 His career launched as a fill-in for the recently deceased
Buddy Holly,
Bobby Vee scored several pop
hits during the early '60s, that notorious period of popular music sandwiched
between the birth of rock & roll and the rise of the British Invasion. Though a
few of his singles -- "Rubber Ball," for one -- were as innocuous as anything
else from the era,
Bobby Vee had a knack for infectious Brill Building pop, thanks to his ebullient
voice as well as the cadre of songwriters standing behind him.
Born in Fargo, North Dakota in 1943, Robert Thomas Velline was still in his
teens when he formed his first combo, the Shadows, with his brother
Bill and their friend
Bob Korum. The trio were playing around the area when their big break came,
at the expense of one of
Bobby Vee's musical idols; the Winter Dance Party package tour, with
Buddy Holly,
Ritchie Valens and
the Big Bopper were on their way to Fargo when their plane went down in
Iowa, killing all three. The Shadows were scheduled to play the date instead of
Holly, and several months later, producer
Tommy "Snuff" Garrett supervised their first recording session and the
release of the single "Suzie Baby" on Soma Records. Liberty/RCA picked up the
single later in the year, and though it just barely scraped the pop charts, the
label kept plugging with
Bobby Vee as a solo act, recording him on
Adam Faith's "What Do You Want?," which also failed to move.
With the collective might of the Brill Building behind him, though,
Bobby Vee was guaranteed to make it; his third single, "Devil or Angel," hit the
Top Ten in mid-1960, followed by "Rubber Ball" later that year. One year later,
Bobby Vee's biggest hit, "Take Good Care of My Baby," spent three weeks at number
one, followed by the number two "Run to Him." His fame appeared to wane after
the 1962 Top Ten single "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," due in large part to
the success of
the Beatles and other English acts.
Bobby Vee appeared in several movies (Just for Fun, Play It Cool) and briefly
tried to cash in on the British phenomenon -- with the disappointing Bobby Vee
Sings the New Sound from England! -- but also recorded songs by his early
influences, including
Buddy Holly and
the Crickets.
Bobby Vee continued to chart throughout the 1960s, and even hit the Top Ten
again in 1967 with "Come Back When You Grow Up," but after a brief attempt at
more serious recordings, he hit the rock & roll oldies circuit. ~ John Bush, All
Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book Bobby Vee for
your next corporate or private event.
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