Bobby Bare born 7 April 1935

Bobby Bare was born in Ironton, Ohio, near the West Virginia and Kentucky borders. His story is nearly as fascinating as his music. Bare's mother died when he was five. His father couldn't earn enough money to feed his children, forcing the family to split up. Bare was working on a farm by the time he was 15 years old, later working in factories and selling ice cream to support himself. Building his first guitar, he began playing music in his late teens, performing with a local Ohio band in Springfield. 

In the late '50s, he moved out to Los Angeles. Bare's first appearance on record was in 1958, as he recorded his own talking blues "The All American Boy," which was credited to Bill Parsons. A number of labels refused the record before the Ohio-based Fraternity Records bought it for 50 dollars; the fee also included the publishing rights. "The All American Boy" was released in 1959 and it surprisingly became the second-biggest single in the U.S. that December, crossing over to the pop charts and peaking at number three. The single was also a big hit in the U.K., reaching number 22. 

Before Bare could capitalize on his success, he was drafted into the armed forces. While he was on duty, Fraternity hired another singer to become Bill Parsons and sent him out on tour. After Bare left the army, he became roommates with Willie Nelson. During this time, he decided to become a pop singer. Soon, he was touring with pop/rock stars like Roy Orbison and Bobby Darin, recording records for a number of California labels. Meanwhile, his songs were being recorded by a number of artists; three of his tunes were featured in the Chubby Checker movie Teenage Millionaire. 

Even though he was having some modest success, Bare decided he wasn't fulfilled playing pop music. Instead, he turned back to country, developing a distinctive blend of country, folk, and pop. In 1962, Chet Atkins signed him to RCA Records. By the end of the year, he had a hit with "Shame on Me," which was notable for being one of the first records out of Nashville to make concessions to the pop charts by featuring horns. The production worked, as the single broke into the pop charts. 

The following year, he recorded Mel Tillis and Danny Dill's "Detroit City," which became his second straight single to make both the country and pop charts. Bare followed up the single with a traditional folk song, "500 Miles from Home." It was another big hit for the singer, peaking in the Top Ten on both the country and pop charts. Bare continued to rack up hits in 1964 and 1965, as well as appearing in the Western movie A Distant Trumpet. 

As the '60s progressed, Bare continued to blur the lines between country and folk, as he was influenced by songwriters like Bob Dylan, recording material by Dylan and several of his contemporaries. Not only did he explore American folk, but Bare traveled to England, where he was popular. In 1968, he recorded an album with a Liverpool country band called the Hillsiders (The English Country Side), which signaled his artistic drive. In Nashville, he recorded two RCA albums with Skeeter Davis and one with Liz Anderson and Norma Jean. 

In 1970, Bare switched to Mercury Records, where he garnered Top Ten hits including “How I Got to Memphis,” “Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends,” and “Come Sundown.” In 1973, he returned to RCA, where he released the self-produced album Ride Me Down Easy that year. In so doing, he set an important precedent for other Nashville-based artists who were seeking greater creative input in producing their own albums. A double album of Shel Silverstein songs, Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies, likewise released in 1973, yielded a #2 hit duet with his five-year-old son, Bobby Bare Jr. (“Daddy, What If”), and the older Bare’s first #1 song, “Marie Laveau.” 

With his family, Bare released another collection of Silverstein songs, Singin’ in the Kitchen, in 1975. Bare subsequently recorded with Columbia Records (1978-1983), then EMI America label. In 1998, he joined forces with Waylon Jennings, Mel Tillis, and Jerry Reed for the Atlantic Records album Old Dogs, and worked with son Bobby Bare Jr., by then a rock recording artist (Bare Jr.), on the 2005 album The Moon Was Blue. In 2012, Bare released Darker than Light on Plowboy Records, a mix of older folk and country songs, plus a cover of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” 

During tthe 2000s, Bare was mostly in retirement, doing a lot of fishing. He still played s a number of live shows each year, the last being in 2018. Early that year, Things Change received another promotional push with Bare's version of Mary Gauthier's "I Drink" pulled as a single. Also in 2018, Bobby Bare was re-inducted into the Grand Ole Opry; he became part of the institution in the early 1960s, but drifted away from the Opry during the 1970s.

(Edited from AllMusic & Country Music Hall Of Fame)