Born in the Bluegrass State on This Day in 1942, the Child Prodigy Turned Country Music Hitmaker

Also known as “The Boy with the Lute” due to his preference for a six-string lute, Bobby Lewis rose to country music fame in the early 1960s. Making his Grand Ole Opry debut as a teenager, he sent 26 songs to the country charts from 1966 to 1985, including the No. 6 hit “How Long Has It Been?” (1966).

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While his name isn’t as widely recognized as some of his contemporaries, his mark on the genre is unmistakable. Today, we celebrate the life and career of Bobby Lewis as he celebrates his 84th birthday.

A Youthful Mistake Led to Bobby Lewis’ Signature Lite

Born May 9, 1942, Hodgenville, Kentucky, Lewis’ musical talent became apparent from a young age. However, he found his Gibson J-200 guitar too cumbersome for his 5 foot, 4 inch-frame, according to his online biography on AllMusic.

Seeking something more suitable for his height, Lewis purchased what he initially believed was a strange-shaped—albeit much lighter—guitar that he had spotted in a music shop window.

After learning that his new guitar was, in fact, a lute, Lewis threaded the instrument with steel guitar strings and incorporated it into his act. He was the first (and likely only) country music performer to rely primarily on the lute.

[RELATED: These 3 Country Artists All Got Their Start in the Great State of Kentucky]

He Is Still Recording

Bobby Lewis made his professional music debut at age 11 on the Kentucky Dance Radio Show in 1957. While still a teenager, he left home and headed for Nashville in 1964—inspired and helped by country music pioneer Ernest Tubb.

His Grand Ole Opry debut followed not long after, where Lewis charmed audiences with his boyish looks and golden voice. While his debut album, Little Man with the Big Heart, did not chart, he found more success with his next release, How Long Has It Been

Lewis’ sophomore album peaked at No. 39 on the country albums chart. Its title track gave Lewis the biggest hit of his career, rising to No. 6 on the country singles chart.

More Top 20 hits followed, including “Love Me And Make It All Better”, “From Heaven To Heartache”, and his 1970 cover of the Rick Nelson hit “Hello Mary Lou”.

Although charting for the last time with 1985’s “Love Is An Overload”, Bobby Lewis was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2018. Continuing to record and perform new music, he recently contributed to the 2024 compilation Thanks A Lot Texas Troubadour: A Tribute To Ernest Tubb and Floyd Tillman: The Influence.

Featured image courtesy of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame