Robert Gene Rice (born in
Boscobel, Wisconsin) is an American
country music singer-songwriter, known professionally as
Bobby G. Rice. Between 1970 and 1988, Rice released nine albums
and charted thirty songs on the
Billboard
Hot Country Singles chart. His biggest hit, "You Lay So Easy On
My Mind," went all the way to number 1 in 1973.
From the
heartland of America, Bobby G. Rice first burst forth onto the music
scene with a 1970 revival of the popular Jimmy Gilmore pop classic
“Sugar Shack” and then Bruce Channel’s “Hey Baby”.
Born into
a musical family with its own radio show, Bobby began performing
publicly at an early age.
Later he decided to test his wings as a solo artist in his
native Wisconsin.
He
succeeded, however, beyond expectations:
scoring nationally.
As a stylist, he proved especially adept in adding
country flavor to spicy standards like “Lover Please”, “Mountain of
Love” and “Suspicion”
Still, it
was in introducing his own song “You
Lay So Easy On My Mind” in late 1972, that he found a lasting
niche in country music.
“You Lay so Easy On My Mind”
went on to be his first number one national chart record and was
later recorded by such artists as Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn,
Roy Orbison, Pat Boone, Andy Williams, David Houston, Jerry Springer
and others. Proving he
was no “one-hit wonder”, he scored the next spring with another Top
10 tune “You Give Me You”.
He is that
rare breed who shows us that,
talent will win, by recording his initial hits on independent
labels. With his career
in high gear, he followed through with more Top 10 singles, among
them, “Write Me A Letter” and “Freda Comes Freda Goes”.
Country classics he has breathed new life into include, “Pick
Me Up On Your Way Down”, “My Special Angel” and “Oh Baby Mine”.
Bobby G.
Rice was the first major artist to record a song written by Teddy
Gentry of “Alabama”.
The song was “I May Never Be
Your Lover (But I‘ll Always Be Your Friend)”.
Despite
such accomplishments, he has always been among the first to
volunteer his talents for a benefit or worthy cause.
He remains the same, Bobby G. Rice, one step beyond ordinary
entertainment.
