Bob Childers

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Bob Childers
Born	November 20, 1946(1946-11-20) West Union, West Virginia
Origin	Ponca City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	April 22, 2008 Stillwater, Oklahoma
Genre(s)	Red Dirt Country Folk Bluegrass
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter Guitarist
Instrument(s)	Vocals Guitar
Years active	1978 — 2008
Label(s)	Binky Records Smith Music
Associated acts	Woody Guthrie Jason Boland Cross Canadian Ragweed Randy Crouch Red Dirt Rangers No Justice
Website	[1]

Robert Wayne “Bob” Childers (born November 20, 1946, in West Union, West Virginia - died April 22, 2008, in Stillwater, Oklahoma) was an American country/folk singer-songwriter who has achieved widespread critical acclaim since the late 1970s. Childers was known alternately as the "father" "grandfather" or "godfather" of the regional scene known as Red Dirt Music. Childers renown as a songwriter led to the comparisons to both Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. Childers contribution to the art of song-writing has been acknowledged by many critics but also his artistic peers.

1 Biography and Works
2 Death and Legacy
3 Tributes, Covers and Archives
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Biography and Works

Childers was the son of Howard and Rhea (Gaskins) Childers . Childers developed an interest in music in his youth and started playing guitar at age 16. He graducated high school in Ponca City, Oklahoma and studied music in Berkeley, California.

Childers emerged in 1979 with his debut album titled "I Ain't No Jukebox." Which he recorded with help from friend Jimmy LaFavre. The album received many positive reviews and led Childers to begin touring nation-wide. His second album, "Singing Trees, Dancing Waters," was released in 1982. Success in the music industry lead Childers to relocate to Nashville, Tennessee.

In 1986 Childers released two albums "Four Horsemen," and a collection of instrumental works, "King David's Lament." While many of his peers had success in Nashville, Childers chose to relocate to Austin, Texas. He then released "Circles Toward the Sun" (1990,) By 1991 Childers had relocated again, back to Oklahoma where he released "Nothin' More Natural" (1996,) "Hat Trick" (1999,) and a fan club collection of rarities "La Vita e Bella - Outtakes, Demos and Jams 1980 - 1988" (2000.) His return to Oklahoma facilitated collaboration with other Red Dirt Music artists including "Dirt & Spirit" with The Great Divide (1999,) "Two Buffalos Walking - Live At The Blue Door" with Terry "Buffalo" Ware (2003,) "Kindred Spirits" with Randy Crouch (2004,) and "Ride for the Cimarron" with Jason Boland and the Stragglers (2006.)

By 2004 Childers health was in decline. A long time smoker, Childers suffered from numerous lung-related ailments including pneumonia and COPD often known as "lung disease." As a result a 3 CD compilation was produced to help cover the costs of Childer's medical bills. That benefit collection, "Restless Spirits" featured tracks from over 50 performers who donated their versions of Childers' own songs.

[edit] Death and Legacy

On April 22, 2008, Bob Childers was found dead in his home. He apparently died in his sleep. Childers influence on Oklahoma music and musicians cannot be underestimated, his work and memory will endure perpetually. Prior to his death, Childers had already been inducted into both the Oklahoma Music Awards "Red Dirt" Hall of Fame and the Woody Guthrie Festival Hall of Fame. In just the short time since Childers passing, a memorical concert featuring three generations of Oklahoma song-writers was held, the 2008 Earth Day festival at Oklahoma State University was dedicated to Childers and artists such as Randy Crouch and Chuck Dunlap have written songs about Childers influence on them.

[edit] Tributes, Covers and Archives

Even before the release of the tribute box-set "Restless Spirts," Childers influence on other song writers was pervasive. In 1999 The Tulsa World newspaper reported that Bob Childers songs have been "recorded by more than 200 artists." Childers influence on other musicians has certainly continued to grow since 1999 and his vast body of work is currently being cataloged and archived by his friends and heirs.