Rob Baird is an
Americana
Americana may refer to:
*Americana (music), a genre or style of American music
*Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States
Film, radio and television
* ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...
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, o ...
singer-songwriter, producer, and musician from
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...
. He released his debut album, ''Blue Eyed Angels'' (Carnival Recording Company), in 2010 and his sophomore effort, ''I Swear It's the Truth'', in May 2012. His third record, ''Wrong Side of The River,'' was released on May 13, 2016. His fourth album, ''After All'', was released on January 11, 2019. His fifth record, ''Anthems'', was released on May 19, 2022.
Biography
Baird relocated from
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...
to
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...
in 2005 to attend
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciple ...
, where he earned a degree in Entrepreneurial Management. During his time at Texas Christian, at the age of 21, he recorded his debut project. The album ''Blue Eyed Angels'' was produced by Scott Davis and featured musicians from
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 ...
's band. That initial effort featured the singles, "Fade Away" (a top 5 single on the Texas Music Chart), "Could Have Been My Baby," and the title track.
In 2012 Baird followed up ''Blue Eyed Angels'' with ''I Swear It's The Truth'', named one of the top twenty albums of the year by
Spin Magazine
''Spin'' (stylized in all caps) is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012.
History ...
.
''I Swear It's The Truth'' featured the hit single, “Dreams and Gasoline” which was added to
XM’s "
The Highway
A highway is a long road giving a relatively fast connection between two places.
Highway may also refer to:
Roads in England
* The Highway (London) (previously Ratcliff Highway), a road in the East End of London
* The Highway, a road in Bro ...
" and was featured in the ABC drama ''
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 t ...
''. The video for the single was shot in
Joshua Tree, CA
Joshua Tree is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 7,414 at the 2010 census. At approximately above sea level, Joshua Tree and its surrounding communities are located in the H ...
and was supported by
CMT and their multiple platforms.
In 2013 Baird's "More Than Willing" was featured on
Lifetime
Lifetime may refer to:
* Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey
* ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band
* ...
's ''
Army Wives
''Army Wives'' is an American drama television series that followed the lives of four army wives, one army husband, and their families. The series premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007, and ran for seven seasons, ending on June 9, 2013. The sh ...
''. Three of his songs have also been used in season three of
CW's ''
Hart of Dixie
''Hart of Dixie'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on The CW from September 26, 2011, to March 27, 2015. The series, created by Leila Gerstein, stars Rachel Bilson as Dr. Zoe Hart, a New Yorker who, after her dreams o ...
'' ("Same Damn Thing" in episode 10, "More Than Willing" in episode 17, and "40 Days and 40 Nights" in episode 20).
Over the years, Baird has kept an active touring schedule balancing support slots with
Jason Isbell
Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell ...
,
Billy Joe Shaver
Billy Joe Shaver (August 16, 1939 – October 28, 2020) was an American outlaw country singer and songwriter, as well as an actor.
Biography
Shaver was born in Corsicana, Texas, and raised by his mother, Victory Watson Shaver. Until he was 12 ...
,
The Steeldrivers
The SteelDrivers are a bluegrass band from Nashville, Tennessee. Members include fiddler Tammy Rogers, bassist Mike Fleming, guitarist/vocalist Matt Dame, mandolinist Brent Truitt, and banjoist Richard Bailey. Past members include Kelvin Damrel ...
,
Don Williams
Donald Ray Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American country singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing popular ballads and amassing seventeen number ...
, and many others with developing an impressive string of headlining dates in several major markets.
Baird relocated to Austin, Texas in 2015 and recorded his third record, ''Wrong Side of the River,'' released on May, 13th, 2016 on Baird's label Hard Luck Recording Company. Produced by Brian Douglas Phillips, the album presents a stark contrast to some of Baird's previous work. ''Wrong Side of the River'' is laden with the blues of Memphis and the outlaw
alt-country
Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
.
In 2016 "Mississippi Moon" and "Cowboy Cliché" from ''Wrong Side of the River'' were featured on the Netflix original series ''The Ranch''.
Baird's highly anticipated fourth record ''After All'' was released January 11, 2019.
Critical reception
Roughstock Country gave ''I Swear It's the Truth'' 4.5/5 stars, saying "Everything about ''I Swear It's The Truth'' suggests a young artist ready to break into the big leagues."
Spin Magazine
''Spin'' (stylized in all caps) is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012.
History ...
included ''I Swear It's the Truth'' on their "Top Albums of 2012" list, calling him a "young, affable folk-pop charmer."
Baird was featured in ''
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 advertis ...
''s "Spotlight" section in May 2012 covering the release of ''I Swear It's the Truth''.
In 2015 the Dallas Observer slated Baird's "Dreams and Gasoline" to be one of the 50 best Texas Red Dirt Songs
In 2016, Baird premiered a three-part video series featuring songs from ''Wrong Side of The River'' on NPR, stating that the videos and the music were "a thematic journey from defiance to reflection to the hope for redemption". No Depression stated that ''Wrong Side of The River'' as "Wrenching punches to the gut, with powerhouse blues rock and soul, as well as poignant pulls on our hearts with heart-rending ballads". Spin Magazine described ''Wrong Side of The River'' as "Baird takes his traditional country to a deeper place, with sparse acoustic chords allowing his reflective lyricism to breathe".
Discography
Albums
Music videos
Television Placements
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Rob
Living people
American country singer-songwriters
Year of birth missing (living people)
Country musicians from Tennessee
Singer-songwriters from Tennessee