An Evening with Bobby Horton

      “Songs and Stories of the Civil War”

On July 9, 2024, the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable  will present “Songs and Stories of  the Civil War” by renowned historian and musician Bobby Horton at Faith Lutheran Church, 225 Jamestown Blvd., in Farragut, Tennessee at 7 PM. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the door. Children under 12 are free. The doors will open at 6PM.

“Songs and Stories of the Civil War” transports audiences back in time to the most turbulent era in our nation’s history. Dressed as a 19th century performer, using period musical instruments, Bobby Horton explores the stories of both the North and South through the music they loved. Each song is placed in context with historical background and portrays the struggles, hopes, and fears of Americans during this long and bloody conflict. These songs and stories tell of sweethearts and families left behind, fallen comrades, the hope of going home, and the pride, bravery, and patriotism of the volunteers who answered their country’s call.

This is not just a performance for Civil War buffs but for anyone who loves great music, inspired storytelling, and an evening of unforgettable entertainment. Blue and Gray Magazine writes “Bobby Horton proves to be the premier artist of Civil War music.” William C. Davis, Author & Historian for A&E Network’s Civil War Journal, calls Bobby, “Unfailingly entertaining, and unself-consciously informative, he brings to his music all the wit and joy, the pathos and fatalism of the Civil war soldier and his times. If you want to understand and feel for Johnny Reb and Billy Yank, you can read a dozen books, or spend an hour listening to Bobby Horton.”

Bobby Horton was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. His lifelong passion for music and history began at an early age. With a trumpet playing father and a banjo-playing grandfather, he was exposed to a varied menu of music—from the sound of the big bands, jazz combos and classical to the old time sounds of Southern gospel, sacred harp, and “hillbilly” music.

Most of the men in his young life were World War II veterans, as he listened to their war stories, he soon made the connection between these stories and the content of his school history books. When he was nine years old the United States celebrated the Centennial of the Civil War. This celebration brought the Civil War to the forefront of his interest and his love of history became deeply rooted.

In 1984, Horton was asked to produce the score for a feature film set in 1863 in Southern Indiana. While researching music from the mid-19th century, he uncovered literally thousands of tunes from that period. Combining his passion for music and Civil War history, he began recording what has now become fourteen volumes of authentic Civil War tunes in his home studio – playing all of the period era instruments and singing all the parts himself. This series is sold around the world and has led to a career in film scoring and a live presentation of these songs with the stories that accompany them.

Bobby Horton is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading authorities of music from the Civil War period. A seasoned performer, Horton is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and music historian. He has performed with the musical- comedy trio Three on A String, throughout the United States and Canada for 40 years. He has also produced and performed music scores for nineteen PBS films by Ken Burns including “The Civil War”, “Baseball”, “The Roosevelts” and “Benjamin Franklin”. He’s worked on three films for the A&E network, and 23 films for The National Park Service. His series of recordings of authentic period music has been acclaimed by historical organizations and publications throughout America and Europe.