JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum RIP Bobbie Gallup

Bobbie Gallup, one of Just Plain Folks' most loyal and creative members passed away today in Michigan. She had lived in Nashville for a number of years and was an active member of the music community there for many years.

Bobbie Gallup had a longtime and powerful presence here on the JPF message boards. She was always willing to read lyrics, offer advice and critiques, share a joke and give generous support to everyone, from the beginning songwriter to the professional. Her friendly and often humorous replies helped to shape these message boards as a place to meet, network and share with other artists and to make new friendships.

She and her husband, Corky Bernard, also a gifted songwriter and a legend on the JPF message boards, founded a songwriter's festival near Nashville called "Pineyfest", which was attended by many JPF members over the years. After Corky passed away, she continued to host the festival, which featured well known publishers, performers and other musicians.

The "festival" began when they got married and invited a lot of their music friends to celebrate at their big farmhouse near the Piney River. When I went to Pineyfest a few years later, it had expanded and grown. Bobbie somehow charmed everyone she knew in the business to come and give workshops, offer concert venues and plan events for the festival. Before this trip, Bobbie said to me, "I'm going to get you into the local paper, get you on the local radio and get you a paid gig." Well, I didn't think too much about it...but she did it!! I will never forget her generosity and her ability to make everyone around her feel so special and loved.

I actually met Bobbie here on the JPF message boards one day, when she responded to a message of condolence I had left for her after Corky's passing. Over the years, we became close, and I loved visiting her in Nashville. She came to LA for the Just Plain Folks Music Awards, and I will always cherish the memories of our fun during that trip. Over the years, we wrote a number of songs together. She made me a better writer, and even though we disagreed from time to time on the songs we were working on, she was always right I would call her from Los Angeles and play the song on the phone, and she would give me her critiques and ideas- which were always brilliant.

She was a mentor, friend, poet, storyteller, lyricist- and one of kindest people I have ever met. My treasures are my friends; Bobbie will live on in my heart and I will cherish my memories with her- forever.

She can now sing with the angels and meet Dawg ( Corky) up in Heaven.

Here's one of Corky's last songs....

Hayride to Heaven © 2004 dawg, BMI

In the last white, clapboard farmhouse
at end of a country road,
shaded by the sycamores
with the sides all over growed.
You'll find me every evenin'
on my model H Farmall
with my wagon hitched and ready
when old timers come to call.

(Chorus)
For their hayride to heaven
when they feel its time to go.
Most have never flown before
and they like to take it slow.
They can visit with their neighbors
and share the ice tea jug
on their hayride to heaven
and an eternity of love.

Someone always brings a flat top,
mouth harp or mandolin.
The gospel songs will take wing
and the voices all blend in.
I never hear no crying;
the mood is pure rejoice.
They're going to meet their savior
making a joyfull noise.

(Chorus)
On their hayride to heaven
when they feel its time to go.
Most have never flown before
and they like to take it slow.
They can visit with their neighbors
and share the ice tea jug
on their hayride to heaven
and an eternity of love.

Times, they are a changing,
and some folks always fail.
We've built two new churches,
but we filled up three more jails.
Some will choose the wrong path
and its for their souls I fear,
but as for their destination ... well
you can't get there from here.

(Chorus)
This is the hayride to heaven
when they feel its time to go.
Most have never flown before
and they like to take it slow.
They can visit with their neighbors
and share the ice tea jug
on their hayride to heaven
and an eternity of love.

Emily
Thanks for the update on Bobbi. I really liked that lady. I stayed at her house a few times before we moved here.

Here is a song she wrote. I sang it a Corky's memorial service.

BOUQUET OF MEMORIES
© 2004 Lyrics by Bobbie Gallup ASCAP & Terry Graham

God did not promise us a garden
But I received a precious rose
Of all the loves that might have been
I was the one she chose

He often gave me purple roses
I cherished every bloom
As the perfection of their beauty
And their fragrance filled the room

As moments turned to months and years
Our seasons flew too fast
Blessed with the gift of love so rare
I was sure our joy would last

CHORUS
To the rose that climbs my garden wall
Spring brings a brand new start
I'll cherish my bouquet of memories
Until new love blossoms in my heart.

He said, "Once love’s rose is planted
Its roots will not decay
The earth will hold them in her heart
As I hold you this day.”

