Robert Joseph Bare Jr. (born June 28, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and musician.

Early life

Bare was born in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, the son of singer Jeannie Bare (née Sterling) and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

ian Bobby Bare, Sr. His parents met in 1963, when his father hired Bare's mother to join his act as a singer. Bare's mother, Jeannie, was a shopkeeper in Nashville. 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. Bare grew up in

Hendersonville, Tennessee Hendersonville is the largest city in Sumner County, Tennessee, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 61,753 at the 2020 census. Hendersonville is the fourth-largest city in the Nashville metropolitan area after Nashville, Murfreesboro, an ...

, a half an hour northeast of Nashville, where his family lived next door to

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...

and

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

Career

In 1974, when Bobby was only eight, he and his father were both nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for the song "Daddy What If", which was written by

Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, poet, cartoonist, singer / songwriter, musician, and playwright. Born and raised in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended universit ...

. Bare's daughter Isabella did a version of the song, which was featured on '' Twistable Turnable Man'', a tribute album to

which was co-produced by Bare and his father. He and his siblings also appeared on the TV show ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 199 ...

'' when he was a kid, to provide the witch scream on Bobby Bare, Sr.'s song "

Marie Laveau Marie Catherine Laveau (September 10, 1801 – June 15, 1881)''Marie Laveau The Mysterious Voodoo Queen: A Study of Powerful Female Leadership in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans'' by Ina Johanna Fandrich was a Louisiana Creole people, Louisiana ...

". He began playing guitar and songwriting, and started as a professional musician when he was about 30. 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 The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This catc ...

and as a light technician. Once he started writing and performing, he was offered contracts with Immortal Records and Lost Highway.

Bare Jr.

In the 1990s, he led the

roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid subgenres from the later 1960s, including blues rock, country rock, Southern rock, ...

outfit Bare Jr., which was signed to

Immortal Records Immortal Records was an American independent record label/imprint label based in Los Angeles, California. The company helped launch the careers of such influential acts as Korn, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and Incubus over the years. The label had ...

, at that time the home of

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...

and

Incubus An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...

. They released two major label records, 1998's ''Boo-Tay'' and 2000's ''

Brainwasher ''Brainwasher'' is the second and final studio album by Bobby Bare Jr.'s band Bare Jr. It was released on October 10, 2000, on Immortal Records and Virgin Records. Critical reception In a favorable review of ''Brainwasher'', Mike Warren wrote th ...

''. They had a minor radio hit with "You Blew Me Off," which was featured in the movie

Cruel Intentions ''Cruel Intentions'' is a 1999 American teen romantic drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is a modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos de ...

and its

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

. The song was also performed on

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

on March 3, 1999.

Young Criminals Starvation League

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 My Morning Jacket is an American rock band formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel, and keyboardist Bo Koster. The ba ...

. They have released three studio albums, an EP, and a live album.

Solo work

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 Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

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." Another song on the record, "The Sky Is The Ground," is about a bicycle accident his son had when he was two. Bare regularly performs in

house concert A house concert or home concert is a musical concert or performance art that is presented in someone's home or apartment, or a nearby small private space such as a barn, apartment rec room, lawn, or backyard."VIDEO: House concert in Royal Oak," '' ...

s, often accompanied by the vocals of singer Carey Kotsionis. ''Shame on Me'', a 2-song 7-inch vinyl record will be released by Big Legal Mess/

Fat Possum Records Fat Possum Records is an American independent record label based in Water Valley and Oxford, Mississippi. At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording previously unknown Mississippi blues artists (typically from Oxford or Holly Sprin ...

in early 2014. Spring 2014 saw the release of a new record on

Bloodshot Records Bloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, which specializes in alternative country. History Bloodshot Records was founded in 1994 by Nan Warshaw, Rob Miller, and Eric Babcock, who knew each other from jobs ...

called ''Undefeated,'' and will feature a full band. The first single off the record, "The Big Time," was released as a preview before the official April 15 record launch. Bare recorded the album with Mark Nevers ( Lambchop) and Grammy-winning engineer Vance Powell (

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

, the

Dixie Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and E ...

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray V ...

). 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.

With Guided by Voices

In February 2016, Bare joined a new touring lineup of

Robert Pollard Robert Ellsworth Pollard Jr. (born October 31, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices. In addition to his work with Guided by Voices, he continues to have a prol ...

