Bobby Vee
 Bobby
Vee was born Robert Thomas Velline on April 30 1943 in Fargo, North
Dakota. As a teenager he was obsessed with Buddy
Holly.
When it was announced that Holly and The Crickets were due to
perform in his hometown, he hastily formed a high school group with
his brother Bob and three others. Calling themselves The Shadows they
slavishly copied Holly's material. And as macabre as it sounds in
retrospect, Buddy Holly's sudden death on February 3 1959 gave The
Shadows their first professional break.
Buddy Holly and The Crickets were due to perform at the Winter
Dance Party in Fargo when their plane crashed killing him, Ritchie
Valens, The Big Bopper and J.P. Richardson. The Shadows stepped in to
fill their spot on the show after answering an appeal from their local
radio station.
And it was from this performance that Bobby Vee's Shadows moved on
to regular gigs, before financing their recording session at Soma
Records' studio in Minneapolis. Suzy Baby, written by Bobby Vee
(in Holly's style of course) was the result. When the single was
issued it naturally became a local hit. Then Liberty Records purchased
the master recording to release it on a national basis. It debuted in
the American chart at Number 77, at which point the record company
offered the group two deals. One for The Shadows, the other for Bobby
Vee as a soloist.
Early in 1960, after working with respected producer Snuff Garrett,
Bobby Vee, emulating Holly, recorded What Do You Want? (covered
by Adam Faith who had the British hit in 1959). It struggled into the
American Top 100. After much persuasion by Garrett, Vee recorded Devil
or Angel, previously a hit for The Clovers. Despite Vee's
reservations, the single stormed up the American charts to an
impressive Number 6.
But it was in 1961 that the young singer really made his mark when
he recorded Rubber Ball, an infectious yet childish song
written by Gene Pitney and Aaron Schroeder. It was Vee's first
million-seller. Within weeks, Rubber Ball also gave Vee his
debut British hit at Number 4, beating rock & roller Marty
Wilde's
version which stalled at Number 9.
More Than I Can Say, originally the B-side of the American
hit Stayin' In, likewise reached Number 4, but it was his
fourth single that finally elevated Bobby Vee to the Number 1
position. Snuff Garrett was searching for suitable songs and visited
various publishers, including Aldon Music. There he heard a demo of Take
Good Care Of My Baby written by Carole
King. He was told the song
wasn't available as Dion had already recorded it, although it was
doubtful it would be issued. Garrett persuaded Carole
King to modify
the song to suit Vee. It was the perfect pop song, bursting with the
writer's innate ability to compose a strong, flowing melody. It
blended perfectly with Vee's voice and topped the charts on both sides
of the Atlantic, selling a million copies in each country. Dion
did
later release his version on the Runaround Sue album and Bobby
Vee himself re-recorded it at a slower pace for his 1972 album Nothin'
Like a Sunny Day, released under his real name.
 The
follow-up, Run To Him, was equally impressive, although it
faltered at Number 6 in Britain, while the album Take Good Care Of
My Baby reached the Top 10. To cash in on his British success,
Bobby Vee, with his all-American clean-cut image, toured the country,
fitting in television spots when he could. Please Don't Ask About
Barbara became a Number 29 hit, and in July 1962 Sharing You peaked
at Number 10.
After releasing the inevitable Bobby Vee Meets The Crickets
album, which featured as his best-selling album in Britain, the singer
actually toured with Buddy Holly's group. Following this and before
1962 was out, A Forever Kind Of Love reached the Top 20.
Recorded in Britain with Norrie Paramor as producer, it was another
slice of Bobby Vee magic - A strong melody against his warm voice. It
couldn't fail.
To start 1963, The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, lifted from
the Just For Fun movie, soared into the Top 3 in both Britain
and America. yet despite the conveyor belt of hits, Bobby's final
British chart entry was imminent. Titled Bobby Tomorrow, it
stalled outside the Top 20 at the end of 1963. Although his British
recording career was finished, Vee continued to work with Snuff
Garrett until 1965. None of his singles reached the Top 20 in America
until 1967 when he recorded Come Back When You Grow Up with The
Strangers, which hit the top three.
Bobby Vee remained a recording artist until 1972 but his past
success evaded him. All attempts to leave his 'sound' behind and to
experiment with different styles like lightweight country and western
didn't work. Following the release of the compilation The Bobby Vee
Singles Album, the singer was a regular contributor to the 'oldies
but goldies' packages.
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