Bob Bailey Music
A Little About Bob Bailey
Since his emergence onto the national stage almost fifty years ago, Bob Bailey has traversed the worlds of contemporary Christian, gospel, country, R&B/soul, blues and pop music as a solo artist and first-call session singer, working under the direction of producers like Tony Brown, Garth Fundis, Dann Huff, Mervyn Warren and Patrick Leonard, among others, contributing to dozens of chart-topping, platinum selling albums.
Bob’s talent was first discovered by his family in Portland, Oregon, where, as a youth, he honed his skills as a vocalist and musician playing for his family’s group, The Bailey Gospel Singers. His natural talent was augmented by training from voice and piano teachers, which took him to the University of Oregon. He left college and went on the road with orchestrator/arranger Thurlow Spurr’s New Hope ensemble, where he began fine tuning his songwriting.
In 1977, Bailey broke Christian television’s color line when he was offered a position as a PTL Singer on televangelist Jim Bakker’s daily telecast, The PTL Club, becoming the group’s first Black vocalist. His visibility on Christian television led to his first recording contract. His resultant debut album, 1980’s Looking Forward, was critically acclaimed, while challenged by Christian radio’s still-segregated airwaves and retail stores.
A move to Nashville in 1981 proved fruitful. He signed with Elwyn Raymer’s Nineteenth Street Productions as an artist and writer. His 1983 release, I’m Walkin’, distributed by Light Records, earned him Dove and Grammy Award nominations, placing him alongside Contemporary Christian Music’s leading male vocalists like Michael W. Smith, Steve Taylor and Leon Patillo. When Light divested from the project citing their inability to find a market for his work, he dove deeper into songwriting. “Bring It to Jesus,” recorded by Cynthia Clawson and Paul Smith, written by Bailey, Raymond Brown and Derrick Lee, topped the CCM Radio Hits chart in 1987. His songs have been recorded by The Staple Singers, Philip Bailey, Vernessa Mitchell, and others.
After the release of his self-titled R&B album in 1988, his work as a background vocalist became his primary focus. He can be heard on dozens of gold and platinum selling releases including Reba McEntire’s Rumor Has It, Dolly Parton’s Home for Christmas, Garth Brooks’ Beyond the Season, Vince Gill’s I Still Believe in You, Wynonna’s Tell Me Why, Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits Volume III, and Faith Hill’s Faith. He maintained his ties in the world of Contemporary Christian Music, providing background vocals on best-selling projects such as Margaret Becker’s Soul, Michael W. Smith’s I’ll Lead You Home and Sandi Patty’s Find It on the Wings.
He became a part of Wynonna Judd’s touring unit in 1992 as she assembled her first band as a solo artist, a post he held for more than a decade, balancing life on the road with his schedule as a session singer. He joined Garth Brooks’ band in 2014 and continues to tour internationally with him. In 2023, he accompanied Brooks and Trisha Yearwood at the funeral of First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
He is currently the Vice President (Singers and Recording Artists) of Nashville’s SAG-AFTRA chapter, working behind the scenes on behalf of his peers in the music industry. Bob continues to work as a solo artist with extensive engagement in the international sector, introducing his distinct brand of inspirational music to new audiences in countries like Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.
In 2025, he will re-release his long out-of-print solo work in both physical and digital formats for the first time. A documentary about Bob’s genre-defying, ground-breaking work is also in development with filmmaker Odu Adamu. His mission and vision remain what they were at the beginning of his career. He says, “I believe in music with a message. I believe in the power of music. It reaches lives that cannot be reached otherwise. I want to be positive and sing songs that inspire people and change their lives.”
Bob’s talent was first discovered by his family in Portland, Oregon, where, as a youth, he honed his skills as a vocalist and musician playing for his family’s group, The Bailey Gospel Singers. His natural talent was augmented by training from voice and piano teachers, which took him to the University of Oregon. He left college and went on the road with orchestrator/arranger Thurlow Spurr’s New Hope ensemble, where he began fine tuning his songwriting.
In 1977, Bailey broke Christian television’s color line when he was offered a position as a PTL Singer on televangelist Jim Bakker’s daily telecast, The PTL Club, becoming the group’s first Black vocalist. His visibility on Christian television led to his first recording contract. His resultant debut album, 1980’s Looking Forward, was critically acclaimed, while challenged by Christian radio’s still-segregated airwaves and retail stores.
A move to Nashville in 1981 proved fruitful. He signed with Elwyn Raymer’s Nineteenth Street Productions as an artist and writer. His 1983 release, I’m Walkin’, distributed by Light Records, earned him Dove and Grammy Award nominations, placing him alongside Contemporary Christian Music’s leading male vocalists like Michael W. Smith, Steve Taylor and Leon Patillo. When Light divested from the project citing their inability to find a market for his work, he dove deeper into songwriting. “Bring It to Jesus,” recorded by Cynthia Clawson and Paul Smith, written by Bailey, Raymond Brown and Derrick Lee, topped the CCM Radio Hits chart in 1987. His songs have been recorded by The Staple Singers, Philip Bailey, Vernessa Mitchell, and others.
After the release of his self-titled R&B album in 1988, his work as a background vocalist became his primary focus. He can be heard on dozens of gold and platinum selling releases including Reba McEntire’s Rumor Has It, Dolly Parton’s Home for Christmas, Garth Brooks’ Beyond the Season, Vince Gill’s I Still Believe in You, Wynonna’s Tell Me Why, Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits Volume III, and Faith Hill’s Faith. He maintained his ties in the world of Contemporary Christian Music, providing background vocals on best-selling projects such as Margaret Becker’s Soul, Michael W. Smith’s I’ll Lead You Home and Sandi Patty’s Find It on the Wings.
He became a part of Wynonna Judd’s touring unit in 1992 as she assembled her first band as a solo artist, a post he held for more than a decade, balancing life on the road with his schedule as a session singer. He joined Garth Brooks’ band in 2014 and continues to tour internationally with him. In 2023, he accompanied Brooks and Trisha Yearwood at the funeral of First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
He is currently the Vice President (Singers and Recording Artists) of Nashville’s SAG-AFTRA chapter, working behind the scenes on behalf of his peers in the music industry. Bob continues to work as a solo artist with extensive engagement in the international sector, introducing his distinct brand of inspirational music to new audiences in countries like Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.
In 2025, he will re-release his long out-of-print solo work in both physical and digital formats for the first time. A documentary about Bob’s genre-defying, ground-breaking work is also in development with filmmaker Odu Adamu. His mission and vision remain what they were at the beginning of his career. He says, “I believe in music with a message. I believe in the power of music. It reaches lives that cannot be reached otherwise. I want to be positive and sing songs that inspire people and change their lives.”
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