Bobby Lord
Robert Lester Lord (January 6, 1934 – February 16, 2008), better known as Bobby Lord, was an American country music artist popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
Bobby Lord | |
|---|---|
 Lord c. 1955 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Lester Lord[1] |
| Born | January 6, 1934 |
| Origin | Sanford, Florida, US |
| Died | February 16, 2008 (aged 74) Stuart, Florida |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1952–1989 |
| Labels |
|
Biography
Lord was born January 6, 1934 in Sanford, Florida, but grew up in Tampa. As a teenager, he entered talent contests, wowing crowds with his edgy rockabilly style. He was popular with Tampa's young crowd, playing concerts at dance halls.[2] At Plant High School, he met his wife, Mozelle, whom he married when he was 20.
After graduating from Plant, he was offered the chance to host his own television show while a freshman at the University of Tampa. The Bobby Lord Homefolks Show was an hour-long program on Saturday nights on WSUN-TV in St. Petersburg and featured Lord singing with a backing band. In 1952, he won a nationwide talent competition sponsored by TV Guide which led to an appearance on Paul Whiteman's TV Teen Club on ABC-TV from Philadelphia.
Soon after, songwriter Boudleaux Bryant heard one of Lord's demo tapes and passed it on to Columbia Records, which signed him in 1953. At age 19, he was the label's youngest recording star. He began releasing country and rockabilly hits for Columbia, and in 1955 joined Ozark Jubilee, an ABC-TV program based in Springfield, Missouri.
In 1960, the Jubilee was canceled and Lord moved to Nashville, where he was immediately offered a spot on the Grand Ole Opry. He continued appearing on the Opry well into the 1970s. He recorded for Hickory Records starting in 1961 and Decca Records from 1967. During this time he also hosted a daily afternoon show on WSM-TV in Nashville, which was the counterpart to Ralph Emery's morning show on that station, "Opry Almanac". Under the auspices of WSM-TV, he also hosted a weekly syndicated half-hour program featuring popular country artists. Lord's backing band on the syndicated show included Jerry Byrd on steel guitar, Jerry Whitehurst on piano and Spider Wilson on guitar.
In 1969, Lord left Nashville and went into semi-retirement from the music industry to devote time to his family and his interests in real estate and insurance. In the 1980s, he hosted TNN's program Country Sportsman, later called Celebrity Outdoors, until 1989. He was also the author of the 1969 book, Hit the Glory Road.
Bobby Lord died on February 16, 2008 in Stuart, Florida, at the age of 74. He was a resident of Jensen Beach, Florida and was survived by his widow, Mozelle, and three children[3]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Bobby Lord's Best | Harmony |
| 1965 | The Bobby Lord Show | Hickory |
| 1970 | You and Me Against the World/ Wake Me Up Early in the Morning |
Decca |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1955 | "No More, No More, No More!" | — | — | singles only |
| "Ain't You Ever Gonna" | — | — | ||
| "Sittin' Home Prayin'" | — | — | ||
| "Hawkeye" | — | — | ||
| "I Can't Do Without You Anymore" | — | — | ||
| 1956 | "So Doggone Lonesome" | — | — | |
| "Beautiful Baby" | — | — | ||
| "Without Your Love" | 10 | — | ||
| 1957 | "Your Sweet Love" | — | — | |
| "High Voltage" | — | — | ||
| "Am I a Fool" | — | — | ||
| 1958 | "The Fire of Love" | — | — | |
| "Walking Alone" / "When I've Learned" | — | — | ||
| 1959 | "Party Pooper" | — | — | |
| "Too Many Miles" | — | — | ||
| 1960 | "Give Me a Woman" | — | — | |
| "Before I Lose My Mind" | — | — | ||
| 1961 | "Fascination" | — | — | |
| "I'll Go on Alone" | — | — | The Bobby Lord Show | |
| 1962 | "Precious Jewel" | — | — | |
| "Don't Shed Any Tears for Me" | — | — | ||
| 1963 | "Shopping Center" | — | — | single only |
| 1964 | "Life Can Have Meaning" | 21 | — | The Bobby Lord Show |
| "Take the Bucket to the Well" | — | — | ||
| 1965 | "I'm Going Home Next Summer" | — | — | |
| 1966 | "Cash on the Barrelhead" | — | — | singles only |
| "It Only Hurts When I'm Laughing" | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "Look What You're Doing" | — | — | |
| "One Day Down" | — | — | ||
| 1968 | "Live Your Life Out Loud" | 44 | — | You and Me Against the World/ Wake Me Up Early in the Morning |
| "The True and Lasting Kind" | 49 | 36 | ||
| 1969 | "Yesterday's Letters" | 40 | — | |
| "Rainbow Girl" | 28 | 45 | ||
| 1970 | "You and Me Against the World" | 15 | 30 | |
| "Wake Me Up Early in the Morning" | 21 | 32 | ||
| 1971 | "Goodbye Jukebox" | 75 | — | singles only |
| "Peace of Mind" | — | — | ||
| 1972 | "Everybody's Here" | — | — | |
| 1973 | "Got Yourself Something" | — | — | |
| "Hello Wine" | — | — | ||
| 1974 | "Your Song" | — | — | |
Notes
- "Bobby Lord". countrymusichalloffame.org. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
- Hayes, Stephanie "Interviewing Surpassed his Country Singing" (February 20, 2008) St. Petersburg Times
- Wersinger, Tammie (February 21, 2008). "Country singer Bobby Lord dies". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
References
- Davis, William (1998). "Bobby Lord". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 303.
