Arkansans may know that Mountain Pine native Bobby Bones is a famous radio personality with the No. 1 country radio show in the nation and millions of adoring fans. He’s also a mentor on TV’s American Idol, an author, speaker and philanthropist, as well as a songwriter, singer and musician. And today, he’s a 40-year-old birthday boy who has a gift for his fans.
The musical and comedy side of Bones is on full display today as Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots release their new album, Live In Little Rock. The band is made up of Bones and Eddie Garcia (Producer Eddie on The Bobby Bones Show) and the album was recorded last year at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall, at the end of a tour that drew packed houses.
The band was formed while Bones was in high school in Mountain Pine and still known as Bobby Estell. It was reinvented in 2014 for a charity event, and again in Wichita, Kansas. The Raging Idiots has shared the stage with Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn and Luke Bryan.
The album features eight new songs that showcase the band’s “comedic deliveries that blend, but don’t overshadow their actual, legitimate musical talent,” according to American Songwriter. Songs include “The Target Song,” in which Bones warns against shopping at the department store with a red polo shirt and khaki pants on, “Can’t Say That (In A Country Song),” and “Dinner With Orlando Bloom.”
The album’s first video, “It’s Not You, It’s Me,” featuring Emma Klein, is available to watch on YouTube or by clicking the link below.
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“When we started The Raging Idiots years ago, our main goal was to make people laugh and spread positivity however we could. Everyday life has drastically changed the last few weeks and people are unable to get together and celebrate the way they planned, so I wanted to try to share some laughs on my birthday and hopefully it brings smiles when people need it most,” Bones said in a news release.
Bones, who Billboard magazine has called a “media multitasker,” also has a podcast, BobbyCast, featuring long-form interviews with artists and music industry bigwigs, with nearly 13 million downloads to date. He won Season 27 of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, and hosts and produces Opry, a weekly TV show with highlights from the Grand Ole Opry stage on Circle TV.
Bones will also drop by ACM Presents: Our Country, airing Sunday at 7 p.m. on CBS and CBS All Access.
Late this month, Bones will be featured as this newspaper’s High Profile, a feature reserved for the most accomplished Arkansans.
Live In Little Rock is available wherever you buy music.