Search - Bob Childers :: Ride For The Cimarron

Bob Childers is the guy who most definitely defines red dirt music. Read enough interviews with Oklahoma musicians and you'll hear Childer's name dropped like he was some kind of legend. Some call Bob a "Dylan of the Dust," and that's not far from the truth. Born in West Virginia, Bob moved to Oklahoma at an early age. He lived in California and a number of other places along the way until one of his many rambles across the states took him to Stillwater, Oklahoma. It's there that the longtime wanderer finally found home. Bob began playing his music throughout the area and built a solid reputation as one of the finest songwriters in the state. By 1978 his music came to the attention of local musician Jimmy LaFave, and a lasting friendship ensued. With LaFave's help, Childers recorded his first album in 1979. "I ain't no Jukebox" was released to critical acclaim and local radio air play greatly expanded his fan base. He signed with Cimarron Attractions and his follow up album "Singing Trees, Dancing Waters", came in 1982. The lure of Nashville was too much for Bob Childers to resist and in 1986 he made his move. Childers released two albums that year. "Four Horsemen" was another strong effort and was quickly followed by the instrumental "King David's Lament". Bob grew tired of the Nashville scene. Childer's unique blend of country stand-up folk and roots rocks rings with an authentic sound not often found in the mostly commercial world of Nashville music. He packed up and headed to Austin, Texas to hang out with his old friend LaFave. With LaFave's assistance Bob recorded his strongest effort to date "Circles Toward the Sun." From his traveled, weathered voice comes songs of loss, love, regret, promise, betrayal, fun and hanging out, story songs and real-life songs.The 1997 release of "Nothing More Natural" has the crusty songwriter crafting wonderful story songs with a ragged but right sound. Stand out tracks include "Dance with the Gypsies," "Memphis after Midnight." Bob's ode to Woody Guthrie, "Woody's Road" ranks, according to No Depression Magazine, among the best songs ever written about Woody Guthrie. "Hat Trick", Bob's 1999 CD, contained another stellar set of songs including co-writes with Mike McClure (The Great Divide), Brad Piccolo (Red Dirt Rangers), wild man Randy Crouch, former label mate Greg Jacobsas well as former Stillwater alumni Garth Brooks. The new Millennium saw the release of "La Vita e Bella - Out-takes, Demos and Jams 1980 - 1988." Many of these treasured rarities were thought to be lost in Childers' well publicized house fire. As luck would have it, Jimmy LaFave had seen fit to store master tapes and pristine copies of much of Bob's early work. Bob continues to write songs and is currently finishing an autobiographical work of fiction called " I rode with the rangers: The past chronicled, history untangled, rumors expounded, myths unravelled, legends probed, wild tales explored, flimsy documents examined, exaggerations refuted, mis-reportings explained, words ungarbled and facts unjumbled."