Bobby Hodge born 16 July 1932

Bobby Hodge (July 16, 1932 - December 3, 2011) was a former Grand Ole Opry and Nashville Recording Artist who recorded several records under various labels mostly in Nashville from around 1958 - 1972 scoring regional hits as well as some reaching national charts. 

The native North Carolinian had come from a poor southern upbringing on the outskirts of Gastonia in that state, but after his grandmother gave him his first guitar, he soon taught himself the basics of picking. Bobby recalls that it was Gene Autry’s Don’t Fence Me In which he first learnt to play and he must have been doing something right – in 1947 he was offered a spot as featured vocalist in a local band fronted by Bill Darnel. Shortly afterwards, 500-watt local station WGNC offered the group a 15-minute segment on Hillbilly Time in Caroline, a show which had featured other stars of the future including Don Gibson and legendary banjo-picker Earl Scruggs. 

Bobby had relocated to the Great Lakes region after finishing up in the army in the early 50s, and he found himself working at a race track in Detroit. After his stint in Michigan, he headed to Stoughton, Wisconsin – a place not usually synonymous with good country music – to visit family.  Whilst in town, he pitched his services to several local radio stations and and in 1951 found work with WKOW presenting a half hour weekly spot. Bobby even hosted a local TV show on an affiliate station in Madison. By now he had adopted the stage name “The Rainbow Ranger” (not to be confused with Hank Snow’s Rainbow Ranch Boys) and persisted at WKOW for several years. His show was definitely a hit with the sponsors, having no less than eight for his show. One of Bobby's influences was the legendary Hank Williams and he often featured Hank's tunes on his show. 

                                   

After having established himself in Wisconsin as a solid honky-tonker through sheer hard work and personal appearances, he was invited to cut his first record in 1958 You’re Another Broken Heart (written by Bobby himself). It was never released, but around the same time he cut his first commercial recording on the Madison-based Rebel label, another self-penned number entitled Gonna Take My Guitar. His recordings feature some of the best studio musicians available at that time including Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys with Shot Jackson on steel guitar, 'Bashful Brother Oswald' on dobro, Howdy Forrester on fiddle and Melba Montgomery on guitar. 

Bobby & Melba Montgomery

By now his reputation had filtered down to the Nashville establishment and his personal success reached its peak later in 1961 when he was asked by Ott Devine, manager of the Grand Ole Opry to guest on WSM at the famous Ryman Auditorium. He played the hallowed Opry stage several times over the next year or two, rubbing shoulders with legendary country acts including Porter Wagoner, Lefty Frizzell, Webb Pierce, Carl Smith & many others. Three children had arrived to Bobby and wife Mary by that time, however, and they made the decision to leave Music City behind for family life back in Wisconsin. 

Over the next few years, Bobby sporadically recorded for various Midwestern labels, including Rebel Records, Stop Records, Nashville (Starday), Cuca Records, Golden Ring, Volunteer, Prize Records, Stature and Wizard Records. Highlights from that time include Taxi Cab Driver (Bobby was backed here by the same musicians responsible for Dave Dudley’s massive hit Six Days On The Road) and Alligator Man. 

Despite a few trips to Nashville in the late 1960s and subsequent recordings on the Stop label, Bobby Hodge decided to record his last record and move to Tampa Florida in 1972. "I Wish I Could Fall In Love Today" & "You Took Her Off My Hands" garnered him "Single of the Year" from the Florida Country Music Association. From here, he and his wife devoted themselves to the horse racing industry – a longtime love of theirs – however, the Hodges also purchased a few clubs over the next few decades, including Bobby Hodge’s Longhorn in Tampa, which he continued to perform at into the new millennium. He even headed up his own radio show on a 50,000 watt station out of Largo Fl (WRFA). 

Bobby & Betty Hodge

Bobby Hodge passed away from congestive heart failure in Tampa, Florida on December 3, 2011. He was 79. He is survived by several sons and one of them, Richie Hodge, is doing a fine job of keeping his father’s music alive – operating a website dedicated to his material. 

(Edited from If That Ain’t Country - Radio Show Blog)