From the Creative Mind of Grammy Award Winning Songwriter Bobby E. Boyd comes a new twist, a radio station with an ode to music that sounds as if it was written 40 years ago but recorded just last week. Appropriately named, “The New ‘70s,” this soon to be internet radio sensation promises to take you back in time to music that lingered in your hearts and minds and created memories with the first note of their tunes on through to the last verse of the melodies that have stood the test of time.
“The New ‘70s” is not an attempt to bring back the 1970s, but to get music back to the strong & timeless melodies, and the musical sensibilities from that era – when so much influence from former decades met with the creativity of artists and writers who were discovering new avenues afforded by new technology, while still playing it close to the heart,” shares Boyd.
Why the title, “The New ‘70s?” Because it is aimed at the estimated 125 million Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, who have been largely forgotten by the music industry. These powerhouse generations purchased countless albums back in their day, and according to the New ‘70s website, “they have the most money to spend, they are loyal, and ‘trained’ to buy whole albums – not just a download here and there.” Boyd exclaimed, “New ‘70s is a movement within the music industry to create a new genre that will produce music for a forgotten audience and provide an outlet for thousands of writers and artists who have world-class music sitting idle.”
Photo: Courtesy of Bobby E. Boyd
Who better to be at the helm of such an ingenious new venture than an award-winning songwriter whose music today resonates with generations of fans across the world? You may recognize his Rascal Flatts hit, co-written with Marcus Hummon and Jeff Hanna, “Bless the Broken Road,” which was nominated for a CMA, ACM, and a Grammy. In 2006, it earned the songwriters the Grammy Country Song of the Year. Boyd has worked with countless artists over the years and is still actively writing and producing memorable music and discovering new talent he has cultivated along the way. Some of which are a part of his “New ‘70s” movement, such as the Texas powerhouse rock band KATTL highlighted by Heart of Texas Magazine in a previous issue.
Boyd is a Texas-bred artist who is affectionately known as “Bandera Bob,” having called Bandera home for many years. Currently, he lives in Nashville with his family, continuously working on his musical goals, such as “The New ‘70s,” which is already streaming online and has its website up and running. Boyd, at the tender age of eight or nine years old, knew music was going to be a big part of his life. Growing up listening to the Beatles and the Monkeys, Boyd went on to share how the music world found him. “I got infected with music and joined the band program in school. My mom got me a guitar, and I started learning that, and somewhere in-between there and high school, the songwriting came in, and I started finding out I could put phrases together and words, lyrics, and songs kind of just came out. From there, I went on playing in rock bands in schools and got into country music later on after high school.” It wasn’t until his 30s that Boyd went on to share that he moved to Nashville, got into the business professionally, and began writing, and got on board with BMG publishing. His career catapulted from there.
