Hillbilly-Music.com - Keeping Country Music History Alive
Hillbilly-Music Folio Display


Bobby Lord
Born:  January 6, 1934
Died:  February 16, 2008
KWTO Ozark Jubilee
WSM Grand Ole Opry

About The Artist

Bobby Lord is a native of Sanford, Florida, which was known then as the "celery center of the world". He was a singer, songwriter, and guitarist and television star. He had his own long-running syndicated television show in the 1960s, produced by WSM in Nashville.

His musical career began as teenager in Tampa, FL. There, he had his own television show in Tampa while still in high school—The Bobby Lord Homefolks Show. He got this show when he was asked to be a guest on a local show, so he did this for two weeks. Then he got a call from the program director and was asked to take over the show - he was told at the time that the star of the show had suddenly 'taken ill' and wouldn't be able to host the show anymore. They asked Bobby if he could get a show together by the next night. He managed to find a pickup band for the show. Since he had no backup band of his own, he had to call around and find musicians, which he did - he found an accordion player, a couple of guitar players for the then 30-minute show. They then gave him an hour show for Saturday nights. They reported that he did up to 27 numbers in that one hour's time!

His first big break was an appearance on Paul Whiteman's TV show in New York as the result of winning an amateur talent contest. In 1953, the legendary songwriter, Boudleaux Bryant had a tape Bobby had cut in Nashville and had it played for Don Law at Columbia records, who then signed Bobby with Columbia Records. He recorded several "Rockabilly" hits (many of which have been re-released several times), as well as several country chart records for Columbia. At the same time, he became a regular on The Ozark Jubilee (an ABC television show hosted by Red Foley based out of Springfield, Missouri), where he stayed for five and a half years.

When The Ozark Jubilee went off the air in 1960, that meant Bobby could make the move to Nashville. Bobby joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1960, where he was a featured performer (i.e., hosting multiple segments each night he was in attendance) through the 1960s into the mid-1970s.

In 1961 he began recording for the Hickory label. In 1967, he moved to the Decca label, where had several additional top 10 and 20 country hits.

He was perhaps best known for The Bobby Lord Show, a nationally syndicated TV show produced at WSM in Nashville. In a 1967 article, Bobby noted proudly that his syndicated show was being seen in 40 markets in the USA and in 34 countries around the world. In May of either 1966 or 1967, he made his first European tour, another career highlight and he got a great reception by the audiences as they were familiar with his show.

The syndicated show featured The Jerry Byrd Band, which included:

  • Jerry Byrd, the legendary steel guitar player
  • Jerry Whitehurst, piano
  • Spider Wilson, guitar

All three were among the finest musicians Nashville had to offer and each of them played on countless hit records recorded in Nashville studios. If you went to an Opry performance during the 60�s into the 70�s, these guys were the Opry "house" band that backed up everybody who didn�t bring or have their own band, which many performers on the Opry did not.

Bobby also had a late afternoon LIVE country TV show on WSM during this same time frame. That show began as a popular daily afternoon show on Channel 4 on September 9, 1963. That show was the idea of Elmer Ally, Brad Crandall and Bayron Binkley and others who wanted an afternoon show that featured country music. The concept had been tried before, but not succeeded, even with different artists each week. This time they tried it with an emcee, a regular band and to have guests. Jerry Byrd and the band also did the live show, which was one hour.

While video of the syndicated shows is still available, it's too bad there are no tapes of those daily WSM shows that Bobby hosted, because lots of interesting stuff happened. The first time Mel Tillis ever spoke on TV was on this show when they had time to fill at the end and Bobby asked Mel to tell a funny story he had told off the air. It was funny, but the switch board at WSM lit up with angry callers about how Bobby had embarrassed Mel. But as we know, Mel went on to great things in his singing and songwriting career and fans came to understand the stuttering that became part of his act.

In the early '70s he grew tired of the road, and wanted to spend more time with his family. He semi-retired from music, returned to his home state of Florida, and developed very successful real estate and insurance businesses. However, he wasn't through with show business.

Bobby was well known as an avid outdoorsman, camper, fisherman, hunter, etc. and had a reputation as an excellent interviewer from his TV shows. With that background, TNN asked him to host one of it's original shows, Country Sportsman, which was later called Celebrity Outdoors after ABC got a little upset about the show's original name name being too similar to its show, American Sportsman. The show had a very long and successful run and Bobby got paid to travel the world, fish, and visit with old friends.

After several years, he retired from the show in 1989 because he was about to have two new grandchildren within a month of each other, and he wanted to be home to enjoy them. The show continued on for another season with another host, but the ratings were not what they once were when Bobby hosted the show and was subsequently cancelled.

