Notes for: Robert Wayne "Bob" Childers

"Red dirt" music legend and Doddridge County native Bob Childers was born in West Union on November 20, 1946, a son of Howard and Rhea (Gaskins) Childers, and a nephew of beloved teacher and local historian Alton Childers. Bob resided in Doddridge County until age seven, when he moved with his family to Oklahoma. After studying music at UC Berkeley, he eventually returned to Oklahoma, where he built a loyal following that eventually spread nationwide. He is often called the godfather of red dirt music, or "Dylan in the dust," for his primary role in establishing the red dirt genre of Oklahoma music, a combination of folk, blues, rock, and country that has a unique Oklahoma lyrical sensibility. As Allmusic.com's reviewer Erik Hague put it: "With his weathered, rootsy songcraft, Bob Childers is considered the godfather of Red Dirt Music, as a hard to define, ‘I-know-it-when-I-hear-it’ blend of country, rock and folk that Oklahoma claims as its own." Before his passing in April 2008, Bob Childers was inducted into both the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and the Woodie Guthrie Festival Hall of Fame. His music is available at Amazon.com and at his label's website: http://www.binkyrecords.com/index.php/bob-childers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Childers
http://omhof.com/Inductees/BYYEAR/tabid/86/ItemID/7/Default.aspx