Bobby Bare Jr. | |
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 Bare in NYC | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Joseph Bare Jr. [1] |
| Born | June 28, 1966 Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | Americana, alternative country, rock |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels | Immortal, Epic, Virgin, Bloodshot, 30 Tigers/Naked Albino |
| Website | www |
Robert Joseph Bare Jr. (born June 28, 1966) [1] is an American singer-songwriter and musician. [2]
Bare was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of singer Jeannie Bare (née Sterling) and country musician Bobby Bare, Sr. [3] His parents met in 1963, when his father hired Bare's mother to join his act as a singer. [4] Bare's mother, Jeannie, was a shopkeeper in Nashville. [5]
Bare has a younger brother, Shannon, and a younger sister, Angela. His older sister Cari Jean (Jeannie's daughter by an earlier marriage) died suddenly at age 15 from complications after surgery. [4]
Bare grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee, a half an hour northeast of Nashville, where his family lived next door to Tammy Wynette and George Jones. [6]
"[My dad] is three times the singer I am," says Bare Jr. "Once the audience sees him perform they'll realize I'm only using 10 percent of my genetic potential. I'll be exposed for my slacker attitude."
Bobby Bare Jr. [7]
In 1974, when Bobby was only eight, he and his father were both nominated for a Grammy for the song "Daddy What If", which was written by Shel Silverstein. [8] Bare's daughter Isabella did a version of the song, [9] which was featured on Twistable Turnable Man , a tribute album to Shel Silverstein which was co-produced by Bare and his father. He and his siblings also appeared on the TV show Hee Haw when he was a kid, to provide the witch scream on Bobby Bare, Sr.'s song "Marie Laveau". [5]
He began playing guitar and songwriting, and started as a professional musician when he was about 30. [10] Bare has said that he is someone who avoided "working a real job at any cost." He worked as a member of the road crew and as a light technician. Once he started writing and performing, he was offered contracts with Immortal Records and Lost Highway. [11]
In the 1990s, he led the roots rock outfit Bare Jr., which was signed to Immortal Records, at that time the home of Korn and Incubus. [12] They released two major label records, 1998's Boo-Tay and 2000's Brainwasher . [13] They had a minor radio hit with "You Blew Me Off," which was featured in the movie Cruel Intentions and its soundtrack. The song was also performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on March 3, 1999. [14]
He has performed with his band, the Young Criminals Starvation League, an ever-changing group of musicians, including members of Lambchop, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, and My Morning Jacket. They have released three studio albums, an EP, and a live album.
His CD, Storm – A Tree – My Mother's Head, was self-released through Bare's licensing company, 30 Tigers/Naked Albino Recordings, in 2010. The title of the record was inspired by a January 2008 storm in Nashville that injured his mother. "Mom was sitting on the couch, the last day of January in 2008, and there was a big, windy storm outside. And a big branch broke off halfway up the tree. It fell on the house, and literally split the house in two and landed exactly on top of her." [15] Another song on the record, "The Sky Is The Ground," is about a bicycle accident his son had when he was two. [11]
Bare regularly performs in house concerts, [16] often accompanied by the vocals of singer Carey Kotsionis. [17]
Shame on Me, a 2-song 7-inch vinyl record will be released by Big Legal Mess/Fat Possum Records in early 2014.
Spring 2014 saw the release of a new record on Bloodshot Records called Undefeated, and will feature a full band. [18] The first single off the record, "The Big Time," was released as a preview before the official April 15 record launch. [19] Bare recorded the album with Mark Nevers (Lambchop) and Grammy-winning engineer Vance Powell (Jack White, Alicia Keys, the Dixie Chicks, Buddy Guy). [20]
On the theme of the album: Bare "wrote the album about the end of his relationship with the mother of his youngest child, who is 3. The 10 rootsy Americana-style rock songs are at once poignant and shot through with mordant wit, which Bare said is a coping mechanism." Bare opened for Guided By Voices in June 2014. [20]
In February 2016, Bare joined a new touring lineup of Robert Pollard's band, Guided by Voices, as guitarist along with Doug Gillard also on guitar, bassist Mark Shue and drummer Kevin March. [21] [22] Bare played guitar on Guided by Voices albums August by Cake (2017), How Do You Spell Heaven (2017), Space Gun (2018), Zeppelin Over China (2019), Warp and Woof (2019), Sweating the Plague (2019), Surrender Your Poppy Fields (2020), Mirrored Aztec (2020), Styles We Paid For (2020), Earth Man Blues (2021), It's Not Them. It Couldn't Be Them. It Is Them! (2021), Crystal Nuns Cathedral (2022), Tremblers And Goggles By Rank (2022), La La Land (2023), and Welshpool Frillies (2023), as well as participating in two releases by a GBV alter-ego, Cub Scout Bowling Pins - Heaven Beats Iowa (2021) and Clang Clang Ho (2021) - as well as several releases by another alter-ego, Cash Rivers And The Sinners - She Laughed I left (2017), Blue Balls Lincoln (2018), Do Not Try To Adjust Your Set (2018 - featuring a cameo from Bobby Bare Sr), Loose Shoes (2019), and Bad Side Of The Coin (2020).
