She was born in
Beaumont, Texas, and attended
Hebert High School. She was raised
Catholic and sang in the choir at her local parish. She also played piano as a child, but switched to guitar, which she plays left-handed. Inspired by blues artists
Guitar Slim and
Jimmy Reed, and pop acts
Elvis Presley and
Brenda Lee, and winning several local talent shows, she created an all-female band, Bobbie Lynn and Her Idols. Released by
Jamie Records, it was a number 1
US Billboard R&B chart hit and Top 10
Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1962. Unusual for the time, Lynn was a female
African American singer who both wrote most of her own songs and played a lead instrument. Soon Lynn was touring with such
soul musicians as
Gladys Knight,
Stevie Wonder,
Smokey Robinson,
Dionne Warwick,
Jackie Wilson,
Sam Cooke,
Otis Redding,
James Brown,
Al Green,
Carla Thomas,
Marvin Gaye,
Ike and Tina Turner,
the Temptations, and
B.B. King. She appeared at the
Apollo Theater, twice on
American Bandstand. In 1965, she had her song, "Oh Baby (We've Got A Good Thing Goin')" (1964)
covered by
the Rolling Stones on their album
The Rolling Stones Now! in America and
Out Of Our Heads in the UK. The song was also recorded by Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, with Beverly Skeete lead singing. Lynn continued to record for the Jamie label until 1966 and had several more minor hits. In 1984 she toured
Japan, and recorded a live album, ''You Don't Have to Go'', which was released later in the US. She resumed her recording career after her husband's death, and returned to her hometown of Beaumont, Texas, where her mother lived. In 2002, electronic musician
Moby sampled Lynn's "I'm A Good Woman" on his album
18. She appears in the 2015 music documentary film
I Am the Blues. She is a recipient of a 2018
National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the
National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. In 2026 Lynn was inducted into the
Blues Hall of Fame. ==Discography==