He wrote and sang a hit rock and roll record — then watched another man's name go on the label while he served in the Army. Bobby Bare, born in 1935 in Ironton, Ohio, turned that Twilight Zone beginning into a seven-decade country music career built on breaking every rule Nashville had.

From Detroit City and solo Grammy wins to theatrical story-songs about infidelity, Bare banked credibility and spent it on creative freedom. He flew a British country band into Nashville, bypassed the A&R corporate firewall at Mercury Records to champion unknown writers, and proved that a true musical chameleon could outlast the most rigid industry on Earth.

• Drafted before he could pitch his catchy rock and roll song, he cut the demo as a favor to a buddy

• The record became a hit while he was in uniform — accidentally credite ...