Many of Bare's songs incorporate a lot of humor and references to popular culture. [23] His writing has been characterized as "inventive and melodic." [24] Shel Silverstein was a huge influence in his approach to songwriting. Bare describes it as writing poems and turning them into songs, which was very similar to what Silverstein did. [15]
Bare has three children: daughter Isabella Bare, son Beckham Bare (from his first wife) and son Shelby Booker Bare (from his girlfriend). [15] [11]
He has a degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee.
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Boo-tay(As Bare Jr.) |
| 2000 | Brainwasher (As Bare Jr.) |
| 2002 | Young Criminals' Starvation League |
| 2004 | From the End of Your Leash |
| 2006 | Live: Nick Nacks & Paddy Whacks |
| The Longest Meow | |
| 2010 | A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head |
| 2014 | Undefeated |
| 2017 | August by Cake |
| How Do You Spell Heaven | |
| 2018 | Space Gun |
| 2019 | Zeppelin Over China |
| Warp and Woof | |
| Sweating the Plague |
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1974 | Daddy, What IfWith his father Bobby Bare, Sr. |
| 2003 | OK – I'm Sorry...(EP) |
| 2009 | American Bread(EP) |
| 2010 | A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head(EP) 5 acoustic demos of the album |
| 2011 | UNRELEASED and FREE(EP) |
| 2014 | Shame on Me(7" vinyl/digital download)(1,000 limited run) |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | US Alt. [25] | CAN Country | CAN | CAN AC | |||
| 1973 | "Daddy What If" (with Bobby Bare) | 2 | 41 | — | 5 | 53 | 19 | Lullabys, Legends and Lies(Bobby Bare album) |
| 1974 | "Where'd I Come From" (with Jeannie Bare) | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | Singin' in the Kitchen(Bobby Bare album) |
| 1999 | "You Blew Me Off" | — | — | 40 | — | — | — | Boo-tay(Bare Jr. album) |
A documentary that follows Bare's struggles as a touring musician [26] is called Don't Follow Me (I'm Lost): A Film About Bobby Bare, Jr. William Miller, the documentary's director, and Lee Baker, the documentary's producer, joined Bare on the road for four months while touring in support of his 2010 release, A Storm – A Tree – My Mother's Head. [26]
Musicians appearing in the film include My Morning Jacket, Justin Townes Earle, Hayes Carll, David Vandervelde, Blue Giant, Duane Denison and Bobby Bare Sr. [27] The documentary was photographed on several formats, including Super 16mm, 16mm, Super 8, and HD [28] and had its East Coast premiere at the CBGB Film Festival [29] in October 2013. [30]
Sheldon Allan Silverstein was an American writer and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into the United States Army. During his rise to prominence in the 1950s, his illustrations were published in various newspapers and magazines, including the adult-oriented Playboy. He also wrote a satirical, adult-oriented alphabet book, Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book.
Jerry Reed Hubbard, known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country singer, guitarist, composer, songwriter and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included "Guitar Man", "U.S. Male", "A Thing Called Love", "Alabama Wild Man", "Amos Moses", "When You're Hot, You're Hot", "Ko-Ko Joe", "Lord, Mr. Ford", "East Bound and Down", "The Bird", and "She Got the Goldmine ".
Free to Be... You and Me is a children's entertainment project, conceived, created and executive-produced by actress and author Marlo Thomas. Produced in collaboration with the Ms. Foundation for Women, it was a record album and illustrated book first released in November 1972 featuring songs and stories sung or told by celebrities of the day including Alan Alda, Rosey Grier, Cicely Tyson, Carol Channing, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack, Shirley Jones, Jack Cassidy, and Diana Ross. An ABC television special, also created by Thomas, using poetry, songs, and sketches, followed sixteen months later in March 1974. The basic concept was to encourage post-1960s gender neutrality, saluting values such as individuality, tolerance, and comfort with one's identity. A major thematic message is that anyone—whether a boy or a girl—can achieve anything.
Robert Joseph Bare Sr. is an American country 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.
Lonnie Melvin Tillis was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, with a long list of Top 10 hits.
Deborah Allen is an American country music singer and songwriter. Since 1976, Allen has issued 12 albums and charted 14 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. She recorded the 1983 crossover hit "Baby I Lied", which reached No. 4 on the country chart and No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. Allen has also written No. 1 singles for herself, Janie Fricke, and John Conlee; top 5 hits for Patty Loveless and Tanya Tucker; and a top 10 hit for the Whites.