"Let's find joy in every moment.
Forget what hasn't happened yet
We may never have tomorrow
Today may be the only time we get"

Today I laid a dozen purple roses
Next to a granite stone
And stood in that field of yesterdays
Still in love but all alone
CHORUS:

To the rose that climbs my garden wall
Spring brings a brand new start
I'll cherish my bouquet of memories
Until new love blossoms in my heart
Bridge
But…there's hope in the coming rain
Though flowers fade and fall
Seasons, like the rivers flow
And change comes to us all;
Repeat Chorus
TAG: Lift Vocally
I'll cherish my bouquet of memories

Until new love blossoms in my heart

Terrible news. Sweet lady, talented songwriter, friend. Always supportive and nurturing. Booked me to play Pineyfest in 2007. She always came out to see me whenever I played Nashville when her health permitted. R.I.P Dear lady.

RIP DEAR FRIEND;YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.
Helen DAVID

Hi Emily,

I'm very sorry to hear the terrible news.


Calvin


http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/calvinstewart

Thank you for posting Emily

So sorry to hear this news about Bobbie. She was a cornerstone of JPF, always contributing, always encouraging. Sadly as her health deteriorated, her visits here were less frequent but for me whenever I think of JPF I think of Bobbie.

I was lucky enough to meet Bobbie at the first Pineyfest in Nashville 2002. Pineyfest all came about because Bobbie and Dawg wanted a special way to extend their wedding celebrations to include their songwriting friends at JPF. The whole Nashville experience was brilliant for me, I met so many wonderful people, many of them JPF members. During my stay I was invited to Bobbie and Dawg’s house and got to sit on the famous porch swing. I also got to meet a little figurine they had called ‘Helen Back’ who was the inspiration for The Ballad of Helen Back; a three-hander from Bobbie, Dawg and me.

Bobbie, like so many great people you will be missed but live on in our hearts and in our music. Thanks for being such a great person.

Nige

Story to hear this bad news, condolences to all Bobbie's loved one
Travis

Goodbye Bobbie,
I'll see you again

Sorry to hear of her passing. I never really knew her, I believe she was leaving JPF as I was entering.She's home now, so we should be celebrating, not mourning.

Thank you Emily for keeping us all informed.

To add to your back story, Bobbie was living in Colorado when I first joined way back some 15 years ago, when Brian ran JPF on an old "black and white" platform and Shayne Vaughan was running "The Write Stuff"

She was active on both boards and she was the very first person I turned to for some answers I needed plus she was always generous with advice and suggestions and sharing her reactions to my often (as Anthony coined them) "Obscure du Jours".

Soon we were joined by a hilarious character who went by the moniker "Greydog" and whose lyrics and postings often left us in stitches, and if not in stitches, emotionally moved.

Bobbie and Dawg developed an on line relationship here, and one day there was a big stir and announcement, Bobbie and Dawg were moving to Nashville....together!

In all the wedding planning, they invited JPFers to a wedding reception at their new home, Piney House (described in Dawg's Hayride to Heaven lyric above).

Once Bobbie got to planning it, she found the insurance cost would be prohibitive so she found the Holiday Inn in Dickson would host us. It had a good room to play in and hey, people could stay in the same place.

So Pineyfest was born.

People were so bonded to Bobbie and Dawg that the first Pineyfest drew people from all over the USA, from Australia and from the UK. It was the first time many of us had met face to face, and it was a wonderful experience. It was timed to coincide with Country Music Week in Nashville, which was was another drawing card for many, but I think it was the program of music insiders that Bobbie and Dawg put together that clinched it for many.

Several years ago Bobbie moved to Michigan to be near family, and she more or less withdrew from JPF, but it is a testament to her impact on all of us here that we remember her so fondly, and thank her for her impact.

As I said at the other thread. Thank you God for giving Bobbie life, and thank you Bobbie for having lived it in a way that inspired me.

Though I have never met her, I know she was well liked here at JPF and I am sad to hear she has passed. We all feel sad when we lose someone in the JPF family.
May she rest in peace.
Kimberly

Emily .. thank you for the beautiful story of Bobbie ..
Such a wonderful kind & generous woman. Like many, I met Bobbie here on JPF.. She was so helpful on and off the public posts. and she encouraged me to attend Pineyfest .. One of my best decisions ever .. it was at Pineyfest I met Bobbie and other JPF'ers live and in person for the first time. So many friendships started there.
Bobbie was always with open arms & heart .. I was lucky enough to spend time with Bobbie when I had visits to Nashville.. I have a picture somewhere, I just can't find it .. we took a selfie at an Italian restaurant !

Bobbie & Dawg together again
RIP Bobbie and let music play on .
My love and prayers for you
Joanne

Bobbie and I used to scrap all the time over lyrical issues. Learn to appreciate the people you argue with. You're going to miss them when they're gone. A lesson JPF keeps teaching me with the losses of Corky, Graham, Stan and now Bobbie. Sayanara, folks....

I am so very sorry to hear this terribly sad news.
It sounds like Bobbie was blessed to be surrounded by wonderful family and friends.
May she rest in peace.
Lisa

Whenever I hear or think the phrase "Just Plain Folks", it's always Bobbie's picture that I see in my mind's eye. I suspect that will always be the case.

