The Bobby Tenderloin Universe is a band, a community and a movement, but most of all, it's an excuse to don your western wear and give yourself over to the song and dance at the heart of every BTU show.

Bobby enraptures his audiences with his deep, rich voice and thoughtful, tender lyrics, rustling up a fresh new take on the old country we all love. Some say he exhibits the sincerity of Johnny Cash, the wit of Roger Millar, and vocal stylings and production sensibilities of Lee Hazlewood. He and his band are lifelong friends and it shows in the way they bring the songs to life.

Bobby’s friends are all premier musicians, formed organically from playing together for years. There are usually seven band members, including drums, bass, acoustic guitar, pedal steel, two secondary vocalists and piano. They share the same understanding of life, prioritizing love, acceptance and connection and each fit inperfectly, bringing light and love to the stage. Their bond is apparent in the performances and shows a sincerity that is hard to find.

Bobby is sometimes also known to strip down and play piano with just his pedal steel and acoustic guitar player. No matter what iteration, when on stage, the memory of his grandmother sitting by his side is the fuel that keeps The Bobby Tenderloin Universe train on the tracks.

“One day my buddy, Toothpick, sent me a guitar riff she recorded on her phone. Later that week, I was mowing the lawn with the riff in my head, and the next thing I knew, the whole story came to me in the form of lyrics and melodies and ‘That’s All I’m Sayin’ came to life. I believe the song conveys a specific type of innocence and naivety that most boys have experienced in one way or
another. On occasion, I’ve even seen it in grown men, lol.” - BOBBY TENDERLOIN

Tenderloin grew up with an otherworldly bond between him and his grandmother. The travelling ragtime pianist was Bobby’s hero, and they spent countless hours with four hands on one piano as she passed down her craft and wisdom. She had lived many years with an unfeigned passion for lifting people through song, and she showed Bobby he had this deep inside himself. He knew he had to record his songs and take his act on the road.

Bobby was born on the exact day his grandfather, Sigmond, died. Sigmond was a pastor and the love of Bobby’s grandmother’s life. Legend says that on that day, the spirit of the preacher was passed onto Bobby, as his devotion to lifting people and expressing words of unconditional love through music, was noted at a young age.

The story of Bobby Tenderloin is one of legends, mystical death, a sacred transfer, a cosmic continuum and is written in the stars and hearts of every being that ever was, is or will be.

Welcome to the universe...

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