Bobby Olen Pinson is an American country music artist. Signed to RCA Nashville in 2005, Pinson made his debut that year with his album Man Like Me. Its lead-off single, "Don't Ask Me How I Know", peaked at No. 16 on the Hot Country Songs charts, and was his only Top 40 country hit. Two more albums, I Mean Business and Songs for Somebody, followed in late 2005 and 2007, respectively. He has also written several singles for other artists, including four Number One hits for Toby Keith and another four for Sugarland.
"The Mermaid" is a song about a whaler falling in love with a mermaid, but despairs because the mermaid has fish parts below her waist. It was written by Shel Silverstein and recorded on his album I'm So Good That I Don't Have to Brag, in 1965. In December 1966, "The Mermaid" was published in Playboy magazine while Silverstein was a regular contributor. Bobby Bare released a version on his 1973 album Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies. It was covered in 2005 by Great Big Sea, who released their version on their CD The Hard and the Easy. Glenn Yarbrough also sings a version on his 1966 album Live at the Hungry I.
"The Gambler" is a song written by Don Schlitz and recorded by several artists, most famously by American country singer Kenny Rogers.
Dean Dillon is an American country musician and songwriter. Between 1982 and 1993, he recorded six studio albums on various labels, and charted several singles on the Billboard country charts. Since 1993, Dillon has continued to write hit songs for other artists, most notably George Strait.
Jesus Was a Capricorn is the fourth album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1972 on Monument Records. The album cover pictures Kristofferson and his soon-to-be wife Rita Coolidge. "Why Me" reached #1 on the Country singles charts.
Old Dogs was an American country music supergroup composed of singers Waylon Jennings, Mel Tillis, Bobby Bare, and Jerry Reed. Signed in 1998 to Atlantic Records, Old Dogs recorded a self-titled studio album for the label that year. The album's content was written primarily by author, poet, and songwriter Shel Silverstein. Most of the group's songs were based on the realization of aging, after Bare told Silverstein that there were "no good songs about growing old." The album was recorded live in studio, so audience applause can be heard between the tracks. The two discs come in different cases, and has different album art for them. The album was also issued as a single disc. "Still Gonna Die" was released as a single from the project. The album was one of the last projects Silverstein completed in his lifetime; he died in May 1999, five months after the album was released.
Aimless Love is the eighth album by American folk singer and songwriter John Prine, released in 1984. It is his first release on his independent record label, Oh Boy Records.
Invictus (Means) Unconquered is an album released by country musician David Allan Coe. It was released in 1981 on Columbia.
Undefeated is the fifth studio album by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Bobby Bare Jr. The album was released in 2014, four years after his previous album, and has elements from multiple genres "alternating between indie rock, dream pop, bluegrass and country".
Scott H. Biram aka The Dirty Old One Man Band is an American musician whose music draws from a variety of styles, including blues, punk and outlaw country. One of the prominent musicians of the one-man band musical genre, Biram has appeared on national television shows such as NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and performed in prestigious and legendary venues such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, CBGB in New York City, Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California, The Fillmore in San Francisco, California, Roxy Theater in West Hollywood, California, The Roundhouse in London, United Kingdom, and Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His music has been featured in many American television shows and films. He has also appeared as himself in several films and documentaries. The Dirty Old One Man Band has continuously toured in the U.S., Canada, and Europe since 1998.
Christopher Pierre Janson is an American country music singer and songwriter. Janson has recorded three full-length albums, Buy Me a Boat, Everybody, and Real Friends, through Warner Records Nashville, along with one extended play each for Bigger Picture Music Group, Columbia Records, and Warner Nashville. He has charted multiple singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, including "Good Vibes" and "Done", both of which went to number one on the latter. In addition to his material, Janson has performed on albums by Holly Williams and Lee Brice and has co-written singles for Tim McGraw, LoCash, Randy Houser and Hank Williams Jr.
Fred Koller is an American singer-songwriter. He has been active in the music business since 1973. Fred lives and works in Nashville with his wife Trish and their cat Buddy.
Twistable Turnable Man is a tribute album to Shel Silverstein. It was released in 2010 by Sugar Hill Records.
Ron Haffkine was an American record producer, composer and music manager most recognized for his work as a producer and manager of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, an American rock band, producing hit singles including "Sylvia's Mother", "The Cover of Rolling Stone", "Sharing the Night Together", "A Little Bit More" and "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" and achieving 67 Gold and Platinum records.
Real name: Robert Joseph Bare Jr.
...Bare's music manages to be both inventive and melodic, from his unpredictable arrangements to the deliberate phrasing that defines his singing style.
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