A practicing Christian, Bobby wrote a book entitled Hit The Glory Road, published in 1969 by Broadman Press (Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 73-83309). It's an interesting book on the grassroots gospel behind country music. It includes interviews with Roy Acuff, Bill Anderson, Bobby Bare, Jim Ed Brown, songwriters Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, Skeeter Davis, Ralph Emery, Jeanie C. Riley and Tex Ritter among others.

He currently lives in Jensen Beach, Florida, with Mozelle, his wife of over 40 years, and near all three of his children and seven grandchildren. He has a house on a lake in central Florida, where he regularly host many of his old buddies for bass fishing trips (Bobby Bare, Jerry Reed, Mel Tillis, and Jimmy Dickens are all "regulars" at the lake house).

Credits & Sources

  • Country Songs and Stars; March 1967; Charlton Publishing Corporation; Derby, CT
  • Additional biographical information and discography provided by Rob Lord, Bobby Lord's son.

Read More About The Artist



Buy this Book
Hit the Glory Road!
Behind the Country Music Sound
A Grassroots Gospel
By Bobby Lord
Broadman Press
1969
143 Pages
 

Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)
 
Columbia
Rec. No. Side Song Title
  21339 A No More, No More
  21339 B Why Were You Only Fooling Me
  21367 A Ain't Cha Ever Gonna?
  21367 B I'm The Devil Who Made Her That Way
  21397 A Something's Missing
  21397 B Sitting Home Prayin' For Rain
  21437 A Hawk Eye
  21437 B I Can't Make My Dreams Understand
  21459 A I Can't Do Without You Anymore
  21459 B Don't Make Me Laugh
  21498 A So Doggone Lonesome
  21498 B Pie Peachie Pie
  21539 A Without Your Love
  21539 B Everybody's Rockin' But Me
  40666 A Beautiful Baby
  40666 B Fire Of Love
  40819 A My Baby's Not My Baby Anymore
  40819 B Your Sweet Love
  40927 A High Voltage
  40927 B Just Wonderful
  41030 A Am I A Fool
  41030 B I Know It Was You
  41155 A Fire Of Love
  41155 B Sack
  41288 A Walking Alone
  41288 B When I've Learned
  41352 A Party Pooper
  41352 B What A Thrill
  41505 A Swamp Fox
  41505 B Too Many Miles
  41596 A Give Me A Woman
  41596 B Where Did My Woman Go
  41824 A Before I Lose My Mind
  41824 B When The Snow Falls
  42012 A A Rose And A Thorn
  42012 B Fascination
 
Decca
Rec. No. Side Song Title
  32115 A Look What You're Doing
  32115 B On And On Goes The Hurt
  32174 A One Day Down
  32174 B Shadows On The Wall
  32277 A Live Your Life Out Loud
  32277 B Charlotte, North Carolina
  32373 A It's My Life
  32373 B True And Lasting Kind
  32431 A Don't Forget To Smell The Flowers
  32431 B Yesterday's Letters
  32578 A Do You Ever Think Of Me
  32578 B Rainbow Girl
  32657 A Something Real
  32657 B You And Me Against The World
  32718 A Violets Are Red
  32718 B Wake Me Up Early In The Morning
  32797 A So In Love With You
  32797 B Do It To Someone You Love
  32797 B Goodbye Juke Box
  32841 A Peace Of Mind
  32841 B They've Got Something In The Country
  32932 A Everybody's Here
  32932 B Sweet Inspiration
 
Hickory
Rec. No. Side Song Title
  1158 A I'll Go On Alone
  1158 B My Heart Tells Me So
  1169 A Precious Jewel
  1169 B Trail Of Tears
  1190 A Don't Shed Any Tears For Me
  1190 B Out Behind The Barn
  1210 A Cry, Cry, Darling
  1210 B Shopping Center
  1232 A Life Can Have A Meaning
  1232 B Pickin' White Gold
  1259 A A Man Needs A Woman
  1259 B Take A Bucket To The Well
  1310 A I'm Going Home Next Summer
  1310 B That Room In The Corner Of The House
  1361 A That's Love
  1361 B Cash On The Barrelhead
  1389 A It Only Hurts When I'm Laughing
  1389 B Losers Like Me
 
Rice
Rec. No. Side Song Title
  5056 A Got Yourself Something
  5056 B I've Had You
  5063 A Hello Wine
  5063 B Looking For A Cold, Lonely Winter
  5068 A Your Song


Artist Lists
                                                   


Hillbilly-Music.com

Yes, Hillbilly Music. You may perhaps wonder why. You may even snicker. But trust us, soon your feet will start tappin' and before you know it, you'll be comin' back for more...Hillbilly Music.

Hillbilly-music.com ...
It's about the people, the music, the history.


Copyright


Information

Hillbilly-Music.com  |   P.O. Box 576245   |   Modesto, CA 95357-6245

Voting Member of:
Academy of Country Music (ACM)
Country Music Association (CMA)