Richard James Joseph Dobson II (March 19, 1942 – December 16, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter and author. Dobson was part of the outlaw country movement and spent time in the 1970s with

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

Blaze Foley Michael David Fuller (December 18, 1949 – February 1, 1989), better known by his stage name Blaze Foley, was an American country music singer-songwriter, poet, and artist active in Austin, Texas. Background Foley was born Michael David Fuller ...

, Mickey White, Rex "Wrecks" Bell,

Guy Clark Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff ...

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American country, rock, and folk singer-songwriter. He began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Earle's breakthrough album was his 1986 debut album '' ...

Rodney Crowell Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...

, and "Skinny" Dennis Sanchez.

Life and music

Dobson was born in

Tyler, Texas Tyler, officially the City of Tyler, is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the population is 105,995. Tyler was the List of municipalities in Texas, 38th most populous city in Texas (as well as the m ...

, United States, and grew up in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

and Corpus Christi. He attended St. Thomas High School in Houston and graduated from St. Michael's in Santa Fe,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

in 1960. During Dobson's brief stint at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

for international relations, he was influenced by

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

and bluegrass. He took off from school for several years and spent some time in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

; eventually, he returned to Houston and enrolled at the University of St. Thomas, graduating with a degree in Spanish in 1966. After graduation, he went to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

with the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

for a year and a half, taught for a year in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, tried his hand at being a writer in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and grew more confident in his guitar skills. Dobson moved to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

in 1971 with just a handful of songs already written. He had read an article about

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

's success as a college-educated musician and felt inspired to follow suit. He shared a house with

and "Skinny" Dennis Sanchez and began to meet other songwriters, including

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

, and Mickey White. Guy Clark demoed Dobson's "Baby Ride Easy" and, later, co-wrote the song "Old Friends" with Susanna Clark and Dobson. He later toured

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre Range, Gros Ventre and Teton Range, Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, Wyoming, T ...

and the

Rockies The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

with Van Zandt, White, and Rex Bell. Dobson also appeared in ''

Heartworn Highways ''Heartworn Highways'' is a documentary film by James Szalapski whose vision captured some of the founders of the Outlaw Country movement in Texas and Tennessee in the last weeks of 1975 and the first weeks of 1976.AllMovie entry for Heartworn H ...

'', a documentary that featured members of the Texas music scene - some living in Nashville - including Van Zandt, Clark, Steve Earle, and Rodney Crowell. Dobson spent most of his life moving back and forth between Texas and Tennessee. He worked on shrimp boats in

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

and oil rigs in the

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...

with Rex Bell when he needed money and a break from the industry, but he kept writing and playing even when he was on the ocean. He wrote the oft-recorded song "Baby Ride Easy" on a drilling rig off the shore of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

before he first headed to Nashville. When Dobson was in Houston, he frequently played Anderson Fair and the Old Quarter. On August 13, 1977, he appeared with St. Elmo's Fire on ''The Lil Ol' Show That Comes on After Monty Python''. In Tennessee, he played at the

Bluebird Cafe The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...

in 1982 with

Kathy Mattea Kathleen Alice Mattea (born June 21, 1959) is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including four that reac ...

, Hugh Moffat, and R.D. Mowery. On January 22, 1995, Dobson and Townes Van Zandt were live guests on KUT radio. Hosted by Larry Monroe, they discussed their music,

, and played several songs. Dobson released his first album, ''In Texas Last December'', in 1977 through Buttermilk Records. He home-produced four albums, including ''Save the World'' (1983) and ''True West'' (1986). From 1977 to his last album within his life in 2016, ''Plenty Good People'', Dobson released 23 albums. His last album ''I Hear Singing'' was finished posthumously, according to previous agreements by his band, and released on December 7, 2018. In the late 1980s, Dobson formed the group State of the Heart with Mike Dunbar as producer and Susie Monick as banjo and mandolin player. They began performing around 1987, releasing ''Live at the Station Inn'' in 1988 and ''Hearts and Rivers'' in 1990. They toured Europe for about six weeks yearly, a tour that Dobson continued taking even after State of the Heart was no longer together. Dobson co-wrote many songs with friends and fellow songwriters including: "Blue Collar Blues" with Ron Davies; "Hole in my Heart" with

; "Long Gone Love Song" with Mickey White; "Love Train", "She's Gone to Memphis", and "Welcome to the Wild Side of Me" with Susanna Clark; "Old Friends" and "So Have I" with

Guy Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an uninc ...

and Susanna Clark; "One Bar Town" and "Que se yo?" with Pinto Bennett; "Pony Ride" with

Hal Ketchum Hal Michael Ketchum (April 9, 1953 – November 23, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He released eleven studio albums from 1986 to 2014, including nine for divisions of Curb Records. Ketchum's 1991 album ''Past the Point ...

