Becky Hobbs

Becky Hobbs (born Rebecca A. Hobbs, January 24, 1950) is an American country singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has recorded several studio albums and has charted multiple singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including the 1983 Top Ten hit "Let's Get Over Them Together," a duet with Moe Bandy.

Hobbs has written over 2000 songs. Besides her work as a solo artist, Hobbs has written for several country and pop acts, such as Helen Reddy, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Shelly West, Glen Campbell, Emmylou Harris, Wanda Jackson, John Anderson, and Shirley Bassey. She co-wrote two well-known songs for Alabama: " I Want to Know You Before We Make Love" (later covered by Conway Twitty in 1987) and " Angels Among Us."

Hobbs wrote the music and lyrics for the 2011 musical ''Nanyehi: The Story of Nancy Ward'', which is based upon the life of her 5th-great grandmother Nancy Ward.

Life & career

Hobbs is a native of Bartlesville, Oklahoma and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She began playing the piano and writing her own songs when she was nine years old. Her early musical influences included Jerry Lee Lewis and big band and country music. As an adolescent, Hobbs played with two Bartlesville-based boy bands, Epicurean Time Machine and Undetermined Mud. When she was fifteen years old, she started her own all-female rock band. The band, called The Four Faces of Eve, was the first all-female rock band in Oklahoma and played on the KOTV show ''Dance Party.'' Hobbs later participated in an all-girl band contest, sponsored by Tulsa, Oklahoma radio station KAKC, that resulted in her joining a band called Sir Prize Package and playing in the Tulsa area for a couple of years. Later on, Hobbs was invited to join the band Swampfox in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; she was the group's sole female member. She decided to drive to Los Angeles, accompanied by bandmate Lewis Anderson, to pursue a career as a solo artist.

In California, Hobbs became acquainted with Kim Fowley, who gave her a $250 advance for her song "Paradise Is in Your Mind." Fowley also invited Hobbs to join an all-female band that became known as The Runaways, but she declined. Helen Reddy began recording Hobbs' songs in 1974, which marked Hobbs' first major recordings. "Ain't None of Your Business," a song Hobbs cowrote with Anderson, was covered by Detective on their debut album in 1977. Kiss had also recorded the song around this time, but it was not available commercially until the 45th-anniversary edition of ''Destroyer'' was released in 2021.

As a recording artist, Hobbs has had over 20 chart records. She has given concerts in over 40 countries.

'' Cashbox'' declared Hobbs as its Independent Country Music Female Artist of the Year in 1994. In 2015, Hobbs was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

Hobbs' husband, Duane Sciacqua, is also a musician who has performed with her live.

Hobbs is a member of the Indian Women's Pocahontas Club.

''Nanyehi''

Hobbs grew up listening to stories about Nancy Ward, her fifth great-grandmother who was also known as ''Nanyehi'', a Beloved Woman and political leader of the Cherokee. In 1993, She began writing songs (including "Let There Be Peace" and "Pale Moon") to honor her ancestor, intending to record them on one of her albums.

In 2007, Hobbs performed at the Bartlesville Centennial Celebration, where she met playwright Nick Sweet. The two began discussing writing a musical based on the life of Nancy Ward. Hobbs ended up writing or co-writing each of the 18 songs in the resulting musical, ''Nanyehi: The Story of Nancy Ward.'' She later recorded these songs on her 2011 solo album ''Nanyehi: Beloved Woman of the Cherokee.''

The musical ''Nanyehi: The Story of Nancy Ward'' premiered in Hartwell, Georgia

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