Born 82 Years Ago Today in Wisconsin, the Legendary Country Crooner Whose Signature Song Was Covered by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty

Country music fans may know that power duo Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn covered the song “You Lay So Easy On My Mind” for their third collaborative album Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man. What you might not know, however, is that the song was originally a hit for country singer-songwriter Bobby G. Rice, born on this day (July 11) in Boscobel, Wisconsin. Rice penned the song himself with co-writers Charles Fields and Donald Riis before recording it and taking it to number three on the country charts in 1973. It was just one of 30 singles that Rice sent to the country charts between 1970 and 1988. Today, we’re taking a look at the life and career of Bobby G. Rice as he celebrates his 82nd birthday.

The Musical Beginnings of Bobby G. Rice

Growing up on a farm in Wisconsin, music was the preferred pastime for Robert Gene “Bobby” Rice, along with his four sisters and brother.

All six siblings learned to play at least one instrument, often showing off their talents at weddings and local parties.

Soon, the Rice family progressed to running the local Circle D Ballroom, where Bobby Rice made his musical debut on guitar and banjo at age five.

By the mid-1950s, they had landed their own weekly radio show, which ran for seven years. During that time, Bobby was promoted from instrumentalist to featured vocalist.

Rice continued pursuing music even after the family band broke up, forming a rock-and-roll group called the Rock-A-Teens upon his graduation from Madison High School in 1962.

Back to His Roots

With Bobby Rice on electric bass, the group played their own weekly show for nearly two years.

Realizing that his heart truly lay with country music, however, he left the group in 1964 and teamed up with his sister Lorraine. The sibling duo sang backup at local concerts and performed on radio shows until Lorraine decided to leave the music industry behind.

Undaunted, he made his way to Nashville in the late ’60s and formed the Bobby G. Rice Band. Rice dubbed his style “modern country”, incorporating steel guitar and fiddle into the pop songs he had performed with the Rock-a-Teens.

In fact, most of Rice’s earlier hits were twangier versions of pop hits like “Sugar Shack” and “Hey Baby”.

More hits kept coming. Rice hit his peak with the self-penned “You Lay So Easy On My Mind”, reaching number three on the country charts.

Other top 10 hits include “You Give Me You” (number eight); “Write Me a Letter” (number nine); and “Freda Comes, Freda Goes” (number 10).

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While not releasing an album since 1985, Bobby G. Rice continues his work in record production today.

Featured image courtesy of Bobby G. Rice via Facebook

The post Born 82 Years Ago Today in Wisconsin, the Legendary Country Crooner Whose Signature Song Was Covered by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty appeared first on American Songwriter.