- Moe Bandy
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Moe Bandy Birth name Marion Franklin Bandy, Jr.[1] Born February 12, 1944 [1] Genres Country Occupations country singer Instruments singing, guitar Years active 1964 to present. Labels Sweetsong Nashville Associated acts Joe Stampley, Becky Hobbs, Judy Bailey Website www.moebandy.com Marion Franklin Bandy, Jr.–better known professionally as Moe Bandy–(born February 12, 1944 in Meridian, Mississippi) is a country music singer. He was most popular during the 1970s, when he had several hit songs, both alone and with his singing partner Joe Stampley.
Contents
Early life and recordings
Marion Bandy, who was nicknamed Moe by his father when he was a child, grew up in the home-town of the legendary Jimmie Rodgers.[citation needed] 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."
The Bandy family moved to San Antonio, Texas when Moe was six years old. His mother played piano and sang. Bandy was taught to play the guitar by his father, 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.[citation needed]
He made some appearances with his father's country band, the Mission City Playboys, but generally during his high school days, he showed little interest in music but a great deal in rodeos. He tried bronco-busting and bull-riding and by the time he was 16, he was competing in rodeos all over Texas.
Career success
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, Texas. 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. This was to last for the next 12 years, during which time he made a few recordings for various small labels. In 1964, he had his first single, "Lonely Lady", on the 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 Bandy's demos the previous year, suggested he come to Nashville. Bandy managed to obtain 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 charts, eventually peaking at number 17. Other 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 seven 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.)[citation needed]
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 shows a distinct influence from 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".
Duets
In 1979, he achieved his first solo number one with "I Cheated Me Right Out of You". Also during 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 charts, and it led to a continuation of the partnership over the following years. 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 Boy George/Culture Club phenomenon that was so hot on the pop music charts at that time; "Where's The Dress" used the 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", and several others.
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 to average between 250 and 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.
Later life
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, 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. He is currently appearing at the Jim Stafford Theater in Branson.
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.
Discography
Albums
Year Album Chart Positions Label US Country CAN Country 1974 I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today 11 — GRC It Was Always So Easy 9 — 1975 Bandy the Rodeo Clown 27 — 1976 Hank Williams You Wrote My Life 13 — Columbia Here I Am Drunk Again 17 — 1977 I'm Sorry for You My Friend 18 — The Best 18 — Cowboys Ain't Supposed to Cry 22 — 1978 Soft Lights and Hard Country Music 34 5 Love Is What Life's All About 33 — 1979 It's a Cheating Situation 19 13 One of a Kind 44 — 1980 The Champ 57 6 Following the Feeling 44 — 1981 Rodeo Romeo 48 — Encore — — 1982 She's Not Really Cheatin' (She's Just Gettin' Even) 19 — Salutes the American Cowboy — — Warwick I Still Love You in the Same Ol' Way — — Columbia Greatest Hits 49 — 1983 Sings Songs of Hank Williams — — Devoted to Your Memory 41 — 1984 Motel Matches 45 — 1985 Keepin' It Country — — Barroom Roses — — 1987 You Haven't Heard the Last of Me 10 — MCA 1988 No Regrets 28 — Curb 1989 Many Mansions 48 — 1990 Greatest Hits — — 1993 Live in Branson, MO USA — — Laserlight 1995 Picture in a Frame — — Intersound Gospel Favorites — — 1996 A Cowboy Christmas — — 1997 Act Naturally — — 2005 Too Old to Die Young — — Pegasus Albums with Joe Stampley
Year Title Chart positions Label US Country US 1979 Just Good Ol' Boys 11 — Columbia 1981 Hey Joe! Hey Moe! 23 170 1982 Greatest Hits — — 1984 Alive and Well 21 — 1985 Live from Bad Bob's, Memphis — — 1999 The Best — — Intersound 2000 Live at Billy Bob's Texas — — Smith Singles
Year Title Chart positions Album US Country CAN Country 1974 "I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today" 17 — I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs "Honky Tonk Amnesia" 24 48 "It Was Always So Easy (To Find an Unhappy Woman)" 7 7 It Was Always So Easy 1975 "Don't Anyone Make Love at Home Anymore" 13 24 "Bandy the Rodeo Clown" 7 4 Bandy the Rodeo Clown "Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life" 2 3 Hank Williams You Wrote My Life 1976 "The Biggest Airport in the World" 27 22 "Here I Am Drunk Again" 11 13 Here I Am Drunk Again "She Took More Than Her Share" 11 — 1977 "I'm Sorry for You, My Friend" 9 9 I'm Sorry for You My Friend "Cowboys Ain't Supposed to Cry" 13 33 Cowboys Ain't Supposed to Cry "She Just Loved the Cheatin' Out of Me" 11 2 1978 "Soft Lights and Hard Country Music" 13 15 Soft Lights and Hard Country Music "That's What Makes the Juke Box Play" 11 10 "Two Lonely People" 7 4 Love Is What Life's All About 1979 "It's a Cheating Situation" (w/ Janie Fricke) 2 1 It's a Cheating Situation "Barstool Mountain" 9 21 "I Cheated Me Right Out of You" 1 1 One of a Kind 1980 "One of a Kind" 13 — "The Champ" 22 14 The Champ "Yesterday Once More" 10 6 "Following the Feeling" (w/ Judy Bailey) 10 — Following the Feeling 1981 "My Woman Loves the Devil Out of Me" 15 25 "Rodeo Romeo" 10 12 Rodeo Romeo 1982 "Someday Soon" 21 36 "She's Not Really Cheatin' (She's Just Gettin' Even)" 4 2 She's Not Really Cheatin'
(She's Just Gettin' Even)"Only If There Is Another You" 12 42 1983 "I Still Love You in the Same Ol' Way" 19 — I Still Love You in the Same Ol' Way "Let's Get Over Them Together" (w/ Becky Hobbs) 10 27 Devoted to Your Memory "You're Gonna Lose Her Like That" 34 38 1984 "It Took a Lot of Drinkin' (To Get That Woman Over Me)" 31 — Motel Matches "Woman Your Love" 12 12 1985 "Barroom Roses" 45 34 Barroom Roses 1986 "One Man Band" 42 43 You Haven't Heard the Last of Me 1987 "'Til I'm Too Old to Die Young" 6 10 "You Haven't Heard the Last of Me" 11 — 1988 "Americana" 8 — No Regrets "Ashes in the Wind" 47 61 "I Just Can't Say No to You" 21 * 1989 "Many Mansions" 34 * Many Mansions "Brotherly Love" 53 * "This Night Won't Last Forever" 49 * Singles with Joe Stampley
Year Title Chart positions Album US Country CAN Country 1979 "Just Good Ol' Boys" 1 8 Just Good Ol' Boys "Holding the Bag" 7 7 1980 "Tell Ole I Ain't Here, He Better Get on Home" 11 15 1981 "Hey Joe (Hey Moe)" 10 8 Hey Joe! Hey Moe! "Honky Tonk Queen" 12 11 1984 "Where's the Dress" 8 8 Alive and Well "The Boy's Night Out" 36 24 1985 "Daddy's Honky Tonk" 48 45 "Still on a Roll" 58 — References
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits, p.36. ISBN 0-8230-7632-6
External links
Categories:- 1944 births
- Living people
- American country musicians
- American country singers
- Musicians from Mississippi
- People from Meridian, Mississippi
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