Bobby Bones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bobby Bones
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Bones at the iHeartRadio Theater in NYC, for Brad Paisley's album release party.
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| Born |
Bobby Estell
April 2, 1980 Mountain Pine, Arkansas, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Henderson State University |
| Occupation | Radio personality, television personality, author, comedian, musician |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Political party | Republican politician |
| Spouse(s) |
Caitlin Parker
(m. 2021) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Country |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | Black River |
Bobby Estell (born April 2, 1980), known as Bobby Bones, is a famous American radio and TV person. He is best known for hosting The Bobby Bones Show, which is heard all over the country from Nashville, TN. Bobby Bones is also a full-time mentor on the TV show American Idol on ABC. He won season 27 of Dancing with the Stars with his dance partner Sharna Burgess. Bobby has also written two books that became New York Times best sellers. He has also released several country music albums.
Contents
Early Life and School
Bobby Bones was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on April 2, 1980. He grew up in a small town called Mountain Pine, Arkansas. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. Bobby started dreaming of working in radio when he was about 5 years old. He grew up with little money and saw radio as a way to have a better life.
Bobby began his radio career at age 17. He worked at the college radio station, KSWH-FM "The Pulse," at Henderson State University. He earned his degree in Radio/Television from Henderson in 2002.
Radio Career Journey
While still in college, Bobby Bones started working at a radio station called KLAZ in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was put on the air just a few days after he was hired. A manager there gave him the choice of using the name Bobby Z or Bobby Bones, and he picked Bobby Bones. His first full-time radio job paid him $17,000.
In 2002, Bobby Bones was hired by Q100/KQAR in Little Rock, Arkansas. He then worked for another radio station, (KLAL). This led to him hosting The Bobby Bones Show on KHFI-FM in Austin, Texas. Bobby is different from typical radio DJs because he doesn't have a deep, booming radio voice. He doesn't even call himself a DJ.
Starting in Austin
Bobby Bones was first hired for the evening show on KHFI-FM. Soon after, he was moved to the morning show. In Austin, he met two people who would become his future co-hosts: Lunchbox and Amy. Bobby believed in Amy and put her on the radio right away. His executive producer, Alayna Messer, used to be an intern on the show.
Over ten years, The Bobby Bones Show became the top-rated morning show in Austin. It was also heard in a few other areas. Even when he was very popular, Bobby chose to stay with Clear Channel (now called iHeart Media).
Moving to Nashville
In 2012, Clear Channel moved Bobby Bones and his show from Austin to Nashville. The show changed from playing Top 40 music to playing country music. The Bobby Bones Show then started being heard all over the country. Bobby took over the time slot of a long-time DJ named Gerry House.
Bobby now broadcasts from the WSIX-FM studios in Nashville. His show is on weekday mornings from 5:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. (CT). His co-host is Amy, and the show also features Producer Eddie, Lunchbox, Raymundo, Morgan Number 2, Mike D., Abby, and Scuba Steve.
The Bobby Bones Show is a popular place for top country music stars to be interviewed. Other famous artists and celebrities also visit the show. Some guests have included Luke Bryan, John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Ed Sheeran, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, and Dierks Bentley.
Becoming National
In February 2013, The Bobby Bones Show became available across the country. This happened through iHeart Media's Premiere Networks. Listeners can also hear the show on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio mobile app. The show is now heard on more than 150 radio stations in the U.S., Canada, and the UK.
The Bobby Bones Show has about 9.2 million listeners every week. Bobby also hosts a weekly show called “Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones.” This show is heard on over 100 radio stations nationwide.
Because he is part of the iHeart Media family, Bobby Bones often hosts or performs at big events. These include the annual iHeartRadio Country Festival in Austin, Texas, the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the annual iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles, California.
Emergency Alert System Incident
In October 2014, Bobby Bones accidentally set off the Emergency Alert System (EAS). He played EAS sounds on the air while talking about a test that interrupted a baseball game. Because his show was heard all over the country, the EAS sounds spread to other stations. This caused some TV boxes nationwide to freeze with the wrong test message. In May 2015, iHeartMedia, Bobby's employer, paid a $1 million fine to the FCC because of this. They also removed all EAS sound effects from their sound library to prevent it from happening again.
Other Media Appearances
Bobby Bones was in the 2009 movie Bandslam with Vanessa Hudgens. He also appeared on the ABC drama Nashville. He has been a guest host with Kelly Ripa on Live! with Regis and Kelly.
In 2012, Bobby Bones was part of Fox Sports Radio. He hosted a weekend sports talk show called Roddick and Bones with tennis star Andy Roddick. This show aired on almost 300 radio stations.
Bobby Bones also hosts a podcast called “The Bobbycast.” On this podcast, he interviews singers and songwriters from different music styles. He has also started his own podcast network, the Nashville Podcast Network.
On May 17, 2016, he released his first book, Bare Bones, I'm Not Lonely If You're Reading This Book.
In 2018, Bobby Bones was a guest mentor for season sixteen of American Idol on ABC. He helped the top 24 contestants. On November 6, 2018, it was announced that Bobby would become a full-time mentor for the show starting in season seventeen. On April 8, 2019, Bobby even filled in as a guest host for the show when Ryan Seacrest was sick.
In June 2019, Bobby Bones filmed an episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls in Norway. This episode aired on January 14, 2020. He was also a judge on Topgolf's show Who Will Rock You. He signed a deal with BBC Studios for future projects.
His show Breaking Bobby Bones started airing on the National Geographic Channel in 2021. In each episode, Bobby meets someone who does a "real" job or sport. He works with them to learn how to do it and gets feedback on his performance. At the end of each episode, Bobby does something special to help the guest with their life or career goals.
On December 31, 2021, Bobby Bones hosted New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash with Rachel Smith from Entertainment Tonight. It was broadcast live from Nashville on CBS.
In 2022, Bobby Bones hosted the USA Network competition series Snake in the Grass.
Winning Dancing with the Stars
In September 2018, Bobby Bones was announced as one of the celebrities on the 27th season of Dancing with the Stars. He was paired with professional dancer Sharna Burgess. Even though they often had lower scores from the judges, the couple made it to the finals. They ended up winning the entire competition!
Personal Life
On September 28, 2013, Bobby Bones and his team helped set a Guinness World Record. They packaged the "Most hunger relief meals packaged in one hour (team)."
In July 2021, Bobby Bones married Caitlin Parker.
Awards and Recognitions
Bobby Bones was named Best Radio Personality by the Austin Music Awards for four years in a row, from 2004 to 2008. The Bobby Bones Show also won Best Radio Program in 2007–2008.
On April 6, 2014, Bobby Bones, Amy, and Lunchbox won their first Academy of Country Music Award. They won for National On-Air Personality of the Year. This was only nine months after Bobby started working in country music.
Bobby Bones became the youngest person ever to be added to the National Radio Hall of Fame. This happened during a ceremony on November 2, 2017, in Chicago.
The University of Arkansas gave Bobby an honorary doctorate degree at their graduation ceremonies in Spring 2022.
See also
In Spanish: Bobby Bones para niños
