Bobby Vee
- For the R&B singer, see Bobby Valentino. For another 1960s singer, see Bobby Vinton. For the porn actor see Bobby Vitale
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Bobby Vee (born Robert Thomas Velline, April 30 1943, Fargo, North Dakota, United States) is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine Vee has had 34 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.
Vee's 1961 summer release "Take Good Care of My Baby" went to No.1 on the Billboard U.S. listings and number 3 in the UK Singles Chart.[1] Known primarily as a performer of Brill Building pop material, he went on to record a string of international hits in the 1960s, including "Devil or Angel", "Rubber Ball" (1961), "More Than I Can Say" (1961), "Run To Him" (1961), "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" (1963), and "Come Back When You Grow Up". When Vee recorded "Come Back When You Grow Up" in 1967, he was joined by a band called 'The Strangers'.
His first single was "Suzie Baby", an original song penned by Vee which nodded towards Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue" for the Minneapolis-based Soma Records in 1959; it drew enough attention and chart action to be purchased by Liberty Records, which signed him to their label in early 1960. His follow-up single, a cover of Adam Faith's UK Number 1 "What Do You Want?" charted in the lower reaches of Billboard in early 1960; however, it was his fourth recording, a revival of The Clovers' doo-wop ballad "Devil or Angel", that brought him into the big time with U.S. buyers. His next single, "Rubber Ball", was the record that made him an international star.
Vee was also a pioneer in the music video genre, appearing in several musical motion pictures as well as in the Scopitone series of early film-and-music jukebox recordings. He is a 1999 inductee of the North Dakota Roughrider Award. He is mentioned in the movie No Direction Home, with regards to his brief musical association with Bob Dylan and Dylan's suggestion that he was 'Bobby Vee' after Vee's regional hit.
The day the music died
Vee's career began amid tragedy. On "The Day the Music Died" (3 February 1959), the three headline acts in the line-up of the traveling 'Winter Dance Party', Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper were killed in the crash of aircraft N3974N near Clear Lake, Iowa while en route to the next show on the tour itinerary in Moorhead, Minnesota. Velline, then aged 15, and a hastily-assembled band of Fargo, North Dakota schoolboys calling themselves Bobby Vee and the Shadows volunteered for and were given the unenviable job of filling in for Holly and his band at the Moorhead engagement. Their performance there was a success, setting in motion a chain of events that led to Vee's career as a popular singer.
Despite the circumstances of his debut, Vee went on to become a bona fide star, and regularly performs at the Winter Dance Party memorial concerts in Clear Lake to this day.
Personal
Vee later married and fathered three sons and a daughter. He is still active and touring internationally as a performer as of 2008, along with his backup band, The Vees, which includes his two elder sons, Jeff and Tommy Vee. His youngest son, Robby Vee is also a recording and performing artist. Bobby Vee is a recipient of the state of North Dakota's Roughrider Award and his contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Current activities
Vee currently performs at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri.[2] He performs in the 8:00pm 'Original Stars at American Bandstand' show along with Fabian, Chris Montez, Brian Hyland, and The Chiffons.
In October 2007 he was on tour performing in 'The Last of the Big Rock Shows' along with Lesley Gore and Billy "Crash" Craddock in Australia.
Lore
Early in Vee's career, a musician named Elston Gunnn briefly toured with the band.[3][4][5] "Gunnn", whose birth name was Robert Allen Zimmerman, later went on to fame as Bob Dylan.
Chart singles
| Release date | Title | Label | Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Pop Chart | U.S. AC | UK Singles Chart | U.S. R&B Chart | |||
| 1959 | "Suzie Baby" | Liberty | 77 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1960 | "What Do You Want" | 93 | -- | -- | -- | |
| "Devil or Angel" | 6 | -- | -- | 22 | ||
| "Since I Met You Baby" | 81 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| "Rubber Ball" | 6 | -- | 7 | -- | ||
| "Everyday" | -- | -- | -- | |||
| 1961 | "Stayin' In" | 13 | -- | -- | -- | |
| "More Than I Can Say" | 61 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| "How Many Tears" | 63 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| "Take Good Care of My Baby" | 1 | -- | 3 | -- | ||
| "I Can't Say Goodbye" | 92 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| "Run To Him" | 2 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| "Walkin' With My Angel" | 53 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1962 | "Please Don't Ask About Barbara" | 15 | -- | -- | -- | |
| "Sharing You" | 15 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| "Punish Her" | 20 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" | 3 | 2 | -- | 8 | ||
| 1963 | "Charms" | 13 | 5 | -- | -- | |
| "Never Love a Robin" | 99 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| "Be True To Yourself" | 34 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| "Yesterday and You" | 55 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| "A Letter From Betty" | 85 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1964 | "Hickory, Dick And Doc" | 52 | -- | -- | -- | |
| "I'll Make You Mine" | 52 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1965 | "Cross My Heart" | 99 | -- | -- | -- | |
| "Every Little Bit Hurts" | 84 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| "Keep On Trying" | 85 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1966 | "Look at Me Girl" | 52 | -- | -- | -- | |
| 1967 | "Come Back When You Grow Up" | 3 | -- | -- | -- | |
| "Beautiful People" | 37 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1968 | "Maybe Just Today" | 46 | -- | -- | -- | |
| 1968 | "Do What You Gotta Do" | 83 | -- | -- | -- | |
| "Medley-My Girl-Hey Girl" | 35 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1969 | "Let's Call It A Day Girl" | 92 | -- | -- | -- | |