Rest in peace Ms. Bobbie.

Scott

Back in 1999 when I came to jpf...the group was small... but Bobbie was already here. She was the first and only one to critique my first lyric post.
Bobbie was a constant presence back then.... so much so.. that Nigel(I think) posted a list of reasons why someone might not get any comments on their post... including the usual..."your lyric stinks, you never critique anyone else's and humorous other possibilities... on the list was "Bobbie is not here today, so we don't have to behave" (or something like that..
It was always a pleasure to see her on my trips to Nashville..and like Emily said above...that one Pineyfest...she arranged a paid concert in the park for 4 of us. I cherish that memory.
When it came time for me to record my CD, I stayed with Bobbie..which meant I had another set of ears to critique or aprrove each song being recorded. and though I had always assumed I would put only songs that I had written by myself...I included 2 songs that had Bobbie's lyrics. She left her imprint everywhere.
Hard to think that I will never see her again here ...but I can feel her every time I sing one of our songs

I remember Bobbie when i first came to this site.R.I.P. Bobbie

A great loss for all of us who knew her and those she helped which were most. A sad sad loss.

I believe I did meet her once in Nashville.Seemed like a wonderful person and you are known by the friends you impacted.Seems like she left a wonderful legacy. Best wishes to her family.

MAB

Just terribly sad to hear about Bobbie's passing. She meant so much to so many people, myself included. She was the heart of JPF.

Wishing all who knew and loved her peace during this time -- and comfort in the knowledge that she is likely getting quite the welcome wagon up in Heaven!!

Play on Bobbie....xoxo

What I would give to possess the eloquence and say the words that would heal the hearts of all who knew Bobbie Gallup. She was an inspiration and a friend to all of us. When next you are at a campfire and a spark pops Heavenward... you can imagine that Bobbie is there and be warmed by her spirit. She will be missed but we know where to find her.

Dave

I know Bobby will always be remembered as a sweatheart here.
I remember when I first come here thinkin' I could write songs in "09" and everybody tried to helped me learn, and most said I was way too wordy; and I was for those times. Well when Bobby thought she saw promise she always chimed in with a positive thought when I was so discouraged I thought maybe I should hang it up!

I didn't know Bobby personally but I knew her enough to love her sweet and gentle spirit, and I won't forget anything I learned from that!

Geneva

At the time I joined JPF a few years ago, Bobbie's visits had already become less frequent. However, I had the pleasure of exchanging occasional PMs with her, and we were in touch by email after she moved to Michigan.

I didn't know Bobbie anywhere as well as many of you here did, but enough to have felt the light of her humour, warmth, intelligence, and downright human decency.

With her passing, the world has become poorer.

Donna

Condolences to all who knew her.

Here's something I wrote about Bobbie and Corky:

Bobbie Gallup was a seminal member of our online message board community within the Just Plain Folks Music Organization. For many years her and her eventual husband (whom she met on our boards as well) Corky Bernard nurtured the talent, hopes and dreams of countless fledgling Lyricists and Songwriters. They went far beyond simple professionalism in their own work, but also reached out in the most welcoming and supportive way to any and all who crossed their paths and wandered into our world from the wilderness of the Internet. Corky and Bobbie inspired not only talent, but a deep bonding within our community among their peers who are all devastated by first the loss of Corky and now the tragic loss of Bobbie as well. They were without peer in helping us bring together people out of the anonymous shadows and into real life, face to face gatherings, initially as part of official JPF Roadtrip visits to Nashville and later, as we continued to expand beyond our frequent visits to Nashville each year, to their own creation "Pineyfest" where they hosted a wide array of songwriters and industry professionals both at their home and in meetings and gatherings and raucous performance nights where music and a true brother/sisterhood was built and tended to. We still hear tales from those who attended these events and how important those passing moments were in many of their lives. Beyond just being helpful and welcoming, both possessed immense talent in bringing stories and characters as seemingly real as they were to life on a daily basis on our boards. Thankfully, we have those lyrics and online conversations preserved on our message board where both are still among the top Posters to this day. Now that they are together again the depth of our loss feels as though it matches the depth of what they gave us, until we remind ourselves how much we carry them both with us throughout our own days and interactions and work. Much love to their families and to our own who are all the better for having known them both. -Brian Austin Whitney, Founder, Just Plain Folks, January 22nd, 2014

I never made it to any of the pineyfests, and I am sorry I missed them. Corky and Bobbi certainly have left quite a legacy behind that helped make JPF what it is today.

Prayers and best wishes to their families!

