Bobby Horton was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. His life long passion for music and history began at an early age. With a trumpet playing father and a banjo-playing grandfather, he was exposed to a varied menu of music—from the sound of the big bands, jazz combos and classical to the old time sounds of Southern gospel, sacred harp, and “hillbilly” music. 　　Most of the men in his young life were World War II veterans, as he listened to their war stories he soon made the connection between these stories and the content of his school history books. When he was nine years old the United States celebrated the Centennial of the Civil War. This celebration brought the Civil War to the forefront of his interest and his love of history became deeply rooted.