeks) Country
	The Game of Triangles The Game of Triangles	-	-	-	Country5 (17 weeks) Country	with Liz Anderson & Norma Jean
	Homesick The Game of Triangles	-	-	-	Country38 (11 weeks) Country
1967	Charleston Railroad Tavern	-	-	-	Country16 (13 weeks) Country
	Come kiss me love	-	-	-	Country14 (16 weeks) Country
	The Piney Wood Hills	-	-	-	Country15 (13 weeks) Country
1968	Find Out What's Happening English Country Side	-	-	-	Country15 (11 weeks) Country
	A Little Bit Later On down the Line Talk Me Some Sense	-	-	-	Country14 (13 weeks) Country	Author: Chip Taylor
	The Town That Broke My Heart	-	-	-	Country16 (12 weeks) Country	Author: Tom T. Hall
1969	(Margie's At) The Lincoln Park Inn Margie’s at the Lincoln Park Inn	-	-	-	Country4 (17 weeks) Country	Author: Tom T. Hall
	Which One Will It Be	-	-	-	Country19 (11 weeks) Country
	God Bless America Again This Is Bobby Bare	-	-	-	Country16 (12 weeks) Country	Authors: Bobby Bare, Boyce Hawkins
1970	Your Husband, My Wife Your Husband, My Wife	-	-	-	Country22 (7 weeks) Country	with Skeeter Davis
1970	How I Got to Memphis This Is Bare Country	-	-	-	Country3 (16 weeks) Country	Author: Tom T. Hall
1971	Come Sundown This Is Bare Country	-	-	-	Country7 (17 weeks) Country	Author: Kris Kristofferson
	Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends Where Have All the Seasons Gone	-	-	-	Country8 (15 weeks) Country	Author: Kris Kristofferson
	Short and Sweet I Need Some Good News Bad	-	-	-	Country57 (9 weeks) Country	Author: Billy Joe Shaver
1972	What Am I Gonna Do What Am I Gonna Do	-	-	-	Country13 (14 weeks) Country	Authors: Carole King , Toni Stern
1972	Sylvia's Mother What Am I Gonna Do	-	-	-	Country12 (14 weeks) Country	Original: Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (1971)
1973	I Hate Goodbyes I Hate Goodbyes / Ride Me Down Easy	-	-	-	Country25 (11 weeks) Country
	Ride Me Down Easy I Hate Goodbyes / Ride Me Down Easy	-	-	-	Country11 (15 weeks) Country	Author: Billy Joe Shaver
	You Know Who I Hate Goodbyes / Ride Me Down Easy	-	-	-	Country30 (13 weeks) Country
1974	Daddy What If Lullabys, Legends and Lies	-	-	US41 (8 weeks) US	Country2 (16 weeks) Country	Recorded live with his five year old son Bobby Bare Jr. Author: Shel Silverstein
	Marie Laveau Lullabys, Legends and Lies	-	-	-	Country1 (18 weeks) Country	Authors: Shel Silverstein, Baxter Taylor
	Where'd I Come From Singin 'in the Kitchen	-	-	-	Country41 (8 weeks) Country	with Bobby Bare junior
1975	Singin 'in the Kitchen Singin' in the Kitchen	-	-	-	Country29 (13 weeks) Country	feat. Bobby & the Family Bare
	Back in Huntsville Again Hard Time Hungries	-	-	-	Country23 (11 weeks) Country	Author: Shel Silverstein
	Alimony Hard Time Hungries	-	-	-	Country18 (12 weeks) Country	Author: Shel Silverstein
	Cowboys and Daddys Cowboys and Daddys	-	-	-	Country29 (11 weeks) Country
1976	The Winner The Winner and Other Losers	-	-	-	Country13 (14 weeks) Country	Author: Shel Silverstein
	Put a Little Lovin 'on Me The Winner and Other Losers	-	-	-	Country23 (11 weeks) Country
	Dropkick Me, Jesus The Winner and Other Losers	-	-	-	Country17 (11 weeks) Country
1977	Vegas	-	-	-	Country30 (9 weeks) Country	Author: Shel Silverstein with Jeannie Bare
	Look Who I'm Cheating On Tonight Me and McDill	-	-	-	Country21 (14 weeks) Country
	Red-neck hippie romance	-	-	-	Country85 (3 weeks) Country
1978	Too Many Nights Alone Bare	-	-	-	Country29 (11 weeks) Country
1978	Sleep Tight, Good Night Man Bare	-	-	-	Country11 (12 weeks) Country
1979	Healin ' Sleep Wherever I Fall	-	-	-	Country23 (11 weeks) Country
	Till I Gain Control Again	-	-	-	Country42 (8 weeks) Country
	No memories hangin 'round	-	-	-	Country17 (12 weeks) Country	Author: Rodney Crowell with Rosanne Cash
1980	Numbers Down and Dirty	-	-	-	Country11 (14 weeks) Country	Author: Shel Silverstein
	Tequila Sheila Down and Dirty	-	-	-	Country31 (12 weeks) Country	Authors: Mac Davis , Shel Silverstein
	Food blues, drunk and crazy	-	-	-	Country41 (8 weeks) Country	Author: Shel Silverstein
1981	Willie Jones Drunk and Crazy	-	-	-	Country19 (12 weeks) Country	Author: Charlie Daniels
	Learning to Live Again As Is	-	-	-	Country28 (13 weeks) Country	Author: Bob McDill
	Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go) As Is	-	-	-	Country28 (11 weeks) Country	Author: Boudleaux Bryant
	Dropping Out of Sight As Is	-	-	-	Country35 (11 weeks) Country	Author: Tom T. Hall
1982	New Cut Road As Is	-	-	-	Country18 (16 weeks) Country	Author: Guy Clark
	If You Ain't Got Nothin '(You Ain't Got Nothin' to Lose) Ain't Got Nothin 'to Lose	-	-	-	Country31 (11 weeks) Country
	(I'm Not) A Candle in the Wind Ain't Got Nothin 'to Lose	-	-	-	Country37 (11 weeks) Country
	Praise the Lord and Send Me the Money Ain't Got Nothin 'to Lose	-	-	-	Country83 (3 weeks) Country	Author: Hugh Moffatt
1983	It's a dirty job	-	-	-	Country30 (14 weeks) Country	with Lacy J. Dalton
	The Jogger Drinkin 'from the Bottle	-	-	-	Country29 (15 weeks) Country	Author: Shel Silverstein
	Diet Song Drinkin 'from the Bottle	-	-	-	Country69 (7 weeks) Country	Authors: Shel Silverstein, Charlie Daniels
1985	When I get home	-	-	-	Country53 (9 weeks) Country
1985	Reno and Me	-	-	-	Country76 (4 weeks) Country
1986	Real good	-	-	-	Country67 (6 weeks) Country

