Bob Childers - Nothin' More Natural (1997)

Bob Childers passed away in April after a lengthy fight with lung cancer and emphysema. RIP Bob.

For years people have talked about legendary "Texas" songwriters like Eric Taylor and Willis Alan Ramsey. Well the folks in Oklahoma have a legend of their own and he is none other than Bob Childers. Never heard of him? You probably have and just don't know it.

The story of Bob Childers begins with his birth in West Virginia. Bob grew up in a decidedly non musical family. He discovered music in his early teens and has been at it consistently for over thirty years. The sixties found Childers studying music at UC Berkeley. Though California was the center of commercial music, he knew something was missing. So began the gypsy travels of Bob Childers. In 1972, while traveling through Stillwater, Oklahoma, Bob discovered the music of Chuck Dunlap (a legendary local artist). He had finally found a home. Childers would later put it this way: "California had the money and the reputation, but Oklahoma had the magic."

Bob began playing his music throughout the area and built a solid reputation as the finest songwriter in the state. By 1978 his music came to the attention of a star Jimmy Lafave, and a lasting friendship ensued. With Lafave's help, Childers recorded his first album in 1979. I Ain't No Jukebox was released to critical acclaim and greatly expanded his fan base. He signed with Cimarron Attractions and his follow-up album, Singing Trees, Dancing Waters, came in 1982. by this point, Bob was touring nationwide and had even played at the White House.

The lure of Nashville was too much for Bob Childers to resist and in 1986 he made the move. Early success there convinced Bob to encourage his protégés to make the same move, and he was followed by several other Stillwater musicians including Tom Skinner and Garth Brooks. Childers released two albums that year. Four Horsemen was another strong effort and was quickly followed by the all instrumental King David's Lament. Though friends like Garth Brooks were thriving in Nashville, the gypsy in Bob led him to the burgeoning music scene of Austin, Texas.

With the continuing support of Jimmy Lafave, Bob recorded his strongest effort to date. Circles Toward the Sun (1990) even yielded a couple of minor hits with Restless Spirits and Mexican Mornings. But just as Childer's music was gaining the acceptance he had worked so hard for, the rest of his world started to collapse. Personal and financial concerns led Bob back to Stillwater where he continued to write and add to his catalog of over 1500 songs.

Early in 1996 Childer's songs came to the attention of Binky Records. A contract followed, and Bob proceeded to make his best selling record, Nothin' More Natural. This obscure masterpiece garnered him his largest following ever, including great interest from the European Market.

Track List:

01 - Dance With The Gypsies
02 - Texas Eagle
03 - Headed South
04 - Wile E. Coyote
05 - Kingston Town
06 - Memphis After Midnight
07 - Ain't No Way
08 - Can't Help Wonderin'
09 - Woody's Road
10 - Nothin' More Natural
11 - Good Mornin' Maryanne
12 - Love Never Tested
13 - Poncho Villa's Gold
14 - Rainbow Rocker
15 - Kind Of A Cowboy

Quality: CBR 320 Kbps 44100 Stereo
Size: 144.34Mb (includes all artwork)
Genre: Red Dirt | Country | Folk | Songwriter

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