Bobby Olen Pinson (born August 10, 1972) is an American
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, ...
artist. Signed to
RCA Nashville
RCA Nashville is an American country music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is distributed by Sony Music Nashville which is part of Sony Music.
Current artists
*Kane Brown
*Andrew Jannakos
*Miranda Lambert
* Niko Moon (RCA/River Ho ...
in 2005, Pinson made his debut that year with his album ''
Man Like Me
''Man Like Me'' is the debut studio album by American country music artist Bobby Pinson. It was released in 2005 by RCA Nashville and peaked at #23 on the '' Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart. The album includes the singles "Don't Ask Me How I K ...
''. Its lead-off single, "
Don't Ask Me How I Know", peaked at No. 16 on the
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
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
Toby Keith Covel (born July 8, 1961), known professionally as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He released his first four studio albums—1993's ''Toby Keith'', 1994's ''Boomtown'', 1996' ...
and another four for
Sugarland
Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles (lead vocals) and Kristian Bush (vocals, guitar, mandolin). They were founded in 2002, at which point Kristen Hall (vo ...
.
Biography
Bobby Pinson was born August 10, 1972, in
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
but raised in
Panhandle, Texas
Panhandle is the county seat of Carson County, Texas, United States. The population of the town was 2,452 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Panhandle is part of the Amarillo metropolitan statistical area.
History
Panhandle derives i ...
, United States.
Influenced by poet and songwriter
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 ...
, Pinson began entering writing and storytelling contests, and by high school, he began writing songs as well, citing
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
,
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
and
Steve Earle as influences.
Because his father was a football coach, Pinson was moved throughout the state of Texas, and played football himself in high school.
After graduating from Claremore High School in Oklahoma, Pinson served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, in which he served for three years.
While in the Army, he founded a band which began playing at local venues in California. In California, he met songwriters
Larry Boone
Larry Eugene Boone (born June 7, 1956) is an American country music artist and songwriter. Between 1985 and 1993, Boone recorded five major label studio albums, in addition to charting several singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles c ...
and Paul Nelson, who suggested that he move to
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 ...
, which he did in 1996.
Pinson worked several odd jobs in Nashville, including delivering phone books and loading railroad ties for the
Santa Fe Railroad
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...
.
Musical career
By 1999, he was signed to a publishing contract with Sony/ATV Music. Artists who recorded his material included
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single " Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...
,
Marty Stuart
John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before beginning work as a ...
and
LeAnn Rimes
Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chris ...
.
His first single release as a songwriter was
Tracy Lawrence
Tracy Lee Lawrence (born January 27, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Arkansas, Lawrence began performing at age 15 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in ...
's 2000 single "Unforgiven", and three years later,
McHayes
McHayes was an American country music duo established in 2003 by Wade Hayes (guitar, vocals) and Mark McClurg (fiddle, vocals). Prior to the duo's foundation, Hayes was a solo artist, and McClurg was a member of Alan Jackson's road band, The Strayh ...
(a duo composed of
Wade Hayes
Tony Wade Hayes (born April 20, 1969) is an American country music artist. Signed to Columbia Records in 1994, he made his debut that year with his gold-certified album '' Old Enough to Know Better''. Its title track, which served as his debut ...
and Mark McClurg) charted with "It Doesn't Mean I Don't Love You", which Pinson co-wrote with
Trent Willmon
Trent Willmon (born March 6, 1973) is an American country music artist, songwriter, and Record producer, producer. Active since 1998 as a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Willmon was signed to Columbia Records in 2004. He released two albums ...
. Pinson also co-wrote
Marty Stuart
John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before beginning work as a ...
's 2003 single "If There Ain't, There Ought'a Be", and Willmon later charted with one of Pinson's songs, "The Good Life", in early 2005 from his self-titled
debut album.
After playing at several artist and songwriter showcases, Pinson was discovered by producer Joe Scaife, who helped him sign to a contract with
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
Nashville. His debut single, "
Don't Ask Me How I Know", charted in early 2005 and reached a peak of No. 16 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' country charts. This was the first single from his debut album ''
Man Like Me
''Man Like Me'' is the debut studio album by American country music artist Bobby Pinson. It was released in 2005 by RCA Nashville and peaked at #23 on the '' Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart. The album includes the singles "Don't Ask Me How I K ...
''. The album's second single, "Way Down", peaked at No. 58, and by the end of 2005, Pinson exited RCA's roster. He did, however, re-release an independent album originally recorded in 1994 called ''I Mean Business''.
Despite the loss of his record deal, Pinson continued to write songs for other singers. Lawrence charted another Pinson co-write, "If I Don't Make It Back", in 2006. His first Number One as a songwriter came in late 2006, when
Sugarland
Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles (lead vocals) and Kristian Bush (vocals, guitar, mandolin). They were founded in 2002, at which point Kristen Hall (vo ...
topped the ''Billboard'' country charts with "
Want To
"Want To" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in August 2006 as the first single from the album '' Enjoy the Ride''. It was their first single not to feature former member Kristen Hall. Alt ...
", which he co-wrote with the duo's members,
Kristian Bush
Kristian Merrill Bush (born March 14, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Bush is one half of the country music duo Sugarland with Jennifer Nettles, and was a member of the folk rock duo Billy Pilgrim with Andrew Hyr ...
and
Jennifer Nettles
Jennifer Odessa Nettles (born September 12, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer.
Nettles is the lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland alongside Kristian Bush, and prior to this she fronted the Atlanta-based band ...
.
Trent Tomlinson
Trent Tomlinson (born July 3, 1975) is an American country music artist. After several failed attempts at finding a record deal, Tomlinson was signed to Lyric Street Records in 2005, with his debut album ''Country Is My Rock'', released in earl ...
also released a Pinson co-write, "
One Wing in the Fire
"One Wing in the Fire" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Trent Tomlinson. It is a ballad dedicated to Tomlinson's father, Don. The song was released in May 2006 as the second single from Tomlinson's debut album '' C ...
", in late 2006. He released a third album, ''Songs for Somebody'', in 2007 on an independent label. This album included his own rendition of "If I Don't Make It Back". That same year, two more songs that he co-wrote entered the charts: "What I Did Last Night" by
Catherine Britt and "
We Weren't Crazy
''We Weren't Crazy'' is the second studio album by American country music artist Josh Gracin. Originally titled ''All About Y'all'', the album was slated for release in mid-2006 after the release of its debut single "Favorite State of Mind". Howeve ...
" by
Josh Gracin
Joshua Mario Gracin (born October 18, 1980) is an American country music singer. A former member of the United States Marine Corps, he first gained public attention as the fourth-place finalist on the second season of ''American Idol''.
After h ...
.
In 2008, Pinson also began writing with
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel (born July 8, 1961), known professionally as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He released his first four studio albums—1993's ''Toby Keith'', 1994's ''Boomtown'', 1996' ...
, including the singles "
She's a Hottie
"She's a Hottie" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was the only new track on his 2008 compilation album ''35 Biggest Hits'', and was released as a single on March 4, 2008. The song was included on the ...
", "
She Never Cried in Front of Me
"She Never Cried in Front of Me" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Toby Keith. It was released in July 2008 as the first single for his 2008 album ''That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy''. For the week of November 1, 2008, ...
", "
Lost You Anyway", "
Made in America", "
Beers Ago
"Beers Ago" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in March 2012 as the third and final single from his 2011 album ''Clancy's Tavern''. Keith co-wrote the song with Bobby Pinson. A remixed ve ...
", "
I Like Girls That Drink Beer
"I Like Girls That Drink Beer" is a song recorded by American country music singer Toby Keith and co-written with Bobby Pinson. It was released in July 2012 and is the first single from his album ''Hope on the Rocks'', released on October 30, 2012 ...
" and "Shut Up and Hold On". "35 MPH Town". "She Never Cried in Front of Me" and "Lost You Anyway" were released from Keith's 2008 album ''
That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy
''That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy'' is the twelfth studio album by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released on October 28, 2008 by Show Dog Nashville, Keith's own label. The album's lead-off single, "She Never Cried in Front of Me" ...
'', on which all but three songs were co-written by Keith and Pinson. He also has several cuts on Sugarland's 2008 album ''
Love on the Inside
''Love on the Inside'' is the third studio album by American country music duo Sugarland, first released on July 22, 2008, as a Deluxe Fan Edition, including five bonus tracks, with the standard edition one week later, on July 29, on Mercury Nashv ...
'', including its first three singles: "
All I Want to Do
"All I Want to Do" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in May 2008 as the first single from their album ''Love on the Inside'', which was released on July 22, 2008. The duo's two members, l ...
", "
Already Gone" and "
It Happens
"It Happens" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in February 2009 as the third single from their album ''Love on the Inside''. The duo's members, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, wrote th ...
", all of which were also Number One hits. Pinson and
Terry McBride also co-wrote
Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo ...
's 2009 single "
Honky Tonk Stomp
"Honky Tonk Stomp" is a song recorded by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn. It was written by duo member Ronnie Dunn along with Terry McBride and Bobby Pinson. It is the 50th overall single for the duo, the second and final single from th ...
". Pinson,
Eric Church
Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's '' Sinners Like Me'', produced three singles on the ''Billboar ...
, Jeff Hyde and
Clint Daniels
Clint Allen Daniels (born August 24, 1974 in Panama City, Florida) is an American country music artist. Signed to Arista Nashville in 1998, Daniels charted two singles for the label. In 2003, Daniels signed to Epic Records, releasing a third si ...
also co-wrote Eric Church's 2019 single "Some of It". Pinson and
Arlo Gilliam also co-wrote
Emerson Drive
Emerson Drive is a Canadian country music band consisting of Brad Mates (lead vocals), Danick Dupelle (guitars, backing vocals), Mike Melancon (drums), and Dale Wallace (keyboards, backing vocals). The band was founded in 1995 as 12 Gauge, which ...
's 2012 single "
She's My Kind of Crazy". Pinson,
Rhett Akins
Thomas Rhett Akins Sr. (born October 13, 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. Signed to Decca Records between 1994 and 1997, he released two albums for that label (1995's '' A Thousand Memories'' and 1996's '' Somebody New''), followed by ...
and
Dallas Davidson
Dallas Davidson is an American country music singer and songwriter from Albany, Georgia, who has written for artists such as Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Cole Swindell, Jake Owen, Luke Bryan, Randy Houser, Lady Antebellum, and Billy Curringto ...
also co-wrote
Aaron Lewis
Aaron Lewis (born April 13, 1972) is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and founding member of the nu metal band Staind, with whom he released seven studio albums. Since 2010, he has pursued a solo ca ...
's 2013 single "Granddaddy's Gun". Pinson, Brantley Gilbert, Blake Chaffin also co-wrote
Brantley Gilbert's 2017 single "The Ones That Like Me".
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
Music videos
References
External links
Bobby Pinson official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinson, Bobby
American country singer-songwriters
Living people
Musicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma
RCA Records Nashville artists
1970 births
Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma
21st-century American singers
Country musicians from Oklahoma