Born and raised in Arkansas, Bobby Bones began his radio career at Henderson State University’s KSH 91.1 The Switch at the age of 17, where he graduated with a degree in Radio/TV. During that time, he also worked at KLAZ 105.9 in Hot Springs, Ark., as a part-time air talent. In 2002, Bones was hired by Q100/KQAR in Little Rock, Ark., and The Bobby Bones Night Show was born. The following year, he moved to Austin, Texas where he began hosting The Bobby Bones Show Monday through Friday from 5-10 a.m. CT on 96.7 KISS FM. Joined on-air by Lunchbox and Amy, they attracted listeners in droves, as well as top rankings in the market. For his work on the program, Bones was named “Austin Radio Personality of the Year” in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and Austin’s Alliance of Women in Media honored the program with their “Radio Personality of the Year” award seven years in a row.
The Bobby Bones Show joined Premiere Networks’ national lineup in 2011 and was nationally syndicated on CHR radio until February 2013 when the program transitioned to a Country format. Today, the program originates from WSIX in Nashville and can be heard on more than 180 Country radio stations nationwide by millions of listeners. The program has been honored with four ACM Awards for “National On-Air Personality of the Year,” and three CMA Awards in the same category. The show has also been recognized with three Country Radio Seminar/Country Aircheck Awards in the “National Daily Personality/Show” category. In 2017, Bones was also the youngest personality to be elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame.
In addition to his weekday program, Bones is host of the weekend Country countdown show, Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones. The four-hour music program airs nationwide on approximately 240 affiliates and features hosts Bones, Amy and Lunchbox as they showcase the top Country songs and go beyond the music to share conversations with the artists.
In 2018, Bones was named Vice President, Creative Director of iHeartCountry. In this expanded role, he works with iHeartMedia on a variety of joint ventures and new creative programming initiatives, including executive producing a new one-hour weekend program, Women of iHeartCountry. Hosted by Amy Brown, Women of iHeartCountry launched in September 2018 and features music from established female artists and up-and-comers, with weekly guest appearances by other iHeartMedia female on-air personalities. The program airs on more than 150 iHeartCountry radio stations nationwide, in addition to iHeartRadio.
With no signs of slowing down, Bones’ popular podcast, BobbyCast has been downloaded more than 20 million times. Bones sits down with top artists and songwriters – Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, John Mayer and Chris Stapleton to name a few – for in-depth personal interviews. The podcast’s overwhelming success paved the way for Bones to launch the Nashville Podcast Network, an eclectic collection of podcasts from a variety of Nashville-savvy hosts, giving listeners an inside look at the lifestyle and pop culture in Nashville.
Bones is also half of The Raging Idiots, a comedy band with his radio producer Eddie that plays shows all over the U.S. and has raised millions of dollars to benefit various charitable causes. The duo has performed with Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith and many others. Signed to Black River Entertainment in 2015, the band’s first full-length album, The Critics Give It 5 Stars, debuted at No. One on the Comedy Albums Chart and landed in the Top 5 of Billboard’s Country Album Chart. The group’s superstar friends Kelsea Ballerini, Lindsay Ell, Charles Kelley, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood and more are featured on the album that takes satirical and deliberate cues from today’s popular music. Bringing their humor to a younger generation, the band released The Raging Kidiots: Kiddy Up! in 2016, which debuted as the top downloaded children’s album and was born from the success of the No. One EP, The Raging Idiots Presents – The Raging Kidiots.
In May 2016, HarperCollins released Bare Bones: I’m Not Lonely If You’re Reading This Book, a touching, funny, heart-wrenching, and triumphant memoir. The book takes fans on an
authentic, raw and hilarious tour of his journey from growing up in Mountain Pine, Arkansas to
becoming one of the leading Country radio personalities in the U.S. It spent four weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List and claimed the No. One spot on multiple lists including USA Today and Wall Street Journal. His latest book, Fail Until You Don’t: Fight. Grind. Repeat. was released in June 2018, and experienced overwhelming response, debuting at No. 1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List.
In April 2018, Bones made his debut on ABC TV’s American Idol reboot as a mentor for the top 24 contestants, helping them reach the next level in their artistry and performances. He served in that role for four seasons on the beloved singing competition series. In 2018, Bones also competed on Season 27 of Dancing with the Stars, and he took home the coveted mirror ball trophy with partner Sharna Burgess. In 2021, Bones starred in and executive produced a new travel TV series titled Breaking Bobby Bones on National Geographic. Additionally, he is the host and executive producer of Opry, a weekly TV program airing highlights from the Grand Ole Opry stage on Circle Network. Bones closed out 2021 as host of CBS’ New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, which featured special performances and collaborations by Country music’s biggest stars live from Nashville.
Bones also brings his hilarious stand-up comedy to fans across the country with his Bobby Bones Red Hoodie Comedy Tour, which features musical guests, as well as an opening comedy bit from The Bobby Bones Show’s Mike D. The Bobby Bones Red Hoodie Comedy Tour follows Bones’ in-demand Funny & Alone Tour, touted as “one we’d see time and time again” (Sounds Like Nashville), selling out shows across the country. For more information visit: www.BobbyBonesComedy.com.
Bobby Bones has been dubbed “the most powerful man in country music” by Forbes magazine, and he puts that star power to good use by supporting numerous charitable initiatives. He is an avid supporter of The MusiCares Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides a safety net of critical assistance for musicians in times of need. He was also elected to the Board of Directors for Musicians On Call in 2016, and has helped raise millions of dollars for many worthy causes. To date, Bones has helped raise more than 20 million for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital with various events and fundraisers, including The Bobby Bones Show’s annual “Million Dollar Show” and St. Jude Radiothon, which raised $2.7 million in two days in 2022. Both events feature support and live performances from some of Country music’s biggest superstars.
Bones has appeared in both movies and on television, including Bandslam with Vanessa Hudgens, the TODAY show, The Talk on CBS, Fox & Friends, CNN, Live! with Kelly Ripa as a guest host, and Headline News and FOX Business’ Kennedy as a recurring guest. Outside the studio, Bobby is very active on social media, constantly engaging and interacting with listeners via Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. He also enjoys exercising, reading, shopping and going to sporting events. His favorite artists include John Mayer, Darius Rucker, Ben Kweller, Zac Brown Band and Ben Folds Five.
