Bobby Bones
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Bobby Bones (born Bobby Estell) is an American radio and television personality, best known for hosting the nationally syndicated ''
The Bobby Bones Show ''The Bobby Bones Show'' is an American nationally syndicated country music radio show aired during the morning drive. The Bobby Bones Show originated in Austin, Texas, but now originates from studios at WSIX-FM in Nashville. The show is syndica ...
'', originating at
KISS-FM KISS-FM (99.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in San Antonio, Texas. It airs an mainstream rock format and is owned by Cox Media Group. The studios and offices are located on Datapoint Drive in Northwest San Antonio near the South Texas Me ...
in
Austin, TX Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, and for his role as a full-time mentor on ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' on ABC. He was the winner of season 27 of ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'' with partner
Sharna Burgess Sharna May Burgess (born 21 June 1985) is an Australian ballroom dancer who is best known for being a professional partner and troupe member on the ABC series '' Dancing with the Stars''. She is the winner of season 27 of American televisio ...
. He has also written two ''New York Times'' best sellers.


Early life and education

Bones was born in
Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...
, on April 2, 1980, and raised in the small community of
Mountain Pine, Arkansas Mountain Pine is a city in Garland County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 770 at the 2010 United States Census. It is located immediately southeast of Lake Ouachita below t ...
. He has said his mother became pregnant with him at age 15, when his father was 17. He was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother. His biological father was with him until the age of five, but then left the family. Bones began dreaming of a radio career around the age of 5. His mother died at age 49 after battling addiction problems in 2014. He grew up poor, and often viewed radio as a way of escaping
poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
. Bones began his radio career at age 17 at the campus station of
Henderson State University Henderson State University (HSU) is a public university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, it is Arkansas's only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Henderson has an undergraduate enrol ...
, KSWH-FM "The Pulse". He graduated with a B.A. in Radio/Television from Henderson in 2002.


Career

While still in college, Bones went to work as a station hand at
KLAZ KLAZ (105.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Top 40 (CHR) format first broadcasting in 1977. The station serves the Hot Springs, Arkansas area. The station was owned by Central Arkansas Radio Group, LLC until December 7, 2016, when it ...
in Hot Springs, Arkansas, but was put on the air within a few days of being hired. A manager there gave him the choice of going on the air as Bobby Z or Bobby Bones of which he chose the latter. Bones' first full-time radio contract paid him $17,000. In 2002, Bones was hired by Q100/KQAR in
Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...
. He then worked for radio station (
KLAL KLAL (107.7 FM, "Alice @ 107.7") is a Top 40 (CHR) music formatted radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas ( licensed to Wrightsville). The station is owned and operated by Cumulus Media. The station's studios are located in West Little Rock ...
), which led to his hosting ''The Bobby Bones Show'' on
KHFI-FM KHFI-FM (96.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Georgetown, Texas, and serving the Greater Austin radio market. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., it airs a Top 40/CHR radio format, branded as " KISS-FM." It shares studios and offices ...
in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
. According to ''The Washington Post'', Bones is different from typical radio DJs, as he doesn't have the "classic, booming radio DJ voice".


Austin

Bones was originally hired for the evening shift on KHFI-FM and was soon moved to mornings. While in Austin, he met two of his future co-hosts, Lunchbox (in a bar) and Amy (in a Culver's). Bones believed in Amy and put her on the air immediately. His executive producer at the time, Alayna Messer, was previously an intern on the show. Over ten years, the show built its audience into the top-rated morning show in Austin and was syndicated in a few regional markets. At the height of his popularity, Bones was offered a job outside of radio but ultimately chose to remain with Clear Channel (now iHeart Media).


Nashville

In 2012, Clear Channel moved Bones and his show from Austin with its Top 40 format to
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 ...
and a country music format while taking ''The Bobby Bones Show'' nationwide. Bones took over the slot hosted by longtime DJ
Gerry House Gerry House (born 1948) is an American radio personality who was heard on WSIX-FM in Nashville, Tennessee on the morning show '' Gerry House and the House Foundation'' from 1983 to 2010. House has won the CMA ACM Billboard and Marconi awards fo ...
, who retired in 2010. Bones now broadcasts from the WSIX-FM studios in Nashville on weekday mornings from 5:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. (CT). His co-hosts are Amy and Lunchbox, and features Producer Eddie, Raymundo, Morgan2, Mike D., Abby, and Scuba Steve. The Bobby Bones Show has become a regular interview stop for top country music stars and even artists/celebrities outside the genre of country.
Luke Bryan Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music, country singer, songwriter, and television personality. He began his music career writing songs for Travis Tritt and Billy Currington before signing with Capitol Reco ...
, John Mayer,
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
, Garth Brooks, Ed Sheeran,
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 ...
,
Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those album ...
,
Lady Antebellum Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar) ...
,
Jason Aldean Jason Aldean (born Jason Aldine Williams; February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released ten albums and 40 singles. His 2010 ...
,
Dierks Bentley Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to Capitol Nashville and released his eponymous debut album. Both it and its follow-up, 2005's ''Modern Day Drifter'', ar ...
, and more have been featured in interviews on the morning show.


