In the fifties after many failed attempts to sell his songs, he finally was signed up with Capitol Records and recorded a few rock and roll songs without much chart success. Just before he was drafted into the Army, he wrote a song called 'The All American Boy' and did a demo for his friend, Bill Parsons, to learn and record it. Instead of using the version Bill Parsons did later, the record company, Fraternity Records, decided to use the original demo done by Bobby Bare. The record reached number 2 on the Billboard Top 100, but it was wrongly credited to Bill Parsons.
His real big break came when RCA boss and guitarist Chet Atkins signed him to the RCA label. The first song he released on this label, 'Shame On Me', sold nearly a million copies and pushed Bobby Bare to fame overnight. His second RCA release, 'Detroit City' won him a Grammy for the best song of the year. Then a surge of hits followed, including '500 Miles Away From Home', 'Four Strong Winds' and others. He has also recorded two very successful albums with Skeeter Davis and has also dueted with Lacy J. Dalton and Rosanne Cash and additionally had a major hit as part of a trio with Norma Jean (singer) and Liz Anderson in 1967 titled 'The Game of Triangles'.
He moved to Mercury label in 1970 and had two big hits from early Kris Kristofferson compositions, 'Come Sundown' and 'Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends' before returning to RCA label where he produced his own records. Later Bare moved to CBS label and in 1979, he helped establish Rosanne Cash's career by singing with her on "No Memories Hangin' Round". Bare's singles for Columbia Records included 'The Jogger', 'Tequila Sheila', 'Gotta Get Rid Of This Band', 'When Hippies Get Older' and 'Numbers'. He later recorded for EMI with little success.
Bobby Bare is a versatile singer, and in the 70s started to release novelty songs recorded live with selected audiences. One of such songs, 'Marie Laveau' about a witch, reached the number one position on the country chart. This song was written by his friend, a very talented song writer, poet, author and cartoonist Shel Silverstein. He also penned many other songs for Bobby Bare including a Grammy nominated hit called 'Daddy What If' which he recorded with his five year old son, Bobby Bare Jr, who later became a star on his own. Bobby Bare later recorded a very successful album with his family and penned mainly by Shel called 'Singing in The Kitchen'. It was nominated for best group category in Grammy Awards but was declined by Bobby himself.
He later took chances recording strange, controversial material as 'Dropkick Me Jesus (Through The Goalposts Of Life)' (a 1976 Grammy nominee) and the expletive-driven 'Redneck Hippie Romance' with much success.
Bobby Bare is also the first to come up with a concept album called 'Bird Named Yesterday' which was very successful. His most successful concept album is 'Lullaby Legends and Lies'.
Bobby Bare was also given an opportunity to star in the movies. He did a Western with Troy Donahue called A Distant Trumpet, and a few episodes of a TV series called No Time for Sergeants. He turned his back on Hollywood to pursue his career in Country Music.
In 1998 he formed the band Old Dogs together with his friends Jerry Reed, Mel Tillis and Waylon Jennings.
In addition to the above, Bobby Bare is credited for introducing Waylon Jennings to RCA. He is also one of the first to record from many well known song writers such as Jack Clement, Harlan Howard, Billy Joe Shaver, Mickey Newberry, Tom T. Hall, Kris Kristofferson, and many others. He later had a TV series called 'Bobby Bare & Friends, A Song Writer Showcase'. Recently, he has recorded a new album after over 20 years called 'The Moon Was Blue' produced by his son. His son, Bobby Bare, Jr., is also a musician.
Traveling Minstrel Man
Bobby Bare Lyrics
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I'll sing my song and move along cause I'm a travelin' minstrel man
My life is measured by the telephone poles the mileage lines are on my face
I never care much where that old highway goes I'm happy almost any place
I'm married to a beatup busted guitar I'm obligated to my band
Don't waste your time by making permanent plans I'm only playing one night stands
Come see the travelin' minstrel man
I've got a suitcase full of stories to tell bout all the places that I've been
When I've told my stories and I've sung you my song I'll be back on the road again
Shout out the number that you'd like me to play then clap your hands and sing along
Let's have a good time while we still have today because tomorrow I'll be gone
I am a travelin' minstrel man
Come see the travelin' minstrel man Lord I'm a travelin' minstrel man
Bobby Bare's song Traveling Minstrel Man paints a vivid picture of a musician who thrives on life on the road. The singer is a minstrel man, always on the move, traveling from place to place with a singular mission to entertain and enlighten. The song is a reflection of the life of a restless wanderer who, despite the uncertainties that come with a life on the road, is happy playing one-night stands and never making permanent plans or staying in one place for too long.
The lyrics describe a man who measures his life in terms of telephone poles and the mileage lines etched on his face from his travels. He is content with his life, and his only obligation is to his band and his beat-up, busted guitar. He has a suitcase full of stories to tell about the places he has been, and he sings his songs with passion, always eager to bring happiness to his audience.
The chorus, "I am a travelin' minstrel man, I'll do my best to make you happy if I can. I'll sing my song and move along cause I'm a travelin' minstrel man," captures the essence of the song. The minstrel is committed to his art, trying to make a difference in people's lives wherever he goes. But he is always on the move, with no permanent home, except for his nomadic existence on the open road.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a travelin' minstrel man I'll do my best to make you happy if I can
I am a musician who travels around entertaining people. I will try my best to make you happy through my music.
I'll sing my song and move along cause I'm a travelin' minstrel man
I will sing my songs and keep moving because that's what I do as a traveling musician.
My life is measured by the telephone poles the mileage lines are on my face
My life is measured by the distance I travel on the road, which can be seen through the lines on my face that show how far I've been.
I never care much where that old highway goes I'm happy almost any place
I don't really care where the road takes me as long as I can keep moving and playing music; I'm content wherever I am.
I'm married to a beatup busted guitar I'm obligated to my band
My guitar is like a spouse to me, and I feel a duty to play with my bandmates and entertain people.
Don't waste your time by making permanent plans I'm only playing one night stands
Don't bother making long-term plans with me since I move around so much and typically only play one-night shows.
Come see the travelin' minstrel man
Come see me, the musician who travels around singing and performing for audiences.
I've got a suitcase full of stories to tell bout all the places that I've been
I have lots of stories to share about the different places I've traveled to, and I carry them with me in my luggage.
When I've told my stories and I've sung you my song I'll be back on the road again
Once I've finished telling my stories and singing my music, I'll pack up and hit the road again to move on to the next show.
Shout out the number that you'd like me to play then clap your hands and sing along
If there's a particular song you want to hear, just shout it out, and I'll play it for you. I want you to join in and have fun with me.
Let's have a good time while we still have today because tomorrow I'll be gone
Let's enjoy ourselves and have a good time right now since I won't be staying long. I'll be moving on to my next destination tomorrow.
Come see the travelin' minstrel man Lord I'm a travelin' minstrel man
Come see me, the musician who travels around performing, because that's who I am.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILL RICE, JERRY FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind