James Robert Owen "Bob" Atcher (May 11, 1914 –
October 31, 1993) was an American country musician.
Bob Atcher was one of the most popular country music
entertainers of the post-World War II era, enjoying a 21-year career at OKeh
and Columbia Records, as well as major radio stardom on WLS' National Barn
Dance out of Chicago. His range of material ran from traditional country and
comic novelty songs to folk.
James Robert Owen Atcher was born and raised in Hardin
County, KY, on property that was later appropriated for Fort Knox. The family,
led by his father, a champion fiddle player, was musical, and he learned both
the violin and the guitar. By the early '30s, he'd made his debut on radio on
WHAS out of Louisville, and over the next few years appeared on several small
stations across the South and Midwest.
In 1939, Atcher got his first big break when he got a
regular spot on WGBM in Chicago, a daily program that was picked up nationally
by the CBS radio network. He quickly built a major national following with his
mix of country and novelty songs. He joined the American Record Company that
same year, just in time for the label to be purchased by CBS (which
rechristened it Columbia Records), and passed through the label's OKeh imprint
before going on to Columbia.
During the years 1939-1942, many of Atcher's singles were
credited to duets with Bonnie Blue Eyes (aka Loeta Applegate) -- their records
together included the comical "Answer to You Are My Sunshine" and
"Pins and Needles (In My Heart)." Atcher was also joined in the
studio on occasion by his younger brother, Randy Atcher -- their singles
together included "Papa's Going Crazy, Mama's Going Mad." Atcher
served in the army during the later part of World War II and resumed his career
in 1946. He charted around that time with "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love
Me" and "I Must Have Been Wrong."
Atcher made his biggest career move in 1948, when he
joined the National Barn Dance on Chicago's WLS. At that time, the National
Barn Dance was still one of the two biggest showcases for country music, and he
became one of the show's most popular stars over the next ten years. He also
scored big on the charts again with "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue
Eyes," which became a classic piece of country comedy. His recording
career proceeded apace, with some notable achievements.
In 1948, Atcher cut two of the earliest LPs ever released
by Columbia, a pair of 10" discs devoted to cowboy songs and folk music
(Early American Folk Songs, which contained one of the earliest extant
commercial recordings of "Devilish Mary," a 19th century folk song
that would become part of the repertoire of the members of the Grateful Dead).
Atcher left Columbia in 1950 for Capitol Records, and later recorded for Kapp
Records. In 1950 he recorded "Christmas Island" with the Dinning
Sisters.
He remained a star on the National Barn Dance into the
1960s, and later rejoined Columbia Records. In the interim, the label had
reissued the two early LPs of folk music and cowboy songs on its budget-priced
Harmony line, and during his second stint at Columbia, Atcher re-recorded his
classic songs in stereo.
Like Gene Autry before him, Bob Atcher invested his
earnings far outside the recording industry, and by the 1960s he owned various
businesses and had a hand in the banking industry as well, as a board member of
the Schaumburg State Bank in Schaumburg, IL. He also served 20 years as the
mayor of Schaumburg, from 1959 until 1979. Atcher Pool in Schaumburg is named
after him. Shortly before he died, the Municipal Centre in Schaumburg was named
in his honour. The centre was dedicated in March 1995.
(Info mainly edited from All Music & some Wikipedia)
4 comments:
For “BOB ATCHER Hunters Of Kentucky” . (B.A.C.M. 68) go here:
https://www.sendspace.com/file/11zmjn
1. Down With The Feminine Gender
2. Long Gone Baby
3. Never Trust A Woman
4. Chain Around My Heart
5. One Kind Word
6. My Pillow Knows
7. Peek A Boo
8. Don't Give Your Heart To Someone Else
9. Walking The Floor Over You
10. Let's Start Life All Over
11. I'm Reading Your Letter Again Dear
12. On Account Of You
13. Wasted Tears
14. Time Will Tell
15. In My Heart
16. Methodist Pie
17. Smoke Comes Out My Chimney
18. Ain't You Ashamed
19. Christmas Island
20. Hunters Of Kentucky
21. De Ladies Man
22. The Old Chisholm Trail
Early cowboy actor/ singer, here with 22 recordings from 1941-48; a good mix of country and traditional songs from this pleasant voiced singer/guitarist with some tracks from his recording companions, Bonnie Blue Eyes and brother Randy (Atcher).
Love it. Thanks Bob. How timely, I just got back from Schaumburg/
Post a Comment