swell

^ Thomas Jeier: The new lexicon of Country Music. Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1992, p. 108.
^ Frank Laufenberg / Ingrid Hake: Rock and Pop Lexicon . Vol. 1, Econ Verlag, Düsseldorf and Vienna 1994, p. 91f.
^ Günter Ehnert (Ed.): Hit balance sheet. German chart singles 1956 to 1980. Taurus Press, Hamburg 1990, p. 22.
↑ ^a ^b Chart sources: DE UK US US (Bill Parsons)
↑ ^a ^b US singles: Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2006. Billboard Books, New York 2007, ISBN 0-89820-172-1 . / US albums: The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .

Web links

Biography at CMT (English)
Bobby Bare at Allmusic (English)
Fan Site (English)
Interview with Bobby Bare (German)

personal data
SURNAME	Bare, Bobby
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Bare, Robert Joseph (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American country singer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH	April 7, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH	Ironton , Ohio, USA

[1] Thomas Jeier: The new lexicon of Country Music. Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1992, p. 108.

[2] Frank Laufenberg / Ingrid Hake: Rock and Pop Lexicon . Vol. 1, Econ Verlag, Düsseldorf and Vienna 1994, p. 91f.

[3] Günter Ehnert (Ed.): Hit balance sheet. German chart singles 1956 to 1980. Taurus Press, Hamburg 1990, p. 22.

[charts-4] Chart sources: DE UK US US (Bill Parsons)

[Billboard-5] US singles: Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2006. Billboard Books, New York 2007, ISBN 0-89820-172-1 . / US albums: The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .