Robert Joseph Bare Sr. (born April 7, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for the songs "Marie Laveau", "Detroit City", and "500 Miles Away from Home". He is the father of Bobby Bare Jr., also a musician.
Early career
Bare was born in Ironton, Ohio, on April 7, 1935. In the 1950s, he repeatedly tried and failed to sell his songs. He finally got a record deal, with Capitol Records, and recorded a few unsuccessful rock and roll singles. and did a demonstration tape (demo) for his friend, Bill Parsons, to learn how to record. Instead of using Parsons' later version, the record company, Fraternity Records, decided to go with Bare's original demo. The same track, with the same billing error, peaked at number 22 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1959. In 1965, an album of older recorded material, Tender Years (JM-6026), was released on the Hilltop label. That same year, the material was repackaged by Sears and released under the title Bobby in Song (SPS-115).
Career at RCA Victor (1962–1970)
Bare's big break in country music came when Chet Atkins signed him to RCA Victor. His debut single for the label was 1962's "Shame on Me". Follow-up "Detroit City" reached number six on the Country In 1969, he had a top-five hit with Tom T. Hall's "(Margie's At) The Lincoln Park Inn".
Silverstein penned other songs for Bare, including a Grammy-nominated hit, "Daddy What If", which he recorded with his five-year-old son, Bobby Bare Jr. In 1977, he recorded "Redneck Hippie Romance" and "Vegas" (a duet with his wife Jeannie).
Career at Columbia (1978–1983)
Bare signed with Columbia Records and continued to have hits including "Sleep Tight Good Night Man", which barely cracked the top 10 in 1978, alongside continuing to score critical acclaim with his releases Bare and Sleeper Wherever I Fall. by his son Bobby Bare Jr., who is also a musician. He continues to tour today. In 2012, Bare performed a duet of the song "I'd Fight the World" on the Jamey Johnson album Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran.
On April 10, 2013, the CMA announced that Bare would be a 2013 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Other 2013 inductees included Cowboy Jack Clement and Kenny Rogers.
After being inducted in the 1960s, but gradually drifting away, Bare was reinstated as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on April 7, 2018, by Garth Brooks.
Eurovision 2012
In January and February 2012, Bare joined Petter Øien at the 2012 Melodi Grand Prix to compete for Norway's entry to the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in May. His song "Things Change" got through to the Norwegian final, in which Øien and Bare finished third.
Filmography
- A Distant Trumpet (1964) ... Pvt. Cranshaw
- Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976) ... Singer
Discography
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Organization
!Award
!Nominee/Work
!Result
|-
|1964
|rowspan=6| Grammy Awards
|rowspan=2| Best Country & Western Recording
|"Detroit City"
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 1965
|"Four Strong Winds"
|
|-
|rowspan=2| Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Male
|"Four Strong Winds"
|
|-
|1966
|"Talk Me Some Sense"
|
|-
|1968
|Best Country & Western Performance Duet, Trio or Group (Vocal or Instrumental)
|"The Game of Triangles"
|
|-
|1975
|Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
|"Daddy What If"
|
|-
|1999
|Country Music Association Awards
|Musical Event of the Year
|"Old Dogs"
|
|}
References
Other sources
- Vinicur, Dale. (1998). "Bobby Bare". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 28–29.
- Bobby Bare Sr. Interview at NAMM Oral History Collection (2017)