Robert Joseph Beckham, born on July 8, 1927, in Stratford, Oklahoma, was an American country music publisher and singer. He began his entertainment career as a child actor at age eight and later moved to Hollywood to act in motion pictures such as Junior G Men and Starmaker. Bob Beckham served in the U.S. Army during World War II and then signed a record deal with Decca Records in 1959, releasing three charting singles: "Just As Much as Ever" (1959), "Crazy Arms" (1959), and "Mais Oui" (1960). His debut album, Just As Much As Ever, came out in 1960. After his performing career waned, he settled in Nashville in 1959, where producer Owen Bradley suggested music publishing. In 1964, Fred Foster asked him to run Combine Music Publishing, the publishing arm of Monument Records. He nurtured the careers of numerous songwriters, including Kris Kristofferson and Dolly Parton. Notable songs published under his guidance include "Me and Bobby McGee" (1971) and "Sunday Morning Coming Down" (1970) by Kris Kristofferson, and Elvis Presley's "Burning Love" (1970). Bob Beckham received the Mentor Award from the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Master Award from the Nashville Entertainment Association in 1988, and the Pioneer Award from the Academy of Country Music posthumously in 2014. Bob Beckham died on November 11, 2013, at age 86 in a Nashville hospital.
