Moe Bandy, Musical Legend Brings Christmas Joy

Moe Bandy is a musical legend. With the songs, Bandy The Rodeo Clown, Hank William’s You Wrote My Life, Till I’m Too Old To Die Young and more. His country songs have been lauded with a career that has ten No. 1 hit songs, many Top Ten, and five Gold Records. He has numerous ACM, and CMA Awards. When the opportunity to interview him came to talk about his Christmas traditions, and the original holiday song Cowboy Christmas I was excited. Moe Bandy has a new album, Songs That I Missed filled with an amazing vintage collection of songs. I loved listening to the songs that filled the room with his rich voice.

Background

Marion Franklin “Moe” Bandy was born in 1944 in Meridian, Mississippi, home of the Soule Steam Feed Works museum. When he was six, Moe Bandy’s family moved to San Antonio, Texas. Growing up in the Lone Star State, Moe Bandy was into the rodeo participating in bull riding competitions. Along with Moe, he said that his brother Mike also competed and went on to become a six-time National Finals Rodeo bull rider.

“I’m a farm guy. I was raised in the country and love the farm life. Farm people work hard for a living, then go to church on Sunday. They are my fans, and they are what keep us going.”

Moe Bandy worked in the sheet metal industry and played in local haunts before finding country music fame. It was in the mid 1970s that his traditional brand of country music became popular. On his website they share, “The Texas singer with twin fiddles and steel guitar in the band kept Texas-style Honky-Tonk music alive.”

As for his days off, Moe is a busy guy. “My wife Tami and I have two places on the lake. We go out and enjoy working clearing brush on the place.”

He also enjoys being out on the water

New Album and songs

“The new album Songs That I Missed came out six months ago,” Moe shared. The album has the songs, Heartaches By The Number, The Key’s in The Mailbox, You Don’t Have Very Far To Go, Six Days on The Road, All My Ex’s Live in Texas, He Stopped Loving Her Today, I Can’t Help it (If I’m Still In Love With You), Amarillo By Morning, Pure Love, Truck Drivin’ Man, Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind and Heart Over Mind.

One of his most popular songs was Bandy the Rodeo Clown. “It was written by Whitey Shafer and Lefty Frizzell. They wrote it for me.”

Several songs on his new album were Whitey Shafer songs. “He wrote them, but I turned down Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind and Amarillo By Morning (which he added was the original artist George Strait’s favorite song).”

His new album was a chance to try those songs, the ones he wished he could have recorded, or wished he had not passed on. The result is wonderful offering soulful renditions of country classics. “The Nashville Players got a kick out of it,” Moe shared.

Over his careers some of his favorite songs include Bandy The Rodeo Clown, Till I’m Too Old To Die Young and Good Old Boys. “They were very special.”

Cowboy Christmas song and holiday traditions

While Moe said that Christmas is about family, he emphasized “The number one thing it is about is the birth of Christ.”

Moe Bandy is blessed with family with three children, six grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. “Christmas is wonderful, I love to be around family. It is a great time to get together and be happy,” Moe said. “In Texas, I go to one of their houses.”

Living today outside of Branson with his wife Tami, he said, “I am back and forth to Texas all the time. I play there a lot.”

About the song Cowboy Christmas, he said, “Cowboy Christmas is a song I wrote myself and I used to sing it a lot during my time in Branson. I was always raised cowboy with the family together at Christmas. I have a rodeo background and have several rodeo songs.”

Still on the road

“I am still touring. I am in good health and have a band and bus. I don’t do a lot of shows, but some,” Moe said. “Music has got to be fun. I do it because the good Lord gave it to me, he let me have this career, and that is a gift. Ever since I got my first recording song, I felt like I won the lottery.”

Moe wrote a book about his life titled Lucky Me if you want to learn more about his life. The foreword is by former First Lady, Barbara Bush.

He even has his very own Moe Bandy App that he said is free. Moe Bandy is the real thing, a country legend still offering up hit after hit.