• ABOUT
    • Contact
    • The Team
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Events
    • FAQ
    • Use & Privacy Policy
  • ADVERTISE
  • ROWFAX
  • THE SPORTS CREDENTIAL
  • JOB LISTINGS
MusicRow.com
  • CALENDARS
    • Album/EP Releases
    • Single/Track Releases
    • Industry Events
  • OBITS
  • CHARTS
    • Radio Chart (Current)
    • Radio Chart (Archives)
    • No. 1 Challenge Coin
    • Songwriter Chart (Current)
    • Songwriter Chart (Archives)
  • REVIEWS
  • MY STORY
  • NEWSLETTER
    • Newsletter (Current)
    • Newsletter (Archives)
    • SIGN UP (FREE!)
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • STORE
  • Search
  • Menu

BREAKING: Radio Legend Bob Kingsley Dies

October 17, 2019/0 Comments/in Featured, Obituary /by contributor

Bob Kingsley. Photo: Provided by Westwood One

Bob Kingsley, a radio legend whose voice was synonymous with country music, died on Thursday, October 17, 2019, at his home in Weatherford, Texas while receiving treatment for cancer. He was 80.

One of broadcasting’s most beloved and iconic figures, Kingsley was a mainstay on radio for 60 years. His dominance in the country format began in 1978 when he took over as host of American Country Countdown after four years as the show’s producer for one of radio’s founding syndication companies, Watermark, founded by Tom Rounds. In 2006, he and his wife and business partner Nan Kingsley established Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40, produced by their own KCCS Productions, still running on more than 320 stations.

Kingsley received many of broadcasting’s top honors and was named to the Country Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1998 and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2016. He is the namesake and was the first recipient of the Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award, presented each year since 2014 at the Grand Ole Opry House and benefitting the Opry Trust Fund.

They were among the many fruits of a career built on a simple premise. “I love the music and the people who make it, and I want our listeners to have as much insight into both as I can give them, and to make the experience as enjoyable as possible,” he once said.

Bob’s love for radio and music dated to his childhood, when polio kept him in bed and in near isolation for a year. “I would listen to the radio and certain shows became really important to me. It was complete escapism and entertainment. I didn’t realize the imprint it was making, but it obviously stayed with me,” he said.

At 18, Kingsley joined the Air Force and served in Keflavik, Iceland, where he jumped at a chance to become an announcer on Armed Forces Radio. That experience and his love of country music would carry him to legendary stations like KFOX, KGBS, KFI, and KLAC in Los Angeles, and to his role as the voice of Drake-Chenault’s Great American Country format, used by hundreds of country radio stations.

His role as host of American Country Countdown with Bob Kingsley made him a household name. He supplemented the weekly countdown with Christmas specials, album release specials for artists including Alabama, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift, and Carrie Underwood, and for many years a daily artist spotlight called America’s Music Makers. With Kingsley at the helm, the show was named Billboard’s Network/Syndicated Country Program of the Year for 16 years in a row.

Kingsley received the Academy of Country Music’s Major Market On-Air Personality of the Year Award in 1966 and 1967 and was named the Country Music Association’s National Broadcast Personality of the Year in 2001 and 2003. He was voted National Air Personality of the Year five times by Country Radio Broadcasters and Country Aircheck and won the ACM’s 2007 National Broadcast Personality of the Year Award. He was chosen as the recipient of the 2012 President’s Award by the CRB. In 2017, Bob received the Mae Boren Axton Service Award in recognition of his dedication and service to the ACM, on whose board he served for decades. He was twice the host and emcee of Alabama’s legendary June Jam.

Kingsley served in 2004 and 2005 as Master of Ceremonies at the National Veterans Day Ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, one of many national and regional events to which he has volunteered time and energy, and he helped get information on benefits to countless veterans through vehicles like his Veterans Day 2005 radio special, “Bob Kingsley Salutes America’s Veterans.” He was the recipient of the Wounded Warrior Project’s Tony Snow Award for the significant difference he has made in the lives of injured servicemen and women.

His many charitable endeavors included work for Disabled American Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Wounded Warrior Project, Careity Foundation, and the Palliative Unit of Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, among others.

An avid cutting horse enthusiast, he lived and worked with his wife of 30 years, Nan, on their Bluestem Ranch in Weatherford, Texas.

A celebration of life will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday, November 14, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. at The CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Kingsley’s name to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum or the Grand Ole Opry Trust Fund.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
contributor
Latest posts by contributor (see all)
  • BREAKING: Radio Legend Bob Kingsley Dies - October 17, 2019
  • The Producer’s Chair: Corey Crowder - November 22, 2017
  • The Producer’s Chair: Frank Liddell - October 26, 2017
Tags: featured-2
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Bob-Kingsley.jpg 384 570 contributor https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.png contributor2019-10-17 09:01:202019-10-17 09:01:20BREAKING: Radio Legend Bob Kingsley Dies
You might also like
Weekly Chart Report (1/11/19)
All For The Hall Concert Scheduled For April 12 At Bridgestone Arena
DISClaimer: Ladies Have the Best Sound
[Update]: Celebration Of Life Service Set For Jimmy Capps
Exclusive: Carnival Music Finds Hits, Success As “Land Of Misfit Toys”
Kacey Musgraves, Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus Celebrate Early CMA Award Wins
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

RECENT NEWS

  • Bobby Karl Works The Room: ‘Rising Women’ Celebrates Community, Fellowship October 20, 2022
  • ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration Of The Life & Music Of Loretta Lynn’ Slated For October 30 October 20, 2022
  • Jo Dee Messina Inks With 117 Entertainment For PR October 20, 2022
  • CMT’s Next Women Of Country To Honor Loretta Lynn With Special Showcase October 20, 2022
  • Luke Bryan Signs On As Global Ambassador For MusicianStaX October 20, 2022
  • Miranda Lambert Adds A Festive Flare To Her Wanda June Home Collection October 20, 2022
  • ‘American Idol’ Alum HunterGirl Signs With 19 Recordings/BMG October 20, 2022
  • Zach Bryan Notches Platinum & Gold Certifications October 20, 2022
  • BMI’s Rooftop on the Row Wraps Successful 2022 Season October 20, 2022
  • Sophia Sansone & Jarrod Holley Upped To Managing Partners At Make Wake Artists October 19, 2022
  • Fourteenth Annual Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum To Honor Kay West October 19, 2022
  • Luke Combs’ Upcoming World Tour Breaks Records, Sells Out 37 Of 39 Dates October 19, 2022
  • BREAKING: Michael Knox Named President Of Peermusic Nashville October 19, 2022
  • CRB Now Accepting Applications For Rusty Walker Scholarship Program October 19, 2022
  • ONErpm Unveils New Marketing Campaign Management Feature, Amplifier October 19, 2022

Like Us on Facebook

Follow Us on Twitter

Tweets by MusicRow
© 2022 Music Row Enterprises, LLC – All rights reserved.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Scroll to top