Bobby Cash grew up and lives in Clement Town, near Dehradun ,Northern India, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

A pioneer in his own country, Bobby is the first Indian ever to release a country music album in India. Born Bal Kishore Das Loiwal, his father used to call him “Babu” which became “Bobby”- and Kishore became “Kish”, which in turn became “Cash”.

For as long as he can remember country music was played in his house. In the early 1960’s an aunt moved to Nashville and would regularly send the latest country releases to Bobby’s mother. With an uncle who made electric guitars and sisters and cousins with a similar passion, Bobby’s home became a kind of incubator of country music in India. His older cousins were greatly affected when the Beatles passed through town on the way to an ashram at nearby Rishikesh in the late sixties.

Descended on his Mothers side from a Maharaja, the advance of Christian Missionaries at the end of the 19th century resulted in his great grandfathers conversion to Christianity, expulsion from the “Cote” and a new way of life for the following generations.

He has the dark looks of Northern India, the mellowest vocal style and an extraordinary gift for the guitar. He’s 6’1”, wears a cowboy hat, fringed leather jacket, black leather pants and Texan boots. His influences are broad from Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard to Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers with some flamenco and classical thrown in.

His father married late in life and was, as Bobby said, “a kind of Howard Hughes”. In the 1930’s he would go big game hunting with Hollywood movie stars and skiing in the Swiss Alps. After an accident car racing he underwent a change of life and went on to give away the family fortune.

After his Father’s death Bobby used what money was left to set up a school and hostel for underprivileged children that his family run, while he went to New Delhi to try and make his living as a professional musician.

Bobby attended the 2005 CMA music festival in Nashville after being nominated for CMA Global Artist Award - and received a standing ovation from the head of the CMA, Ed Benson, who declared him to be “the real deal”.

in July 2004 Bobby re-entered the studio and recorded an album of cover versions of crowd favourites. Titled “Phoenix to El Paso” it reflects the music Bobby and his family grew up listening to –cowboy and love songs.

His third album “State of My Heart” was released at The Basement in Sydney, in April 2006. It is a musical journey that explores some roots of country music. All originals (apart from a poignant version of  “In the Garden”)  it is classic New Traditional Country with Spanish and Indian Country influences thrown in.

Bobby returned to Australia in June 2003 and recorded his first country music album - “Cowboy at Heart”. He was joined by some of the cream of the Australian music industry including duets with the legendary Smoky Dawson and Tania Kernaghan.

It made into the top 10 Australian Country Music track charts and was the highest selling independent artist for distributor One Stop Entertainment at the 2004 Tamworth Country Music Festival.

Since 2008 Bobby Cash has been off the road to concentrate on his life in India with his family and school. New classrooms, accommodation and amenities have been added.

The documentary “The Indian Cowboy…one in a Billion” screened on the Ovation Channel in December 2003 and on ABCTV in January 2004 to critical acclaim. The Australian’s TV reviewer Susan Kurosawa summed it up when she wrote “This is a timely look, too, at how readily outsiders can be assimilated into an Australian country town: a place with a big heart that just couldn't get enough of the best Indian Cowboy they never heard of.”

In June 2004 the documentary screened on the Discovery Channel in India in both English and Hindi. In September the album was released through Universal Music (India).

The curious who came to his first shows busking were soon converts when they saw this charismatic and talented performer so passionate about his music.

He became an overnight sensation. He also caught the eye of a successful farmer whose Aunt had been a missionary in India in the early 1900‘s.

While knowing nothing about Bobby, he offered to help Bobby record a CD - in the hope that some of the profits would go to help underprivileged children in India. It turned out to be a match made in Heaven.

A chance meeting with an Australian TV Producer in Jan 2002 turned that dream into a reality when he arranged for Bobby to travel to the 2003 Tamworth Country Music Festival as the subject of a documentary. As India’s population had just passed the one billion mark, and Bobby was the only guy in India making a living playing country music, it became “The Indian Cowboy…one in a Billion”.

What followed was a dream come true. As Bobby said later “You couldn’t have scripted it better if you’d tried”. Tamworth was a chance for Bobby to play for, and with, people who truly love the same music he does.

He landed a regular paying gig at “Rodeo” in Connaught Place, New Delhi, after entering a karaoke competition there. Once people realised that not only did he have a great voice, but that he could really play the guitar, he soon became a major drawcard.

After briefly dabbling in “Hindi pop” he returned to his first true love- Country Music. In New Delhi, with a regular gig at the five star Oberio Hotel, whenever any Australian heard him they would tell him he had to go to the Tamworth Country Music Festival. It was to be the start of a dream.

Since his first visit to Australia in 2003, it has been an amazing journey for Bobby. He’s played everything from agricultural field days to concert auditoriums and International Cricket Test Matches- and and then some.

He’s appeared from Cairns and Croydon in North Queensland to Melbourne in the south, Tweed Heads in the east and Geraldton in the west. And everywhere he goes the reaction is the same. “Nobody plays Country Music like this anymore”.

Ed Benson

Executive Director  CMA 1992-2005

Aunt Edith

© Gobsmacked Television Pty Ltd 2009