Bobby Horton shares how a lifelong love of history shaped his unique perspective on the past. This engaging presentation explores how music often provides a more honest window into history than letters or written accounts. While correspondence can downplay hardship or exaggerate personal roles, songs tend to reflect the true emotions and experiences of the people who lived through those moments. Horton’s program highlights his deep respect for the everyday men and women who endured the Civil War and lived to tell their stories.
Raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Horton developed an early passion for both music and history. Influenced by his father, who played the trumpet, and his grandfather, who played the banjo, he grew up immersed in a wide range of musical styles, from big band, jazz and classical to Southern gospel, sacred harp, and traditional “hillbilly” music.
Many of the men in Horton’s youth were World War II veterans, and their stories helped him connect personal experiences with the history he studied in school. At age 9, during the Civil War Centennial, his interest in that era took hold and has remained central to his work ever since.
In 1984, Horton was commissioned to create the score for a feature film set in 1863 in southern Indiana. While researching music of the time, he discovered thousands of period songs. This led him to begin recording authentic Civil War music, performing all vocals and instruments himself on period instruments. His collection has grown into 14 volumes, distributed worldwide, and has paved the way for a distinguished career in film scoring and live historical presentations.
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 for more than 50 years. His work also includes scoring 19 PBS films by Ken Burns, including "The Civil War" and "Baseball," as well as projects for the A&E Network and the National Park Service.