; "Uncertain Texas" with

; many songs with Susie Monick; and the album ''Plenty Good People'' with W.C. Jameson. His songs have been recorded by famous artists such as

David Allan Coe David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. He ini ...

("Piece of Wood and Steel"),

("Forever, for Always, for Certain"; "Old Friends"), Lacy J. Dalton ("Old Friends"),

Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She often appeared on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'', starting in 1985 during season 10. In 1990, Griffith appeared on th ...

("Ballad of Robin Winter-Smith"), and

Kelly Willis Kelly Diane Willis (born October 2, 1968) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Her music has been described as being new traditionalist and alternative country. Early life Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, Willis was the youngest of three ...

("Hole in My Heart"). Dobson's song "Baby Ride Easy" was recorded as a duet by

Carlene Carter Carlene Carter (born Rebecca Carlene Smith; September 26, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smith (country musician), Carl Smith. Since 1978, Carter has ...

and

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh retired singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock and New wave music, new wave, having many hit record, h ...

Billie Jo Spears Billie Jo Spears (born Billie Jean Moore; January 14, 1938 – December 14, 2011) was an American country music singer. She was known for a series of Single (music), singles whose characters often represented women in assertive positions. Among t ...

and

Del Reeves Franklin Delano Reeves (July 14, 1932 – January 1, 2007) was an American country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American ...

, and by the

Carter Family The Carter Family was an American folk music group that recorded and performed between 1927 and 1956. Regarded as one of the most important music acts of the early 20th century, they had a profound influence on the development of bluegrass, c ...

. For the TV show ''Christmas On The Road'' in Montreux in 1984 it was performed by

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

and

June Carter Cash Valerie June Carter Cash (June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003) was an American country singer and songwriter. A five-time Grammy Award–winner, she was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash. Prior to her marria ...

. Their duet version was released in 2014 on the posthumous album ''

Out Among the Stars ''Out Among the Stars'' is the fourth posthumously released studio album (71st overall) by Johnny Cash. It was released on March 25, 2014, by Legacy Recordings. The recordings come from lost 1980s sessions with famed countrypolitan producer B ...

.'' Dobson wrote an account of his years with

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

and others mentioned above, ''The Gulf Coast Boys,'' first published in 1990. A second book, ''Pleasures of the High Rhine — A Texas Singer in Exile'', was published in February 2012. He irregularly published a newsletter known over the years as ''Poor Richard's Newsletter,'' ''Don Ricardo's Life & Times'', and finally ''Don Ricardo's Report from the High Rhine.'' The newsletter - addressed to fans and friends - was in print through ''Omaha Rainbow'' and later on his website. A collection of the newsletters from 1978 to 2012 was released as ''The Years the Wind Blew Away: Don Ricardo's Life and Times'' in 2013.Richard J. Dobson. The Years the Wind Blew Away: Don Ricardo's Life and Times. The Newsletters of Richard J. Dobson. Diessenhofen, Switzerland (2013); . Dobson moved to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

in 1999 and lived there until his death. In 2002, he released an album with Thomm Jutz, a friend and musician he often played and recorded with in Europe. The album ''On Thistledown Wind'' was released in 2006. The following album, ''Back at the Red Shack,'' was recorded at Rock Romano's studio in Houston, Texas - the same studio where Dobson's first two albums were recorded. He returned to Thomm Jutz's studio in Nashville again in 2008, for the recording of ''From a Distant Shore'' and, in 2013, for ''Here in the Garden''. Richard Dobson died in

Diessenhofen Diessenhofen is a village and a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. The village is situated on the south shore of the High Rhine just opposite the German town of Gailingen am Hochrhein. History Diessenhof ...

, Switzerland, of a cancer disease on December 16, 2017, aged 75.

Discography

Singles

Albums

References

External links

*
Guide to the Richard J. Dobson collection, 1962-2014
(Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA)
Richard Dobson Online Exhibit in Houston Folk Music Archive
(Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA)
Richard Dobson Online Newsletters, Feb. 2016-Jan. 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobson, Richard 1942 births 2017 deaths Singer-songwriters from Texas Musicians from Tyler, Texas American folk singers American country singer-songwriters American expatriates in Switzerland Country musicians from Texas Brambus Records artists