Pinkard & Bowden are 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 ...

duo composed of singer-songwriters James "Sandy" Pinkard and Richard Bowden (), who also play

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

and

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

. The duo's music comprises a mix of musical parody and original comedy songs. Pinkard has also written hit singles for

Mel Tillis Lonnie Melvin Tillis (August 8, 1932 – November 19, 2017) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, ...

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian country, pop and adult contemporary music singer who has sold over 55 million album copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray has won four Grammys including the Grammy ...

, and

Vern Gosdin Vernon Gosdin (August 5, 1934 – April 28, 2009) aka Country music's "The Voice", was an American country music singing, singer. He had 19 top-10 solo hits on the country music charts from 1977 through 1990. Three of these hits went to Number O ...

, among others. Between 1984 and 1992, Pinkard & Bowden recorded four albums for

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

Biography

James "Sandy" Pinkard was born January 16, 1947, in

Abbeville, Louisiana Abbeville is a city in, and the parish seat of, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,257 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. At the 2020 Population Estimates Program, populat ...

. He got his start in

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 ...

, in the mid-1970s. Initially, he planned to become a singer, but after his singing career proved unsuccessful, he turned to songwriting. Among his hits as a writer were " You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" (a duet by

Shelly West Shelly West (born May 23, 1956) is an United States, American country music singing, singer. Her mother was the country music star Dottie West, whose career spanned three decades. The younger West reached her peak in popularity during the 1980s ...

and

David Frizzell David Frizzell (born September 26, 1941) is an American country music singer. He is the younger brother of country musician, Lefty Frizzell. His career started in the late 1950s, but his biggest success came in the 1980s. Biography Frizzell wa ...

), " Coca Cola Cowboy" by

, and " Blessed Are the Believers" by

. Richard Bowden was born on September 30, 1945, in

Linden, Texas Linden is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Texas, United States. At the 2020 United States census, its population was 1,825. Linden is named after the city of Linden in Perry County, Tennessee. Geography Linden is located south ...

, While in high school, he played in a

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

band formed by his father Elmer, which also included his childhood friend

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician who is a founding member of the rock band the Eagles, for whom he is the drummer and co-lead vocalist, as well as its sole continuous member. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles ...

. Bowden and Henley then formed a band called the Four Speeds, which changed its name to Felicity, then Shiloh. Shiloh disbanded in 1971 over the band's leadership and creative differences between Henley and Bowden, as Bowden wanted the band to be more country while Henley did not. After Henley left to form

Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

, Bowden briefly toured as a member of

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (; born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician, best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the band. As a so ...

's band, which opened for Eagles. Bowden came out with his own album in 2003 called "''Big Bad Johnson''".

Jim Ed Norman Jim Ed Norman (born October 16, 1948) is an American musician, record producer, arranger and label-head. As an arranger and producer, he was one of the principal architects of the distinctive sound of West Coast 1970s pop and country rock. He wa ...

, who was also in Shiloh, introduced Pinkard and Bowden to each other, and the two began writing songs together. After discovering that they were both writing songs that were humorous in nature, the two decided to form a comedy duo, and released their debut album ''Writers in Disguise'' in 1984. It was led off by a parody

montage Montage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Filmmaking and films * Montage (filmmaking), a technique in film editing * ''Montage'' (2013 film), a South Korean film Music * Montage (music), or sound collage * ''Montage'' (EP), a 2017 EP by ...

entitled "Adventures in Parodies," which included parodies of

Sammi Smith Jewel Fay "Sammi" Smith (August 5, 1943 – February 12, 2005) was an American country music singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 1971 crossover hit " Help Me Make It Through the Night", which was written by Kris Kristofferson. Sh ...

's "

Help Me Make It Through the Night "Help Me Make It Through the Night" is a country ballad written and composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album '' Kristofferson''. It was covered later in 1970 by Sammi Smith, on the album '' Help Me Make It Through the Nig ...

("Help Me Make It Through The Yard"),"

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. ...

's " Daddy Sang Bass,"

Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. During her career Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood ...

's "

Delta Dawn "Delta Dawn" is a song written by musician Larry Collins and country songwriter Alex Harvey. The first notable recording of the song was in 1971 by American singer and actress Bette Midler for her debut album '' The Divine Miss M''. However i ...

," B.J. Thomas' "

(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" is an American country and pop song made famous by B. J. Thomas. It won the 1976 Grammy for Best Country Song, awarded to its songwriters Larry Butler and Chips Moman. The song ...

Eddie Rabbitt Edward Thomas Rabbitt (November 27, 1941 – May 7, 1998) was an American country music singer and songwriter. His career began as a songwriter in the late 1960s, springboarding to a recording career after composing hits such as " Kentucky Rain ...

