Marion Bandy was born and grew up in Meridian, Mississippi, hometown of the country singer Jimmie Rodgers. He later stated: "My grandfather worked on the railroads with Jimmie Rodgers. He was the boss of the railway yard in Meridian and Jimmie Rodgers worked for him. He said that he played his guitar all the time between work."
He was nicknamed Moe by his father when he was a child. The Bandy family moved to San Antonio, Texas when Moe was six. His mother played piano and sang. Bandy was taught to play the guitar by his father who had a country band called the Mission City Playboys, but made little use of the ability until he was in his teens. His father's wish that Moe also play the fiddle never materialized.
He made some appearances with the Mission City Playboys but generally during his high school years he showed little interest in music and a great deal of interest in rodeos. He tried bronco-busting and bull riding and by the time he was 16, both he and his brother Mike were competing in rodeos all over Texas.
In 1962, tired of the bruises and fractured bones, he began to pursue a career in country music. He assembled a band that he called Moe And The Mavericks and found work playing small beer joints, honky-tonks, and clubs over a wide area around San Antonio. When he was young he tried to sound like Hank Williams and George Jones - "I even had my hair cut short like his."
Although work was plentiful, the pay was poor and during the day he worked for his father as a sheet metal worker, a job that lasted for 12 years, during which time he made a few recordings for various small labels. In 1964, he had his first single, "Lonely Girl", on the San Antonio based Satin label, but it made little impression. He did manage to get his band a residency on a local television program called Country Corner and in this capacity, he provided backing for several touring stars.
In 1973, he went solo when record producer Ray Baker, who had listened to his demos, suggested that he come to Nashville, Tennessee. Moe Bandy obtained a loan and recorded a song called "I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today". Initially released on Footprint Records with a limited pressing of 500 copies, it soon came to the attention of the Atlanta-based GRC label. In March 1974, it entered the US country chart, eventually peaking at number 17. Other minor hits followed, including "It Was Always So Easy To Find An Unhappy Woman (Till I Started Looking For Mine)" and "Don't Anyone Make Love At Home Anymore".
In 1975, a song written by his friend Lefty Frizzell and Whitey Shaffer gave him a number 7 country hit, firmly establishing his reputation. "Bandy The Rodeo Clown" was to become not only one of his own favorites but also one of his most popular recordings. (Shaffer was greatly amused by the way Bandy pronounced woman as "woh-min", and began to send him songs with the "woh-min" in them.)
Bandy sang in a simple style that extracted the utmost from his songs of lost love, sadness, and life. Although by no means a Hank Williams sound-alike, his method of putting across his honky-tonk songs showed the distinct influence of Williams. He met with immediate success at Columbia Records with Paul Craft's "Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life" and quickly added further hits, including "Here I Am Drunk Again".
From 1977 through 1979, he was a country chart regular with singles such as "I'm Sorry For You, My Friend" (the song Williams had written for their mutual friend Lefty Frizzell), "Cowboys Ain't Supposed To Cry", "That's What Makes The Jukebox Play", and a duet with Janie Fricke, "It's A Cheating Situation".
In 1979, he achieved his first solo number 1 with "I Cheated Me Right Out of You".
That same year, in 1979, Bandy joined forces with Joe Stampley and recorded a tongue in cheek novelty single: "Just Good Ol' Boys". The song went on to top the country chart and it led to a continuation of their partnership. The duo, commonly known as "Moe and Joe", had more novelty hits between 1979 and 1985, including "Holding The Bag", "Tell Ole I Ain't Here", and "Hey Joe (Hey Moe)". In 1984, they ran into copyright problems with their parody of the then-current Boy George/Culture Club phenomenon: "Where's The Dress" used the guitar-riff introduction from Culture Club's hit "Karma Chameleon".
During the 1980s, Bandy maintained a steady line of solo successes, including "Yesterday Once More", "Rodeo Romeo", "She's Not Really Cheatin' (She's Just Gettin' Even)", and "Till I'm Too Old To Die Young".
Bandy also registered duet successes with Judy Bailey ("Following The Feeling") and Becky Hobbs ("Let's Get Over Them Together"). Over the years, he maintained a touring schedule estimated at 250 to 300 days a year and appeared on numerous network television shows. In later years, he cut back considerably on his schedule. He was never a regular Grand Ole Opry member, but has made guest appearances from time to time.
Bandy summed up his music when he said, "I really think my songs are about life. There's cheating, drinking and divorcing going on everywhere and that's what hardcore country music is all about." He added: "If I'd done all the things I sing about, I'd be dead."
Critics reviewing some of his later recordings wrote that it was strange that at a time when more artists were actually recording his type of music, some of his recordings were spoiled by string and/or choir arrangements, and advised that an immediate return to his roots was necessary. Bandy opened his popular Americana Theatre in Branson, Missouri in 1991 and performs frequently there.
Moe, along with his brother, Mike Bandy, a six time NFR bull riding qualifier, were inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2007.
Oh Holy Night
Moe Bandy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
Moe Bandy's Oh Holy Night is a soulful rendition of a classic Christmas carol originally written in French in 1843. The opening lines "O holy night! The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth" creates a vivid setting and immediately sets the tone for the rest of the song, urging the listener to get lost in the enchanting tale of the birth of Jesus Christ. The second line "Long lay the world in sin and error pining" reinforces the concept of a long awaited savior being born into the world to guide mankind into a new era, filled with hope and compassion.
The chorus "Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, the night when Christ was born; O night, O holy night, O night divine!" evokes a deep spiritual connection and makes the listener feel as though they are witnessing the birth of Jesus firsthand, and urging them to join the celebration. The song further touches on the arrival of the wisemen from the East, bearing gifts for the new King, and presents the image of people standing around the manger, serenaded by sweet hymns, filled with joy and gratitude.
Finally, the last verse "Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, With all our hearts we praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we, His power and glory ever more proclaim! His power and glory ever more proclaim!" urges the audiences to embrace the message of Christ, to spread love and kindness, and to work towards breaking chains of oppression, inequality and injustice.
Line by Line Meaning
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
This is a sacred night when the stars are shining bright.
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
This is the night when the dear Savior was born.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
For a long time, the world suffered from sin and was lost in confusion.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
When the Savior appeared, the Holy Spirit felt its worth and importance.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
The world that was tired and hopeless now rejoices with a thrill of hope.
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
A new and magnificent morning is about to commence.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
Kneel down to listen to the voices of angels that are singing.
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
This is a divine and holy night when Christ was born.
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
This is an extremely holy and divine night.
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
We are guided by the light of our faith that is bright and peaceful.
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
Our hearts are full of brightness as we stand by the Savior's cradle.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
A star that is shining brightly all over the world in a sweet manner.
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The wise men have traveled from the Orient land to pay their respects to the Savior.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
The king of Kings was born in a humble manger.
In all our trials born to be our friends.
The Savior was born to be our friend during all our hardships and trials.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
The Savior knows our every need and understands our weakness very well.
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King and bow humbly before him.
Truly He taught us to love one another,
The Savior taught us to love and care for one another unconditionally.
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
The main essence of the Savior's teachings is love and peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
The Savior will free us from our chains as we are all brothers and sisters.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
All types of oppression will come to an end in the name of the Savior.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
We sing sweet, joyful hymns with gratitude in our hearts.
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
With all our hearts, we praise the holy name of the Savior.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
The Savior is the Lord, and we should continuously praise and worship Him.
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
Proclaim His power and glory forever and ever.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Adolphe Charles Adam
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind