Bobby Bones Recalls Humble Start In Mountain Pine, AR

Bobby Estell aka Bobby Bones 

Bobby Bones, a Mountain Pine, Arkansas native and the host of the nationally syndicated country music radio program The Bobby Bones Show, paused when asked about his childhood. He had a slight correction to the question, describing his childhood as “rough,” according to arkansasonline.com.

“It wasn’t ‘rough’ then, because that’s what I knew,” he said. “Looking back on it now, if I have to see other kids living that way, it kind of [stinks]. My grandmother adopted and raised me for a while. My mom was there some, as well. I don’t know my biological dad at all. My mom had some [addiction] problems so she was in and out. My grandmother died when I was a teenager. That was hard. But every experience makes you who you are. My mom passed away two years ago when she was 46. She was still really young. I wouldn’t say, ‘rough.’ It was what it was as it was happening.”

The 33-year-old Bones discussed his childhood while sitting in his office in a building along Nashville’s famed Music Row, and just down the hall from his radio studio where The Bobby Bones Show is based. Each weekday morning from 5-10, the show is broadcast on Nashville's WSIX 97.9 FM The Big 98 and nationwide to nearly 3 million radio listeners through Premiere Networks.

At the age of 17, Bones started working at Henderson State University’s college radio station before going to KLAZ 105.9 FM and asking for a job. He was hired to do some cleaning, switching out CDs and filing. A couple of days later, KLAZ 105.9 shifted around its on-air talent. A manager came to Bones and told him he was going on air. Bones, born Bobby Estell, was given a choice of on-air radio names: Bobby Z or Bobby Bones. He chose the latter, and the moniker has been his name ever since.

Mountain Pine, ARK is home To Bobby Bones

“It’s kind of weird having a radio name,” Bones said. “But every place I’ve been has been connected to the last place, so I couldn’t change it. I’ve never been able to shake it. The name is so stupid. I’d go back to my real name if I could.”

For the next four years, while studying at Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Bones worked at KLAZ 105.9. When he graduated from Henderson State in 2002, Bones moved to Little Rock.  His first full-time radio contract paid him $17,000. Bones thought he was rich.

“I was a food stamp and welfare kid,” Bones said. “Mountain Pine is a pretty poor place, but I’m proud to be from Mountain Pine. It’s not hard being poor when you’ve always been poor. But in Little Rock, I had $50 a week extra after bills. That was awesome. I thought it was great money.”

After working in Little Rock for a few months, Bones moved to Austin, Texas, where he built The Bobby Bones Show from a morning show on a Top 40 station into a show syndicated to markets around the U.S. Austin is also where Bones met Lunchbox (in a bar) and Amy (in a restaurant) and turned the pair with no radio experience into his co-hosts.

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