Syndication

In February 2013, ''The Bobby Bones Show'' was nationally syndicated through iHeart Media-owned
Premiere Networks Premiere Networks (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a wholly owned subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. It ...
and was made available via iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio mobile app. The show is currently heard on more than 150 radio stations in the U.S., Canada, and UK. ''The Bobby Bones Show'' has an estimated audience of nearly 9.2 million listeners a week. The show's largest market is Chicago (
WCHI-FM WCHI-FM (95.5 MHz) is a mainstream rock formatted radio station located in Chicago, Illinois, owned and operated by iHeartMedia. WCHI-FM has studios located at the Illinois Center complex on Michigan Avenue in Downtown Chicago, and it broad ...
). Bones also hosts the weekly “Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones,” carried on over 100 radio stations nationwide. As part of the iHeart Media family, Bones has been tapped to host, present, and even perform at the annual
iHeartRadio Country Festival The iHeartCountry Festival is an annual music event by iHeartRadio that celebrates all things Country with performances by the genre's biggest superstars at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. The inaugural event in 2014 was not broadcast o ...
held in Austin, Texas, iHeartRadio Music Festival held in Las Vegas, Nevada and the annual
iHeartRadio Music Awards The iHeartRadio Music Awards is a music awards show that celebrates music heard throughout the year across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia's digital music platform. Founded by iHeartRadio in 2014, the eve ...
in Los Angeles, California.


Accidental trigger of Emergency Alert System

In October 2014, Bones accidentally triggered the
Emergency Alert System The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national warning system in the United States designed to allow authorized officials to broadcast emergency alerts and warning messages to the public via cable, satellite, or broadcast television, and both ...
by playing EAS tones during an on-air rant about an erroneous EAS test interrupting coverage locally of the
2014 World Series The 2014 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 season. The 110th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and the Ameri ...
on
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
affiliate
WZTV WZTV (channel 17) is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with Fox and The CW. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate WUXP-TV (channel 30); it is also sister to Dabl affiliate ...
. The EAS tones would have only triggered the EAS issuance in Nashville, but since the show was in syndication, the signal cascaded through the show's nationwide affiliates, and caused
AT&T U-verse U-verse TV is a DirecTV brand of IPTV service. Launched on June 26, 2006, U-verse included broadband Internet (now AT&T Internet or AT&T Fiber), VoIP, IP telephone (now AT&T Phone), and IPTV (U-verse TV) services in 48 states.
boxes nationwide to lock up with the erroneous test. In May 2015, Bones's employer iHeartMedia paid a $1 million FCC fine due to the incident and removed all EAS sound effects from their nationwide sound library to prevent a recurrence.


Other media

Bones appeared in the 2009 feature film, ''
Bandslam ''Bandslam'' is a 2009 American musical romantic comedy drama film directed by Todd Graff who co-wrote the screenplay with Josh A. Cagan. The film stars Aly Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Porter, Ryan Donowho, an ...
'', with
Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Anne Hudgens (; born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. After making her feature film debut in ''Thirteen'' (2003), Hudgens rose to fame portraying Gabriella Montez in the ''High School Musical'' film series (2006 ...
. He has also appeared on the ABC drama ''Nashville'' and has been a guest host with
Kelly Ripa Kelly Ripa (; born October 2, 1970) is an American actress and talk show host. Since 2001, she has been the co-host of the syndicated morning talk show '' Live! with Kelly and Ryan'' in various formats. As an actress, Ripa's best known roles ...
on ''
Live! with Regis and Kelly ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...
''. In 2012 Bones was part of the Fox Sports Radio lineup, hosting the weekend sports talk program ''Roddick and Bones'' with tennis star
Andy Roddick Andrew Stephen Roddick (born 30 August 1982) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is a major champion, having won the 2003 US Open. Roddick reached four other major finals (Wimbledon in 2004, 2005, and 2009, and the US Open ...
, airing Saturdays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on nearly 300 radio stations. Bones is also the host of the podcast “The Bobbycast” where he interviews singers/songwriters of all genres which The Washington Post dubbed as a "treasure trove of unusually candid anecdotes." He has also launched his own podcast network, the Nashville Podcast Network. On May 17, 2016, he released his first book entitled ''Bare Bones, I'm Not Lonely If You're Reading This Book.'' In 2018, Bones was a guest mentor for season sixteen of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' (the first to air on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
) during the top 24 round. On November 6, 2018, it was announced Bones would become a full-time mentor for the series beginning in season seventeen. During an episode which aired April 8, 2019, Bones served as guest host, as host
Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...
was sick and missed the taping. In June 2019, Bones filmed an episode of
Running Wild With Bear Grylls ''Running Wild with Bear Grylls'' is a survival skills reality television series starring Bear Grylls. In each episode, Grylls brings a different celebrity along on his adventures. The crew consists of host Bear Grylls, a story producer, two came ...
in Norway. The episode aired on January 14, 2020. He was a judge of
Topgolf Topgolf is a golf driving range game with electronically tracked golfballs and automatically scored drives that started in 2000 and grew to become a multinational sports entertainment company. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, it has locations i ...
's original series ''Who Will Rock You''. He signed an overall deal with BBC Studios. ''Breaking Bobby Bones'', on the
National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...
began airing in 2021. In each episode, Bones meets a real person doing a "real" job or sport, works with them to learn how to do it, and is critiqued on his performance. At the end of each episode, Bones does something special for week's guest that will improve their life, or help them with their career or other goals. On December 31, 2021, Bones, along with
Rachel Smith Rachel Renee Smith (born April 18, 1985) is an American actress, TV host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss USA 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA 2002 pageant. She represented the United States at Mis ...
of ''
Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Para ...
'', hosted ''New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash''. It was broadcast live from
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 ...
on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
. In 2022, Bones hosted the
USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...
competition series ''
Snake in the Grass ''Snake in the Grass'' is a 2002 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. The play is about a middle-aged older sister who returns to the family home where her younger sister still lives, shortly after their abusive father's death. It was wri ...
''.


''Dancing with the Stars''

In September 2018, Bones was announced as one of the celebrities to compete on the 27th season of ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'', being paired with the professional dancer
Sharna Burgess Sharna May Burgess (born 21 June 1985) is an Australian ballroom dancer who is best known for being a professional partner and troupe member on the ABC series '' Dancing with the Stars''. She is the winner of season 27 of American televisio ...
. Despite the second lowest scores for a couple in the final 4, the couple made it to the finals, and ended up winning the competition.


Personal life

On September 28, 2013, Bones and his crew were part of a team that set the Guinness World Record "Most hunger relief meals packaged in one hour (team)". On August 5, 2015, during the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump, Bones filed an "all purpose" trademark application with the
United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...
for the rights to the phrase "
Make America Great Again "Make America Great Again" or MAGA is an American political slogan popularized by Donald Trump in his successful 2016 presidential campaign. The slogan became a pop culture phenomenon, seeing widespread use and spawning numerous variants in ...
". Trump had registered the phrase for "political action committee services" but not for its use on hats, t-shirts, duffel bags, and other apparel and accessories that Bones now had the rights to. Two days later, on August 7, Bones tweeted, "hey @realDonaldTrump, if you donate 100k to @stjude, I will give you your clothing trademark back. thanks! – Bobby". Bones later tweeted an image on October 29 of a check from
The Trump Organization The Trump Organization is a group of about 500 business entities of which Donald Trump is the sole or principal owner. Around 250 of these entities use the Trump name. The organization was founded in 1927 by Donald Trump's paternal grandmother ...
for an undisclosed amount, stating it would go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and that Trump could "have isslogan back". On January 3, 2017, Bones announced he was considering a run for
governor of Arkansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
in the 2018 election. On March 14, 2017, Bones announced he was not running. In July 2021, Bones married Caitlin Parker.


Awards and honors

For four years running, from 2004 to 2008, Bones was named Best Radio Personality by the Austin Music Awards, presented by ''
The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...
'' and
SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
. The Bobby Bones Show also won Best Radio Program 2007–2008. On April 6, 2014, Bones, Amy, and Lunchbox won their first Academy of Country Music Award for National On-Air Personality of the Year, just nine months into Bones's first year in country music. Bones became the youngest ever inductee into the
National Radio Hall of Fame The Radio Hall of Fame, formerly the National Radio Hall of Fame, is an American organization created by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. Three years later, Bruce DuMont, founder, president, and CEO of the Museum of Broadcast Communicatio ...
during a ceremony on November 2, 2017, at the
Museum of Broadcast Communications The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) is an American museum, the stated mission of which is "to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform and entertain through our archi ...
in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. The University of Arkansas awarded Bobby with an honorary doctorate at their Spring 2022 commencement ceremonies.


Bobby Bones and the Raging Idiots discography


Studio albums


Extended plays


Other charted songs


Music videos


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bones, Bobby Living people 1980 births Musicians from Hot Springs, Arkansas American radio personalities American country singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Arkansas Arkansas Independents Participants in American reality television series Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) winners 21st-century American singers Country musicians from Arkansas