Marion Franklin "Moe" Bandy Jr. (born February 12, 1944) is 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 South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
singer.
He was most popular during the 1970s, when he had several hit songs, both alone and as part of a duo with
Joe Stampley.
Early life and recordings
Marion Bandy was born in
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, ...
, United States, also the hometown of country singer
Jimmie Rodgers
James Charles Rodgers ( – ) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Country Music", he is best known for his di ...
.
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."
He was nicknamed Moe by his father when he was a child.
The Bandy family moved to
San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
, Texas, when Moe was six. His mother played piano and sang. Bandy was taught to play the guitar by his father who had a country band called the Mission City Playboys, but made little use of the ability until he was in his teens. His father's wish that Moe also play the
fiddle
A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...
never materialized.
He made some appearances with the Mission City Playboys but during his high-school years he showed a great deal more interest in
rodeo
Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
s than in music. He tried
bronco-busting and
bull riding
Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to bucking, buck off the rider.
American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." ...
and by the time he was 16, both he and his brother Mike were competing in rodeos all over
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
.
Career success
In 1962, 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. When he was young he tried to sound like
Hank Williams
Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...
and
George Jones
George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...
– "I even had my hair cut short like his."
During the day he worked for his father as a
sheet metal
Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process.
Thicknesses can vary significantly; extremely thin sheets are considered foil (metal), foil or Metal leaf, leaf, and pieces thicker than 6 mm (0.25  ...
worker, a job that lasted for 12 years, during which time he made a few recordings for various small labels.
In 1964, his first single, "Lonely Girl", made little impression. In 1973, he went solo when record producer Ray Baker, who had listened to his demos, suggested that he come to
Nashville, Tennessee
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 ...
.
Bandy's song "I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today" was initially released on Footprint Records but it came to the attention of the GRC record label. In March 1974, it entered the US country chart, eventually peaking at number 17. Other minor 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
William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country and honky-tonk singer-songwriter.
Frizell is known as one of the most influential country music vocal stylists of all time. He has been cited as in ...
and Whitey Shaffer gave him a number 7 country hit. "Bandy The Rodeo Clown" was to become not only one of his own favorites but also one of his most popular recordings. Bandy found success at Columbia Records with
Paul Craft's "Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life" and 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", "Cowboys Ain't Supposed To Cry", "That's What Makes The Jukebox Play", and a duet with
Janie Fricke, "It's A Cheating Situation". In 1979, he achieved his first solo number 1 with "
I Cheated Me Right Out of You".
Duets
That same year, in 1979, Bandy joined forces with
Joe Stampley and recorded a
tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner.
History
The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...
novelty single: "
Just Good Ol' Boys". The song went on to top the country chart and it led to a continuation of their partnership. 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
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
problems with their parody of the then-current
Boy George
George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...
/
Culture Club
Culture Club are an English new wave music, new wave band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (musician), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), and Mikey Craig (bass guitar), and formerly included Jon Moss ( ...
phenomenon; "Where's The Dress" used the guitar-riff introduction from Culture Club's hit "
Karma Chameleon
"Karma Chameleon" is a song by English band Culture Club, featured on the group's 1983 album '' Colour by Numbers''. The single was released in the United Kingdom in September 1983 and became the second Culture Club single to reach the top of t ...
", which reached No. 1 for 3 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 early that year. "Where's the Dress" peaked inside the Top Ten, at No. 8 on the country charts.
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". 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 regular touring schedule and appeared on television shows. In later years, he cut back on his touring schedule.
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."
Bandy opened his popular Americana Theatre in
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, Missouri, Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County, Missouri, Stone County. Branson is in the Ozarks, Ozark Mountain ...
, in 1991 and performs frequently there.
Moe and his brother Mike Bandy, a six-time
NFR bull-riding qualifier, were inducted into the
Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2007.
Discography
References
External links
Moe Bandy Theater website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bandy, Moe
1944 births
Living people
Musicians from Meridian, Mississippi
Columbia Records artists
Curb Records artists
Saddle bronc riders
Bull riders
Country musicians from Mississippi