ROOTS of Country Music

The Professional Work of Moe Bandy

(born Feb. 12, 1944)

Career Highlights

Barn Dance Affiliate: Louisiana Hayride

Grand Ole Opry Member

Radio, Film & TV

• Ernest Tubb’s  Midnight Jamboree, 3
• Gilley’s Club, 2
• Pop Goes the Country, 4
• Nashville Now, 4
• Hee Haw, 4

1-Film, 2-Night Club, 3-Radio, 4-TV

Billboard Chart Data 

• No. 1 Singles: 2
• Top-10 Singles: 19
• Crossover Singles: 0
• Charted Singles: 51
• Years Active: (1974-1989)

Awards

Country Music Association

Vocal Duo of the Year  (1980)#

Avcademy of Country Music

Vocal Duo of the Year (1980, 1981)#

#With Joe Stampley

Career Labels

• GRC Records (1974-1975)
• Columbia Records (1975-1985)
• MCA/Curb Records (1986-1987)
• Curb Records (1987-1989)

Billboard Top-10 Singles 

1. It Was Always So Easy (To Find an Unhappy Woman) 1974
2. Bandy the Rodeo Clown -1975
3. Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life
4. Here I Am Drunk Again -1976
5. I'm Sorry for You, My Friend -1977
6. Two Lonely People -1978
7. Just Good Ol' Boys*1 -1979
8. It's a Cheating Situation, 2
9. Barstool Mountain
10. I Cheated Me Right Out of You*#
11. Yesterday Once More -1980
12. Following the Feeling, 3
13. Hey Joe (Hey Moe) 1 -1981
14. Rodeo Romeo
15. She's Not Really Cheatin' (She's Just Gettin' Even) 1982
16. Let's Get Over Them Together, 4
17. Where's the Dress, 1 -1984
18. "Till I'm Too Old to Die Young -1987
19. Americana -1988

*-No. 1 Chart Single

#-Biggest Chart Single

1-With Joe Stampley 

2-With Janie Fricke 

3-With Judy Bailey 

3-With Becky Hobbs 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It's a Cheatin' Situation: The Moe Bandy Story 

Moe Bandy was one of the most popular country singers of the 1970s, turning out a series of upper chart hits in the latter half of the decade that led many fans and critics to classify him as one of the greatest contemporary honky-tonk singers. Bandy's initial songs rarely strayed far from the traditional barroom fare; delivered with a knowing sense of humor, loving, cheating, drinking and patriotic songs. Throughout the late -1970s and early-1980s, the singer racked up ninteen top-10 chart hits.

Moe Bandy was born in Meridian, Mississippi (MS), birthplace of Jimmie Rodgers.  At the age of six, Bandy and his family moved from Meridian, MS to San Antonio, Texas (TX), where Bandy was raised through his teenage years. During high school, he was a rodeo rider, but his career ended when he sustained too many serious injuries.

After high school, Bandy was a sheet metal worker by day and singing in country clubs at night. Bandylanded a one-record deal with Satin Records in 1964. The label released Bandy's original song Lonely Lady, but the record had little impact. Nevertheless, he continued to perform at night in various Texas honky-tonk clubs.

In 1972, Bandy met record producer Ray Baker and convinced him to listen to some demo tapes he had made. Baker agreed to produce the singer, provided that Bandy pay for the recording sessions. Excited by his new prospect, Bandy financed a recording session. However, the records failed to generate attention.

The following year, the singer took out a loan to pay for another recording date. I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today (No. 17, 1974) resulted from the session and Baker released the single on Footprint Records, pressing only 500 copies. The single generated moderate sales and GRC acquired the rights to the record and released it nationally and it became Moe Bandy’s debut chart single. The song was followed by Honky Tonk Amnesia, It Was Always So Easy (To Find an Unhappy Woman) (1974) and Don't Anyone Make Love At Home Anymore (1975).

In 1975, Bandy scored his last GRC single, Bandy the Rodeo Clown. That same year he signed with the upscale Columbia Records label. Still under the helm of Barker, Bandy turned out more charted material, including Here I Am Drunk Again and Barstool Mountain.

In 1979, Moe Bandy scored his first Billboard No. 1 single, I Cheated Me Right Out of You. Bandy's career reached a peak in 1979 and during that year, he teamed up with Janie Fricke on the hit single, It's a Cheatin' Situation, which stalled at No. 2.

Pictured left Moe Bandy & Joe Stampley

The song was named Song of the Year by the Academy of Country Music and had all of the ingredients to be an award-winning single. Eddy Rabbitt had the biggest song that year with Every Which Way But Loose.

In 1979, Moe Bandy teamed up with Joe Stampley and charted with the uptempo single, Just Good Ol' Boy, the beginning of a string of successful charts for the award-winning duo. Two years later the duo were back on top of the charts with Hey Joe, Hey Moe.

Although Bandy continued to tour and record, he faded from the charts by the late-1980s. His final top-10 was the single, Americana (No. 7, 1988).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Researched, written and compiled by Richard Bell. Roots of Country Music. Oct., 15, 2009.