Becky Hobbs
Becky Hobbs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | January 24, 1950 |
| Origin | Bartlesville, Oklahoma, United States |
| Genres | Country, Honky Tonk |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Labels | MCA, Tattoo, Liberty, MTM, RCA Nashville, Curb, Intersound, Beckaroo |
| Website | http://www.beckyhobbs.com |
Becky Hobbs (born Rebecca A. Hobbs, January 24, 1950)[1][2] is an American country singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has recorded several studio albums and has charted multiple singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the 1983 Top Ten hit "Let's Get Over Them Together," a duet with Moe Bandy.[3]
Hobbs has written over 2000 songs.[4] Besides her work as a solo artist, Hobbs has written for several country and pop acts, such as Helen Reddy, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Shelly West, Glen Campbell, Emmylou Harris,[4] Wanda Jackson, John Anderson, and Shirley Bassey.[5] She co-wrote two well-known songs for Alabama: "I Want to Know You Before We Make Love" (later covered by Conway Twitty in 1987)[3] and "Angels Among Us."[6]
Hobbs wrote the music and lyrics for the 2011 musical Nanyehi: The Story of Nancy Ward, which is based upon the life of her 5th-great grandmother Nancy Ward.[7]
Life & career
[edit]Hobbs is a native of Bartlesville, Oklahoma and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.[5] She began playing the piano and writing her own songs when she was nine years old.[4][8] Her early musical influences included Jerry Lee Lewis and big band and country music.[2] As an adolescent, Hobbs played with two Bartlesville-based boy bands, Epicurean Time Machine and Undetermined Mud.[9] When she was fifteen years old, she started her own all-female rock band.[4] The band, called The Four Faces of Eve, was the first all-female rock band in Oklahoma[8][9] and played on the KOTV show Dance Party.[9] Hobbs later participated in an all-girl band contest, sponsored by Tulsa, Oklahoma radio station KAKC, that resulted in her joining a band called Sir Prize Package and playing in the Tulsa area for a couple of years. Later on, Hobbs was invited to join the band Swampfox in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; she was the group's sole female member. She decided to drive to Los Angeles, accompanied by bandmate Lewis Anderson, to pursue a career as a solo artist.[4][9]
In California, Hobbs became acquainted with Kim Fowley, who gave her a $250 advance for her song "Paradise Is in Your Mind." Fowley also invited Hobbs to join an all-female band that became known as The Runaways, but she declined.[9] Helen Reddy began recording Hobbs' songs in 1974, which marked Hobbs' first major recordings.[4] "Ain't None of Your Business," a song Hobbs cowrote with Anderson, was covered by Detective on their debut album in 1977.[10] Kiss had also recorded the song around this time, but it was not available commercially until the 45th-anniversary edition of Destroyer was released in 2021.[11][12]
As a recording artist, Hobbs has had over 20 chart records. She has given concerts in over 40 countries.[5]
Cashbox declared Hobbs as its Independent Country Music Female Artist of the Year in 1994.[13] In 2015, Hobbs was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.[5]
Hobbs' husband, Duane Sciacqua, is also a musician who has performed with her live.[9]
Hobbs is a member of the Indian Women's Pocahontas Club.[14]
Nanyehi
[edit]Hobbs grew up listening to stories about Nancy Ward, her fifth great-grandmother who was also known as Nanyehi, a Beloved Woman and political leader of the Cherokee. In 1993, She began writing songs (including "Let There Be Peace" and "Pale Moon") to honor her ancestor, intending to record them on one of her albums.[8]
In 2007, Hobbs performed at the Bartlesville Centennial Celebration, where she met playwright Nick Sweet. The two began discussing writing a musical based on the life of Nancy Ward.[4] Hobbs ended up writing or co-writing each of the 18 songs in the resulting musical, Nanyehi: The Story of Nancy Ward.[8] She later recorded these songs on her 2011 solo album Nanyehi: Beloved Woman of the Cherokee.
The musical Nanyehi: The Story of Nancy Ward premiered in Hartwell, Georgia in 2013. The musical was produced by David Webb.[15] As of 2024, the musical has been produced and performed live in thirteen separate productions in Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.[7] Wes Studi joined the cast of the 2024 production at Hard Rock Live Tulsa, playing the role of Attakullakulla.[5]
Hobbs also directed and co-wrote the 2016 short film Nanyehi. The film was shot entirely within the Cherokee Nation and featured a cast of 44 actors, the majority of whom are Cherokee Nation citizens.[16][17] Additional co-writers included Holly Rice (who had previously shot footage of the April 2015 production of the musical in Greenville, Texas)[15] and Nick Sweet, while Duane Sciacqua scored the film.[14] David Webb returned to produce the film.[15] Nanyehi was showcased at the 2018 Circle Cinema Film Festival in Tulsa,[18] the 2019 Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival,[19] and the 2019 Will Rogers Tribute at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum.[14] The film was the recipient of several industry awards (including the Native American Vision Award) and was inducted into the Oklahoma Movie Hall of Fame in 2019.[16][17]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Year | Title | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Becky Hobbs | — | MCA |
| 1975 | From the Heartland | — | Tattoo |
| 1977 | Everyday | — | |
| 1979 | Becky Hobbs | — | RCA |
| 1988 | All Keyed UpA | 25[20] | MTM |
| 1994 | The Boots I Came to Town In | — | Intersound |
| 1998 | From Oklahoma with Love | — | |
| 2004 | Songs from the Road of Life | — | Beckaroo |
| 2006 | Best of the Beckaroo, Vol. 1 | — | |
| 2011 | Nanyehi: Beloved Woman of the Cherokee | — |
- AAll Keyed Up was re-released on RCA Records in 1989 with two songs added.
