Country music icon Bobby Bare is receiving the Frances Williams Preston Mentor Award at next month’s Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala.

The event is scheduled to take place on October 11.

“Throughout his storied career, Bobby Bare has changed the lives of countless songwriters,” Mark Ford, Executive Director of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF), said in a statement. “He has befriended numerous NaSHOF legends, including Shel Silverstein, Tom T. Hall, Billy Joe Shaver, Bob McDill, Harlan Howard and Kris Kristofferson.”

Ford added, “He discovered Waylon Jennings and helped him sign with RCA Records in the mid-1960s. He featured many songwriters on his TNN TV show, ‘Bobby Bare and Friends’, from 1983-1988.

“Bobby has made a tremendous impact upon our music, and we are proud to salute him in this way.”

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Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame honoring Bobby Bare at upcoming gala NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 16: Bobby Bare, Kris Kristofferson and Brandy Clark attend The 2016 Medallion Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 16, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum) (Rick Diamond)

Born in Ohio, Bare has reportedly recorded more than 300 songs – including 35 Top-40 singles – written or co-written by 76 NaSHOF songwriters. According to Ford, that makes up “roughly 30 percent of the Hall’s entire membership.”

With hit songs including “Detroit City,” “500 Miles” and “Marie Laveau”, Bare is recognized by most as the original “outlaw” of country music.

“From country legends like Little Jimmy Dickens and Hank Williams to big band acts like Phil Harris and the Dominoes, Bare’s style was molded and led him to nearly five dozen Top 40 hits from 1962 to 1983,” the NaSHOF writes.

Over the years, Bare has been honored with several awards and accolades, including multiple Grammy nominations and wins.

Read more about Bobby Bare’s career here.

Next month, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member will become the first recording artist to receive the award named for Frances Williams Preston.

During her five-decade career at Broadcast Music, Inc., Preston “influenced and nurtured the careers of thousands of songwriters, performers and publishers in all genres,” the NaSHOF says.

Previous Frances Williams Preston Mentor Award recipients include music publisher Bob Beckham, songwriter advocate Ralph Murphy, music publisher Pat Higdon and Bluebird Café founder Amy Kurland.

Read more about the NaSHOF and its upcoming gala here.

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