Bobby Starnes, noted bluegrass songwriter, producer, publisher, and studio operator, experienced a serious fall at his home over the weekend, and is recovering now at Welmont Hospital in Kingsport, TN.
He suffered a fractured skull, several broken ribs, and is experiencing some brain bleeding after falling down his basement steps last Friday night. For now he remains in the ICU, but may be sent to a regular room soon.
His family reports that Bobby is coherent and sensible, but quite sore, and that a period of several weeks is likely to be required for his brain to absorb the blood lost into his skull. At this time, they request that friends hold off on visiting him at the hospital until his condition is more stable.
Bobby is a frequent songwriting partner of Tim Stafford’s, and Blue Highway has recorded at his Hat Creek Recording Company studio, as have many other bluegrass and acoustic artists in Virginia and East Tennessee. Along with Stafford and Johnny Burton, Starnes is a principal in Word Of Mouth Press, publishers of Still Inside – The Tony Rice Story.
Doctors do not anticipate any permanent brain damage, but Starnes has a long road to recovery. The family requests the prayers of all his family and friends.
