Although Bobbie Eakes is best known for her lengthy stint as Macy Alexander on The Bold And The Beautiful and later as Krystal Carey on All My Children, her creative efforts have hardly been limited to the daily grind of soaps. In fact, it was landing the role of Macy that gave Bobbie even bigger opportunities to pursue her other passion -- music. Those opportunities have led to an equally successful career as a singer.
Her love for performing goes back to her childhood. The youngest of five daughters in an Air Force family, Bobbie grew up in Warner Robins, Georgia. "I was a ham, all of us were," she recalls about those formative years. "We were very much into music and putting on our own shows." Bobbie remembers the first time she sang for a real audience in a junior high talent show. "During the rehearsal, I was so nervous that my voice was quivering, but I managed a rendition of 'Country Girl'. The teacher walked up to the stage and pulled me aside. She said, "I think you better have an encore planned." The teacher was right, and Bobbie delighted the crowd once again with "Silver Threads and Golden Needles."
"I started taking acting classes, going out on auditions, and found myself getting work on a lot of TV shows." Her singing career was going places as well, she was part of the band Big Trouble, a group produced by Grammy winner Giorgio Moroder. The band was also the "house band" on the series Comedy Break, where Bobbie also turned up occasionally as a performer in the sketches. Big Trouble eventually broke up, and Bobbie knew she was at a crossroads in her career. She was given the chance to audition for a brand new character on The Bold and the Beautiful, and ultimately won the role. "Although I felt conflicted about turning so heavily toward the acting part of my career, it turned out to be a great choice. They gave me some fabulous stories to play, and I'm grateful," says Bobbie. For her portrayal of Macy, Bobbie received a Soap Opera Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
When it came to decisions about Macy, Bobbie trusted the writers and producers. Her one suggestion over the years was that she be allowed to sing on the show, a suggestion that eventually led to Bobbie's duets with Jeff Trachta on "Bold and Beautiful Duets I and II," which have been certified as double platinum in Europe.
The success of the duet albums led the label to offer Bobbie a solo deal. Bobbie's one request was that she could choose the producer and the direction of the material. "This was the first time that I had some control over the project. I wanted to do the kind of music that really meant something to me. I went to Don Cook, a longtime songwriter and producer for such top country acts as Brooks & Dunn, Alabama, and the Mavericks, to name a few. Don was the first person we approached to do this album, and we were very lucky that the timing worked out."
While the album was only released in Europe, it caught the attention of Allen Butler, president of Sony Nashville. "Bobbie is a natural talent, a totally creative artist in many forums," said Butler. "Not only is she a powerful singer and incredible live performer, she is also an accomplished actress with a loyal world-wide fan base. We couldn't be more thrilled to include Bobbie to our Sony family and anticipate the great music to come."
In 2005 she released Something Beautiful, which debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard Jazz chart.
In her spare time, Bobbie enjoys works with various charities and loves to paint in mixed media on canvas.
PLACE OF BIRTH: Warner Robins, Georgia
DATE OF BIRTH: July 25, 1961
HEIGHT: 5"4
MARITAL STATUS: Married, David Steen [Jul 4, 1992]
