Marion "Bubba" H. Talbert

Marion Hilton “Bubba” Talbert, 73, peacefully passed away on March 3, 2022 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born in Shreveport, La to Robert Hilton Talbert and Ada Bess “Bobbie” Talbert. Bubba was raised in Blanchard, La. He attended Fair Park High School, graduating in 1967. He was a member of the Gripping Force Band which performed at numerous dances and venues and managed by Larry Ryan. He was a trumpet player in the band. He then enlisted in the United States Army becoming an Airborne Ranger. He was honored and revered for his excellent leadership abilities as a company commander. After 4 years, he was honorably discharged and enrolled in Pharmacy school on the GI bill at the then Northeast Louisiana University. He graduated with his pharmacy degree in 1976 and started working in his cousin’s drugstore in Center, TX. Also during this time, he acted in several Marjorie Lyons Playhouse plays in Shreveport and started singing and emceeing on the Louisiana Hayride on Benton Road in Bossier City, La. In 1979, he obtained a resident pharmacist position at the Northwest State School in Bossier City. He continued to work there and also started pursuing a career in country music under management. He won Best Entertainer in 1982 on the Oklahoma Opry in Oklahoma City, Ok. He won several Best Male Vocalist and Best Entertainer awards on the Louisiana Hayride for the next few years. In 1983, he competed on Star Search in Hollywood, Ca. against Joseph Williams who later became the lead singer for the band Toto. He performed on Johnny High’s Country Music Revue in Fort Worth, Tx and the Stephenville Opry in Stephenville, Tx, along with several others. In 1984, he opened his own drugstore in downtown Blanchard called “Talbert Drugs” which he continued to run until 2000. During this time, Bubba continued to perform on various stages, such as The Miss Louisiana Pageant, Miss USA Pageant, Dallas Cowboy’s Kick-Off Banquet, and the televised West Texas Rehab Telethon in Abilene Tx for several years. He also made several trips to Nashville, TN to record multiple original songs. He moved his family to Nashville from August 1992 to November 1993, working with the talented and famous producer, Ron Oates and “The Voice”, Vern Gosdin. There were many chartered bus trips to various shows and venues, including the Grand Ole Opry, when he had won the Southeast Division GMC Country Showdown contest. He met many “stars” throughout the years who always had accolades for his beautiful voice talent. In his later years, Bubba became part of an evangelistic team called “Just For The Love of Jesus” where he led many worship services and revivals, sometimes singing and sometimes preaching. He also was Music Minister at First Baptist Blanchard for a period of time, which he enjoyed immensely. In addition to all this, Bubba was a wonderful, loving daddy to his 4 children. He is survived by his 4 children, Amy (Chris) Smith, Emily (Joe) McShane, David (Kristin) Talbert, Molly (Logan) Bonnette, his brother, Dennis (Juanita) Talbert, sister, Charmaine (Lonnie) Hopkins, eight grandchildren and one great grandson. Bubba was a special person. He was a great leader, pharmacist, performer and friend to many. The family would like to thank Dr Veluvolu and staff at the Willis-Knighton Cancer Center for their care and compassion. Also, many thanks to the St. Joseph Hospice staff for their loving care and concern. We would also like to thank all our friends and family who offered up many prayers for Bubba’s treatment and outcome. You will never know how much it helped to know he had so many that truly cared and prayed for him. He will be sorely missed by many, but we take comfort in knowing that he is in the presence of the Lord and no longer suffering in this world.

Services for Bubba will be held Sunday, March 6, 2022 at First Baptist Blanchard Church beginning at 2:00 pm. Visitation will be held Saturday, March 5, 2022 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Hill Crest Memorial - Blanchard Chapel.