Award-winning country music legend Moe Bandy has been inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth. Bandy was inducted into the Class of 2023 along with The Texas Ranger Division of the Department of Public Safety, San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, Cleo Hearn, and Boots O’Neal. Bandy, was a proud competitor in bull riding prior to pursuing country music full-time. He now joins the ranks of Willie Nelson, George Strait, Red Steagall, Lyle Lovett, Clay Walker, Robert Earl Keen, Aaron Watson, and Bob Wills who have all received this prestigious honor

Marion Franklin Bandy, Jr., known professionally as Moe Bandy (born February 12, 1944), is a country music singer. He was most popular during the 1970s, when he had several hit songs, both alone and with his singing partner, Joe Stampley.

Marion Bandy was born and grew up in Meridian, Mississippi, the home-town of the country singer Jimmie Rodgers. He later stated: "My grandfather worked on the railroads with Jimmie Rodgers. He was the boss of the railway yard in Meridian and Jimmie Rodgers worked for him. He said that he played his guitar all the time between work."
He was nicknamed Moe by his father when he was a child. The Bandy family moved to San Antonio, Texas when Moe was six. His mother played piano and sang. Bandy was taught to play the guitar by his father who had a country band called the Mission City Playboys, but made little use of the ability until he was in his teens. His father's wish that Moe also play the fiddle never materialized.
He made some appearances with the Mission City Playboys, but generally during his high school years, he showed little interest in music and a great deal of interest in rodeos. He tried bronco-busting and bull riding and by the time he was 16, both he and his brother Mike were competing in rodeos all over Texas.

Moe Bandy’s autobiography, Lucky Me, chronicles the story of how a young man with genuine talent and ambition pursued his dream to write, record and play country music that people would connect to, and in turn became a country music legend.

Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Bandy moved to Texas with his dad when he was six years old. After his sister was born she and his mother joined them.  Growing up in a low-income family, Bandy’s parents showed their love differently but nevertheless he knew he was loved, and he wasn’t alone.  According to Bandy, it was his parents that had the greatest impact on his musical career: “My dad was a guitar player and he inspired me a lot. My mother played the piano at church and at home. She loved to sing gospel songs and hymns.” 

 

After graduating from high school, Bandy went to work with his dad in a sheet metal factory in Temple, Texas. He married his high school sweetheart, Margaret, when they were both just nineteen years old. A little over a year later they welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Laura and two years later they welcomed their son, Ronnie. Ten years after that they were blessed with a third child, a daughter, Lisa.

Working in the sheet metal factory, getting married and starting a family were all a big part of who Moe Bandy was during those years. He had a short stint as a bull rider but his heart was still in music. Then, at just twenty years old, he saw Hank Thompson perform at a local club. He was in awe and that’s when he knew music would be his career.

Texas bars and clubs welcomed him, but trying to get a career started while working to feed his family was more than he could take. He struggled with demons in a bottle and almost gave up on his dream.

Country fans around the world are so glad that he chose to continue as Bandy’s career has blessed him to perform for many great events and people. Bandy’s list of friends includes former Presidents, other artists, and foreign dignitaries. In fact, the forward to his book was actually written by the late Former First Lady Barbara Bush.

Bandy hopes that when people read his book they see the healing power of music that speaks to their soul, but mostly he hopes they see his hard work making sure his family knew he loved them and that they came first no matter where he was at in the world. “It’s the memories. Memories of a time when country music was real. Today’s country music has too much of a rock n roll influence. And it’s about family. I traveled a great deal of the time but my family, my kids we stayed close. My son Ronnie is my best friend. I love my daughters too. Ronnie knows all my songs, when they were released, everything.”

With his current wife Tami, Bandy now resides just outside  Branson, Missouri where he had his own show for several years. He still plays there once or twice a year but he loves to travel around the country to perform, especially in Texas where it all started.

Lucky Me, which was was written with Scot England, is a fascinating read about a life that started quite ordinary and became extraordinary. You truly get an inside look at the business of music and how it shaped one man’s life. 

