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, 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'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 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,
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, 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. 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.
Reference
*All Music Guide |