JPF can also stand for Just Plain Family and Bobbie, though not active on the boards for sometime, was indeed family!! When I first came onboard there she was and very welcoming. She was like the neighbor that comes by with a smile and an apple pie when you move into the neighborhood. I remember well I had posted a wedding lyric and she remarked "you must find music to this" and because of the word "must", I did. The demo was done by Mike Dunbar and his team at Nashville's "Demo Derby" a later term that came after the Pineyfest days. I appreciated her in so many ways and have to believe she now strolls streets of gold.

Thank you Bobbie for everything and for just being a kind, warm-hearted, wonderful person!! You're not forgotten!!

Love,
Lynn

Bobby helped me a lot on some of my lyrics when I first came to JPF's..she really knew just what to add to them....the right magic to make them shine...Harriett Ames always talked about Pineyfest and how great it was with Bobby and Dawg...made me feel like I'd been there..and wanted to go if there was to be another one...Bobby was a wonderful loving sweet warm hearted lady...we all will miss her...thanks for making me feel at home here Bobby..you were the first one to greet me when I came here...


glyn

Oh no.
Terrible news about a really sweet person. She gave me lots of excellent feedback here at JPF and her presence will be missed.
It's a very sad day.
Rest in peace, Bobbie.

Here is the link to the information about Bobbie's funeral tomorrow in Michigan. You can leave a message, memory or story at the link on the right for the "Guestbook", which I highly recommend. Bobbie's sister and niece are very comforted by these messages and a memories of Bobbie.

http://obits.mlive.com/obituaries/j...ra-Lynne-Gallup-Bobbie&pid=173946673

Stunned and deeply saddened to read the news of Bobbie's passing. Thank you for the link to the Guestbook, Emily.

I first met Bobbie not long after joining JPF. When flicking through some lyrics on the boards one day, I came across this damn crazy set of lyrics that needed some music. Not knowing the author, I made some enquiries, and found out that they'd been written by Dawg, who'd just recently passed.

I felt strange about contacting Bobbie about them, but she could not have been nicer, and it was one of the first songs I wrote here at JPF after a long absence in music. A lot of laughter was had over writing a song with a deceased person and how odd it was, but somehow fitting, that the song was based around Heaven.

Later, Bobbie moved to Nashville and was involved with Nashville Film, and was one of the few who gave great encouragement to a new scriptwriter who wanted to write "a film with music - not a musical", when everyone else thought he was crazy.

Her encouragement was an inspiration, and her patience and understanding of artistic people a true virtue.

Thank you Ms Bobbie for having faith in all that pursue an artistic endeavour, and may you be whooping it up with Dawg in any crazy way you please.

And the song ?

Heaven Ain't No Restaurant

( third down, sorry I don't have an isolated version )

And those crazy lyrics...



Heaven Ain't No Restaurant � 2004 C.Bernard/G.Wood


Now there's been some confusion
caused by preachers on T.V.
urging folks to send in money
for a message that is free.
There is no secret number
for Jesus' private line.
talk directly to him
by praying any time.

And I say.....
Heaven ain't no restaurant
No heaven ain't no restaurant
Jesus never wore no Rolex
no silk designer suits
He was into Roman sandals
not alligator boots
Never showed in a limo
for a red carpet affair
JC rides in like George Jones on a jackass at Fan Fair.

(Chorus)
Heaven ain't no restaurant.
Saint Pete's no maitre d'
Don't worry you're going to get in for free
Don't care 'bout shirts and shoes.
No bouncer at the front door,
'cause no-one is refused.

The disciples weren't his posse
he did not speak in "rap"
His arrest by the authorities
was nothing like Tupac's
Much too big for Vegas
He only played outdoor events
Didn't need no sound man stage or any kind of tent

(Chorus)
Heaven ain't no restaurant.
Saint Pete's no maitre d'
Don't worry you're going to get in for free
Don't care 'bout shirts and shoes.
No bouncer at the front door,
'cause no-one is refused.

Instrumental

Got a call the other week and it was from JC
He said I got my Dad up here, and tell you what. He's peeved
All these folks are runnin' round taken things from me
asking all the humble folks to pay for what is free
I'm telling you I don�t like it and they better
start playing fair
I coming down, I'm telling you( thunderbolt)..I smell
sulphur in the air

(Chorus)

Heaven ain't no restaurant.
Saint Pete's no maitre d'
Don't worry you're going to get in for free
Don't care 'bout shirts and shoes.
No bouncer at the front door,
'cause no-one is refused.

I'll be thinking of you Ms Bobbie, and my thoughts and sincere condolences are with your family and friends at this time.

with kind regards,

Geoff Wood

And my thoughts are with you Ms Bobbie,

Cracked a big one and had a damn good time drinking to your jest for life and more importantly, what you did for fellow songwriters.

cheers, niteshift