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Moe Bandy was one of the most popular country singers of the 1970s, turning out a series of hits in the latter half of the decade that made many fans and critics believe he was one of the great honky tonk singers. Bandy's songs never strayed far from the traditional barroom fare -- delivered with a knowing sense of humor, loving, cheating, drinking, and patriotic songs form the core of his repertoire. Throughout the late '70s and early '80s, the singer racked up hits. His audience declined somewhat a decade after his career took off, yet he has remained a popular favorite through his theater in Branson, MO. Bandy was born in Meridian, MS, the birthplace of Jimmie Rodgers. In fact, Bandy's grandfather worked with Rodgers on the railroad, so it's no surprise that the singer first fell in love with country music through the Jimmie Rodgers records that were around his house, as well as the Hank Williams albums. Bandy's family moved to San Antonio, TX, when he was six. During high school, he was a rodeo rider, but his career came to a halt once he suffered too many injuries. Once he left school, Bandy was a sheet metal worker, singing in country nightclubs at night. He landed a one-record deal with Satin Records in 1964. The label released Bandy's original song "Lonely Lady," but the record made no impact. Nevertheless, he continued to perform at night in various Texas honky tonks. In 1972, Bandy met record producer Ray Baker on a hunting trip and convinced him to listen to some demo tapes he had made. Provided that Moe could pay for the recording sessions, Baker agreed to produce the singer. Excited by his new prospect, Bandy pawned his furniture and financed a session. Once they were released, the records went nowhere. The following year, the singer took out a loan to pay for another recording date. "I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today" was the result of this session, and Baker released the single on Footprint Records, manufacturing only 500 copies. Unlike Bandy's previous records, the single began to sell. GRC acquired the rights to the record and released it nationally; it eventually became a Top 20 hit. Nevertheless, Bandy kept his job as a sheet metal worker, uncertain of the end result of his taste of success. Bandy followed "I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today" with several singles on GRC, including the Top Ten hits "It Was So Easy to Find an Unhappy Woman" (1974) and "Bandy the Rodeo Clown" (1975), which was written by Lefty Frizzell and Whitey Shafer. Bandy signed with Columbia Records in 1975, keeping Baker as a producer. "Hank Williams You Changed My Life," his first single for the label, was an instant number three hit, leading to his Most Promising Male Vocalist award from the Academy of Country Music. Bandy's string of hit singles in 1976 -- including "Here I Am Drunk Again" and "She Took More Than Her Share" -- confirmed that he was one of the most popular singers of the latter half of the decade. The following two years were equally successful for the singer, as he had hits with "I'm Sorry for You My Friend," "Cowboys Aren't Supposed to Cry," "She Just Loved the Cheatin' Out of Me," "That's What Makes the Jukebox Play," and "Two Lonely People." Bandy's career reached a peak in 1979. During that year, he teamed up with Janie Fricke in 1979 for "It's a Cheatin' Situation." The song became a number three hit and won the Song of the Year award from the ACM. Bandy had another successful duet that year with Joe Stampley. The pair released Just Good Ol' Boys, which became one of the most popular albums of the year, spawning the number one title track and the Top Ten "Holding the Bag." Like his pairing with Fricke, the duet with Stampley was an award-winning combination, as the duo won the Country Music Association's Duet of the Year and the ACM's Duo of the Year awards in 1980. Bandy also had a pair of major solo hits with the number one "I Cheated Me Right Out of Her" and the Top Ten "Barstool Mountain." During 1980, Moe Bandy's winning streak continued with the Top Ten hits "Yesterday Once More" and "Following the Feeling," a duet with Judy Bailey. Bandy teamed up Stampley again in 1981, which proved as successful as the duo's first outing. The pair again reached the Top Ten with "Hey Moe Hey Joe" and charted with "Honky Tonk Queen." With "My Woman Loves the Devil Out of Me" and "Rodeo Romeo," Bandy had a pair of solo hits the same year. For the next two years, he regularly charted in the Top 20, both as a solo act and with various duet partners, including Becky Hobbs on the Top Ten 1983 hit "Let's Get Over Them Together." However, none of his songs caused the sensation of "Where's the Dress," a parody of Culture Club's Boy George recorded with Stampley. Although Boy George sued the duo, the song was a major hit, winning an award for Best Country Video from the America Video Awards and the New York Film Festival. Moe Bandy switched record labels in 1986, signing with MCA/Curb. Not only did he change labels, he changed producers, abandoning his old collaborator, Ray Baker, for Jerry Kennedy. Appropriately, the sound of the singer's records changed as well. No longer were they modern-day honky tonk; they were slicker and more pop-oriented. Ironically, the change in sound didn't bring about more commercial success. For a brief time, Bandy continued to have Top Ten hits, including "Till I'm Too Old to Die Young" (1987) and "Americana" (1988), which became presidential candidate George Bush's campaign theme song; Bandy played Bush's Presidential Inauguration, as well as playing the White House twice in 1989.

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Dream when he was approximately 11 years of age about appearin asnd performing Country music on the big stage. 

Campaigned with Bush, introduced him , got to stay at the White House overnight and perform for the presient.   Greatest thrill. 

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Moe Bandy is one of America’s all-time leading classic country music Artist/Performer. Moe’s long string of hits include “Bandy The Rodeo Clown,” “Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life”, “Till I’m Too Old To Die young,” “Americana”, “It’s A Cheatin’ Situation,” “Just Good Ol’ Boys,” “Barstool Mountain,” “I Cheated Me Right Out of You,” “I Just Started Hatin’ Cheatin’ Songs Today,” “Rodeo Romeo,” “You Haven’t Heard the Last of Me,” “Holding The Bag,” And dozens of other chart-toppers.

