Robert Joseph Bare Sr. (born April 7, 1935) is an American country singer and songwriter, best known for the songs "Marie Laveau", "Detroit City" and "500 Miles Away from Home".

[2] Just before he was drafted into the United States Army, he wrote a song called "The All American Boy"[5] and did a demo for his friend, Bill Parsons, to learn how to record.

Bare's big break in country music came when Chet Atkins signed him to RCA Victor.

In 1966, he received a yet another Grammy Nomination for Best Country & Western Male Vocal Performance for his song "Talk Me Some Sense".

Bare started to release novelty songs recorded live with selected audiences.

In 1975 Bare recorded a children's album with his family, mainly of Silverstein songs, called Singin' in the Kitchen.

[13] His biggest hits during this time included "Alimony" (1975), "The Winner" (1976), and "Drop Kick Me, Jesus (Through The Goalposts Of Life)" (an unusual Christian-football waltz, and a 1976 Grammy nominee for Best Country Song).

[2] In 1979, he started off Rosanne Cash's career in a big way by being her duet partner on the Top 20 hit "No Memories Hangin' Round".

[2] The next year, Bare returned to his country roots with his Rodney Crowell-produced album As Is, featuring the single "New Cut Road".

He acted in a Western with Troy Donahue, A Distant Trumpet, and had a memorable scene being branded for desertion, and a few episodes of the TV series No Time for Sergeants.

In 2005, he released his first new album in two decades, The Moon Was Blue, produced[16] by his son Bobby Bare Jr., who is also a musician.

[17] After being inducted in the 1960s but gradually drifting away, Bare was reinstated as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on April 7, 2018, by Garth Brooks.

[18] In January and February 2012, Bare joined up with Petter Øien at the 2012 Melodi Grand Prix to compete for Norway's entry to the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in May.