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1976 | "I'm in Love Again"[21] | — | — | — |
| 1978 | "The More I Get, the More I Want" | 95[20] | — | Becky Hobbs |
| 1979 | "I Can't Say Goodbye to You" | 44[20] | — | |
| "Just What the Doctor Ordered" | 52[20] | — | — | |
| 1980 | "I'm Gonna Love You Tonight (Like There's No Tomorrow)" | 79[20] | — | |
| "I Learned All About Cheatin' from You" | 87[20] | — | ||
| 1981 | "Honky Tonk Saturday Night" | 84[20] | — | |
| 1984 | "Oklahoma Heart" | 46[20] | — | |
| "Pardon Me (Haven't We Loved Somewhere Before)" | 64[20] | — | ||
| "Wheels in Emotion" | 77[20] | — | ||
| 1985 | "Hottest 'Ex' in Texas" | 37[20] | — | |
| "You Made Me This Way" | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "Jones on the Jukebox" | 31[20] | 35 | All Keyed Up |
| "They Always Look Better When They're Leavin'" | 43[20] | — | ||
| "Are There Any More Like You" | 53[20] | — | ||
| 1989 | "Do You Feel the Same Way Too?" | 39[20] | 53 | All Keyed Up (re-issue) |
| 1990 | "A Little Hunk of Heaven"[22] | — | — | — |
| 1991 | "Talk Back Trembling Lips"[23] | — | ||
| 1994 | "Mama's Green Eyes (And Daddy's Wild Hair)" | — | — | The Boots I Came to Town In |
| "Pale Moon" | — | — | ||
| 1998 | "Country Girls" | — | — | From Oklahoma with Love |
| "Honky Tonk Saturday Night" (re-recording) | — | — | ||
| 2005 | "Another Man in Black" | — | — | Songs from the Road of Life |
| 2011 | "Nanyehi" | — | — | Nanyehi: Beloved Woman of the Cherokee |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Singles with Moe Bandy
[edit]| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1983 | "Let's Get Over Them Together" | 10[20] | 27 | Devoted to Your Memory |
| 1990 | "Pardon Me" | —A | — | Greatest Hits |
Notes:
- A "Pardon Me" did not chart on Hot Country Songs, but peaked at No. 3 on Hot Country Radio Breakouts.[24]
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Jones on the Jukebox" | |
| "Are There Any More Like You" | ||
| 1989 | "Do You Feel the Same Way Too?" | |
| 1990 | "Talk Back Trembling Lips" | Greg Crutcher |
| 1994 | "Mama's Green Eyes (And Daddy's Wild Hair)" | |
| "Pale Moon" | Peter Lippman | |
| 1998 | "Country Girls" | Chuck Shanlever |
References
[edit]- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Enfield: Guinness Publishing. p. 191. ISBN 0-85112-726-6. OCLC 60025738.
- ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (2016). "Hobbs, Becky". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199726363.
- ^ a b Brennan, Sandra. "Becky Hobbs". AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g Becky Hobbs, A Cherokee Crescendo. Osiyo: Voices of the Cherokee People. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Cherokee Nation signs Academy Award recipient Wes Studi to 'Nanyehi' musical". Cherokee Phoenix. July 8, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
- ^ Bryant, Manly (October 12, 2016). "Writer Of Alabama's 'Angels Among Us' Reveals The Terrifying Story Behind The Iconic Song". Country Rebel. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ a b "About the Musical". Nanyehi. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Sikes, Jan (March 2, 2018). "Becky Hobbs puts the story of Nanyehi to music". Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.
- ^ a b c d e f Wooley, John (August 29, 2017). "Life After Girl Bands". Oklahoma Magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ "Detective — Detective". Discogs. 1977. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ "KISS — Destroyer". Discogs. November 19, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ "Review: Destroyer 45th Anniversary Edition, The Vaults Are Opened (Finally)!". KissFAQ.com. November 14, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ "Honkytonk Angels". Rock & Rap Confidential. Los Angeles. March 2005. p. 6.
- ^ a b c "'Nanyehi' short film to be featured at Will Rogers tribute on Nov. 2". Anadisgoi. October 15, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c Boston, Stacie (October 31, 2016). ""Nanyehi-The Story of Nancy Ward" turns into short film". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
- ^ a b "'Nanyehi' short film to be inducted into Oklahoma Movie Hall of Fame". Cherokee Phoenix. April 9, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
- ^ a b McDonnell, Brandy (March 29, 2019). "Cherokee biopic short film 'Nanyehi' to be inducted into Oklahoma Movie Hall of Fame". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ "'Nanyehi' takes stage, screen at Circle Cinema Film Festival". Cherokee Phoenix. July 5, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ Farris, Phoebe (March 2020). "Pocahontas Reframed "Storytellers" Film Festival". Cultural Survival Quarterly. Vol. 44, no. 1. Cultural Survival. pp. 4–5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Chart History: Becky Hobbs". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
- ^ "Singles Reviews: Picks of the Week" (PDF). Cash Box. July 10, 1976. p. 16. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. April 28, 1990. p. 73. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
- ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. February 2, 1991. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ "Hot Country Radio Breakouts" (PDF). Billboard. March 3, 1990. p. 52. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Becky Hobbs official website
- Becky Hobbs Chart History at Billboard
- Becky Hobbs discography at Discogs
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1950 births
- Living people
- People from Bartlesville, Oklahoma
- American country pianists
- American country singer-songwriters
- American women country singers
- Country musicians from Oklahoma
- Curb Records artists
- MTM Records artists
- RCA Records Nashville artists
- Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma
- 20th-century American pianists
- 20th-century American women pianists
- 21st-century American pianists
- 21st-century American women pianists
- Intersound Records artists