 

Whether writing, recording new songs or travelling the world performing. Moe keeps one of the busiest schedules in show business. Some of his noteworthy accomplishments are: 10 # 1 Hits, 40 Top Ten Hits, 66 Chart Hits, 5 Gold Albums, ACM Song of The Year, ACM most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year, American Video of the year, ACM and CMA Duet of the Year. Country music legend Moe Bandy has come a long way from his bull riding days in Texas. Not to mention his years as a sheet metal worker by day and playing Honkey Tonks at night in and around his hometown of San Antonio, Texas.

 

In the mid-seventies when the country pop Kenny Rogers, John Denver and the outlaw sound of Waylon and Willie was at the rage, along came the traditionalist Moe Bandy. The Texas singer with twin fiddles and steel guitar in the band kept Texas-style Honkey Tonk music alive, but it wasn’t easy.

 

In 1972 Moe met record producer Ray Baker on a hunting trip and convinced him to listen to some demo tapes he had made. Baker agreed to produce Moe if he was willing to pay for recording session. Moe agreed and out of that session came Moe’s first hit song “I just Started Hatin Cheatin’ Songs Today”. GRC records GRC records picked up the song and released it nationally where it became a top 20 hit and that was just the beginning.

 

Moe followed up with “It Was Always So Easy (To Find An Unhappy Woman)” and his first #1 hit “Bandy The Rodeo Clown”. His songs never strayed far from the traditionally Honky Tonk fare. Loving, cheating, drinking and patriotic songs formed the core of his music. Moe continues to perform to packed houses all over the world. More than anything else Moe loves to perform for his countless fans. Be sure to check out Moe’s website MoeBandy.com because he just might be coming to a town near you!

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The 9th Annual Country Music Cruise is set to sail January 22-29, 2023, and is already 90% sold out. Organizers today announced the addition of Janie Fricke, Moe Bandy, and Sarah Gayle Meech to an already exciting lineup. The seven-day Country Music Party At Sea aboard Holland America’s stunning Nieuw Amsterdam ship will feature more than 100 live performances and make stops in scenic St. Maarten and San Juan.

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Bandy’s New Album ‘Thank You Lord’ Is Available Now FORT WORTH, Texas. 

Country music legend Moe Bandy is happy to announce his new album, Thank You Lord, is available now! Delivering a heartfelt project, Bandy has recorded twelve tracks and features special guests, The Isaacs on "Family Bible" and The Oak Ridge Boys with Nora Lee Allen on "The Lord Is My Shepherd." The title track, written by Mo Pitney, Bobby Tomberlin, and Cheryl Riddle offers a true reflection of where Bandy is in his life today, of which he is thankful for another mile, another day, and a life many could have only dreamed of. 

Thank You Lord features tunes from prominent Nashville songwriters including Willie Nelson, Bill Anderson, Hank Williams, and more! The twelve-track project was produced by Michelle Voan Capps and sponsored by Gus Arrendale and Springer Mountain Farms and is available on all streaming platforms now!

To stream or purchase, visit ffm.to/mb_tyl.

"We all try to live life to the fullest and with purpose," shares Bandy. "When you get to a certain place in your life, you reflect on your past. We have all made mistakes and decisions that we may regret, but you have to look at the positives. God has been so good to me. He has given my family blessings that I never dreamed were even possible. I am so thankful to Him and wanted this album to fully reflect my faith in God. A special thanks to Gus Arrendale and Springer Mountain Farms for their continued support and for making this album a reality."

"I was so honored when Moe asked me to help him do a gospel album," shares Capps. "My sweet husband, Jimmy Capps, had produced Moe's albums for the last several years. He loved Moe so much, and it was so special to me that Moe trusted me with this project. We had a big picture of Jimmy in the studio, and he was there in spirit and in our hearts. Moe's goal in doing this album was to touch the hearts of people, and I believe everyone who hears it will be Blessed! I know I was Blessed to produce it and be a part of this special album. "Thank You Lord", and thank you, Moe!"  -Moe stated album was in sa way a tribute to his late great friend Jimmy Capps and he wanted to honor him.  

 

Advice for performers starting out "You have to have that fire in your belly to want it bad enough that you will go anywhere to perform for anyone that will listen to build your career.   

Moe Bandy will reach another career milestone on March 2nd when he will be inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth. Bandy will be inducted into the Class of 2023 along with The Texas Ranger Division of the Department of Public Safety, San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, Cleo Hearn, and Boots O'Neal.

"This is a huge honor and one I am very thankful for," smiles Bandy. "Many know me as a country singer, but I was a proud competitor in bull riding. Those were some wild times and memories I will cherish forever! It's exciting to know I will also be included with the likes of Willie Nelson, George Strait, Red Steagall, Lyle Lovett, Clay Walker, Robert Earl Keen, Aaron Watson, and Bob Wills, just to name a few."