THINGS CHANGE: First studio album in five years from Hall of Famer Bobby Bare

Chris Stapleton Joins Legend on Iconic Song "Detroit City"

They say the more things change, the more they stay the same. One thing that has stayed with us is the talent and artistry of one of country music’s living legends, Bobby Bare.

THINGS CHANGE is the title of the new album from Bare, a Country Music Hall of Famer who has chalked up close to sixty Top Forty hits starting back in 1962. And now here is, at age 82, out there still performing and promoting his new album.

Changes are no stranger to Bare. In 1959, he wrote a song, titled “The All American Boy,” for his friend Bill Parsons, and Bare cut a demo of the song for Parsons who went on to record it. However, the record label preferred Bare’s demo version and that was the one they released, taking the song to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. But nobody thought to change the information on the label, so every copy went out printed with the artist’s name as Bill Parsons, rather than Bobby Bare.

Bare’s luck changed for the better when he was signed to RCA Victor by the legendary Chet Atkins who could spot talent when he heard it. His second RCA single, “Detroit City” – written by Mel Tillis and Danny Dill – won Bare a GRAMMY in 1964 for Best Country/Western Recording. It was the first of many hits, including “500 Miles Away From Home” and “Four Strong Winds.”

There’s a new version of “Detroit City” on the new album, but again Bare goes for a change rather than a straight recreation of the smash hit: this time, Bare sings it as a duet with Chris Stapleton – who wasn’t even born when the original charted – and gives us a fresh new take on a song we all know so well.

The ten songs on THINGS CHANGE all find Bare in age-defying fine vocal form on cuts such as the Mary Gauthier-penned “I Drink,” an introspective ballad perfectly suited to Bare’s mellowed voice.

Bare has always been known for the wry fun he brings to his live performances, and that sense of humor is evident here on ”Trophy Girl” as he sings, “I never thought that we’d go on forever / ‘Cause trophy girls don’t hang around too long / Always looking ‘round for greener pastures / And when they find something better they move on.”

The album’s title track itself has an interesting pedigree: Apparently inspired by Bare’s friend, the late songwriter Hoyt Axton, “Times Change” was written by Bare and performed with Norwegian musician Petter Oien, becoming one of Norway’s finalists in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.

The new album, produced by singer/songwriter Max T. Barnes, will be released May 26 by Hypermedia Nashville and BFD through RED Distribution. Autographed pre-order copies of THINGS CHANGE are available now at www.bobbybare.com.

As Bobby Bare says of his new album: “This is a special collection of songs to me, not just another record. Things do change but my love for songwriters and the fans never, ever will!”

© 2017 Preshias Harris, Nashville Music Line www.nashvillemusicline.com


Country Music Hall of Famer and GRAMMY® award-winning living legend Bobby Bare will release THINGS CHANGE May 26, which features a collaboration with Chris Stapleton. The album is Bare’s first studio project in five years and is available for pre-sale now at BobbyBare.com.

THINGS CHANGE will feature 10 tracks written by Bare, Mary Gauthier, Guy Clark and the producer of the project, hit singer/songwriter Max T. Barnes. THINGS CHANGE will be released by HYPERMEDIA Nashville and BFD through RED Distribution.

The album features a special collaboration on Bare’s iconic hit, “Detroit City” with Chris Stapleton adding his unique vocals. The song was written by Mel Tillis and Danny Dill and was originally released by Bare in 1963. It would become one of his most highly requested songs to this day and won a GRAMMY® in 1964 for Best Country/Western Recording.

“This is a special collection of songs to me, not just another record. Great songs from Mary Gauthier, a song I co-wrote with Guy Clark that turned out to be his last and a song that my buddy Hoyt Axton inspired me to write called ‘Things Change.’ That’s the title of the album and the first single. Things do change but my love for songwriters and the fans never, ever will!” said Bobby Bare.

“I hit the road as a lead guitar player with Bobby Bare when I was 20 years old. To imagine I would produce my hero all these years later is a dream come true. We had so much fun touring the world in the 1980s. We laughed until we hurt! That’s what it was like in the studio with Bare on this album. He has a wicked smart song sense, and a delivery that will cut you to the bone. Bare is a true giant,” said Max T. Barnes, President of HYPERMEDIA Nashville.

THINGS CHANGE Track Listing:
1. Things Change
2. The End
3. Ain’t No Sure Thing
4. The Trouble With Angels
5. I Drink
6. Mercy Now
7. Trophy Girl
8. Where Did It Go
9. You Got The Light
10. Detroit City feat. Chris Stapleton

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