's band, Guided by Voices, as guitarist along with Doug Gillard also on guitar, bassist Mark Shue and drummer Kevin March. 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), and Crystal Nuns Cathedral (2022).

Musical style and influences

Many of Bare's songs incorporate a lot of humor and references to popular culture. His writing has been characterized as "inventive and melodic."

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.

Personal

Bare has three children: daughter Isabella Bare, son Beckham Bare (from his first wife) and son Shelby Booker Bare (from his girlfriend). He has a degree in psychology from the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

Discography

Studio albums

with Guided by Voices

EPs and singles

Charted singles

Other work

* 2000: ''Down to the Promised Land'' (compilation) (

) – "Guitar Playing Woman" by Bare Jr. * 2004: ''

Sings Greatest Palace Music ''Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Sings Greatest Palace Music'' is a 2004 studio album by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. It features new recordings of songs from his Palace Music era (1993–1997), recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with a large group of country ...

'' by

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...

( Drag City) – vocals on "Riding" * 2005: ''

Tanglewood Numbers ''Tanglewood Numbers'' is the fifth studio album by Silver Jews, released in 2005. Like on all of their other albums, Silver Jews' principal song writer and constant band member is David Berman. On this album fourteen other musicians are involve ...

'' by

Silver Jews Silver Jews were an American indie rock band from New York City, formed in 1989 by David Berman alongside Pavement members Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. Berman was the only constant band member. During the last few albums, Cassie Berman ...

( Drag City) – vocals on "I'm Getting Back into Getting Back into You" * 2005: ''The Moon Was Blue'' by

Bobby Bare 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 ca ...

(

Dualtone Dualtone Records is an American record label specializing in folk, Americana, and indie rock. It was founded in 2001 by Scott Robinson and Dan Herrington. The company is run by Robinson and the label's president, Paul Roper. Albums are distribute ...

) – produced by Bare Jr. * 2005: ''For a Decade of Sin: 11 Years of Bloodshot Records'' (compilation) (

) – "Ocean Size" by Bobby Bare Jr. * 2006: ''Bloodied But Unbowed: The Soundtrack'' (

) – "Flat Chested Girl From Maynardville" by Bobby Bare Jr. (live) * 2006: ''Bloodied But Unbowed: Bloodshot Records' Life In The Trenches'' (DVD) (

) – videos for "Let's Rock and Roll" and "Flat Chested Girl From Maynardville". * 2010: '' Twistable, Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein'' ( Sugar Hill) – co-produced by Bare Jr. and father, Bare Sr.

Documentary

A documentary that follows Bare's struggles as a touring musician 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''. Musicians appearing in the film include

Justin Townes Earle Justin Townes Earle (January 4, 1982August 20, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. After his debut, EP ''Yuma'' (2007), he released eight full-length albums. He was recognized with an Americana Music Award for Emerging Artist ...

Hayes Carll Joshua Hayes Carll (born January 9, 1976), known professionally as Hayes Carll, is a singer-songwriter. A native of The Woodlands, Texas, his style of roots-oriented songwriting has been noted for its plainspoken poetry and sarcastic humor. C ...

David Vandervelde David Vandervelde is an American indie pop songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his solo work and his studio collaborations with Wilco's Jay Bennett. Career In 2003, Vandervelde moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan where ...

Blue Giant In astronomy, a blue giant is a hot star with a luminosity class of III (giant star, giant) or II (bright giant). In the standard Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, these stars lie above and to the right of the main sequence. The term applies to a ...

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and Bobby Bare Sr. The documentary was photographed on several formats, including

Super 16mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...

16mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...

Super 8 Super 8 or Super Eight may refer to: Film * Super 8 film, a motion picture film format released in 1965 * Super 8 film camera, a motion picture camera used to film Super 8mm motion picture format * ''Super 8'' (2011 film), a science-fiction fi ...

, and HD and had its East Coast premiere at the CBGB Film Festival in October 2013.

References

External links

Official website

Bobby Bare, Jr.
at

Bobby Bare, Jr.
at

Free Music Archive The Free Music Archive or FMA is an online repository of royalty-free music. Established in 2009 by the East Orange, New Jersey community radio station WFMU and in cooperation with fellow stations KBOO and KEXP, it aims to provide music under Cre ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bare, Bobby Jr. American country singer-songwriters American rock musicians Living people 1966 births Epic Records artists Virgin Records artists Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee Bloodshot Records artists Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Guided by Voices members Country musicians from Tennessee