's "

Drivin' My Life Away "Drivin' My Life Away" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Eddie Rabbitt. It was released in June 1980 as the first single from the album ''Horizon''. The song was written by Rabbitt, Even Stevens and David Malloy ...

" ("Drivin' My Wife Away"),

Claude King Claude King (February 5, 1923 – March 7, 2013) was an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for his 1962 million-selling hit, " Wolverton Mountain". Biography King was born in Keithville in southern Caddo Parish south ...

's "

Wolverton Mountain "Wolverton Mountain" is a country music song and 1962 crossover hit that established Claude King's career as an American country singer-songwriter. The song was a rewrite of the original version by Merle Kilgore, which was based on a real person n ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

's "

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" is a song written by songwriter Fred Rose. First recorded by Elton Britt in 1946, then made more popular by Roy Acuff in 1947, the song has been covered by many artists, including Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Russe ...

" and

Michael Martin Murphey Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter. He was one of the founding artists of progressive country. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including ''Cowboy Songs (Michael Martin Murphey alb ...

's "

What's Forever For "What's Forever For" is a song written by Rafe Van Hoy and first recorded by England Dan & John Ford Coley on their 1979 album '' Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive''. The song saw its biggest success when it was recorded by American country music artist M ...

." This album also included their only Top 40 hit on the country charts, "Mama She's Lazy" (a parody of

The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist-guitarist Wynonna Judd and her mother Naomi Judd on backup vocals. The duo signed to RCA Records in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds wer ...

' "

Mama He's Crazy "Mama He's Crazy" is a song written by Kenny O'Dell, and originally recorded by American country music duo The Judds. It was released in April 1984 as the second single from their debut January 1984 EP '' Wynonna & Naomi''. The song was re-releas ...

"), as well as the parodies "Libyan on a Jet Plane" (

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American Country music, country and Folk music, folk singer, songwriter, and actor. He was one of the most popular acoustic m ...

's "

Leaving on a Jet Plane "Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a song written and recorded by American singer John Denver in 1966, originally included on his debut demo recording ''John Denver Sings''. Its original title was "Babe I Hate to Go". He made several copies and gave t ...

"), "She Thinks I Steal Cars" (

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 ...

' "

She Thinks I Still Care "She Thinks I Still Care" is a country song written by Dickey Lee and Steve Duffy. First popularized by George Jones, the song has been recorded by many artists, including Connie Francis, Anne Murray, Elvis Presley and Patty Loveless. Geo ...

") and "Arab, Alabama," a partial parody of

Waylon Jennings Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Outlaw country, outlaw movement in country music. Jennings started playing ...

' "

Good Hearted Woman ''Good Hearted Woman'' is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1972 on RCA Nashville. Background Along with '' Ladies Love Outlaws'', released later in 1972, and ''Lonesome, On'ry and Mean'' (released ear ...

." In 1985 the pair performed a concert with Ray Stevens at the Lanierland Music Park in Georgia. That year they released the album ''PG-13''. A live album called ''Live!'' was released in 1990, with ''Cousins, Cattle, and Other Love Stories'' coming in 1992. This album was a split compilation, mixing live and studio tracks. All four albums featured songs that were co-written by

Tim Wilson Tim Wilson may refer to: * Tim Wilson (broadcaster), New Zealand television news reporter and anchor * Tim Wilson (canoeist), Australian canoeist * Tim Wilson (comedian) (1961–2014), American comedian and country music artist * Tim Wilson (fil ...

, who would become a comedian and singer himself in the early 1990s.

Style

Pinkard & Bowden have been compared to Homer & Jethro, a country duo popular from the 1940s through the 1960s, whose act also comprised a mix of parody and original songs. Unlike Homer & Jethro, Pinkard & Bowden's material was often profane in nature; Pinkard & Bowden were the first country comedy act to have explicit content warnings on its albums, and the duo were banned from appearing on

The Nashville Network The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, game shows, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows. On September ...

(now

Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are located a ...

). Pinkard & Bowden's parodies are sometimes topical in nature, such as "Friends in Crawl Spaces", a parody of

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, ...

's "

Friends in Low Places "Friends in Low Places" is a song recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 6, 1990, as the lead single from his album '' No Fences''. The song spent four weeks at number one on the Hot Country Songs, and ...

" which referenced serial killer

Jeffrey Dahmer Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (; May 21, 1960 – November 28, 1994), also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender who killed and dismemberment, dismembered seventeen men and boys b ...

Discography

Albums

Singles

Music videos

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinkard and Bowden Musical groups established in 1984 Musical groups disestablished in 1998 American country music groups American country music duos American parodists Parody musicians American comedy musical groups Warner Records artists