Bobby Vee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bobby Vee
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Vee in 1962
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Thomas Velline |
| Born | April 30, 1943 Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Died | October 24, 2016 (aged 73) Rogers, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1959–2014 |
| Labels | Liberty Records |
Robert Thomas Velline (born April 30, 1943 – died October 24, 2016), known as Bobby Vee, was a popular American singer. He was a teen idol in the early 1960s, meaning many young people loved his music. He also appeared in movies. Bobby Vee had 38 songs that made it onto the Hot 100 music chart. Ten of these songs reached the Top 20. He also earned six "gold singles" for selling many copies of his songs.
Contents
Life
Bobby Vee was born in Fargo, North Dakota. His father, Sydney Ronald Velline, was a chef and musician. His mother was Saima Cecelia Tapanila. His family had roots in Norway and Finland.
Family Life
Bobby Vee married Karen Bergen on December 28, 1963. In the early 1980s, they moved their family from Los Angeles to Minnesota. There, Bobby and Karen helped organize yearly concerts to raise money. These concerts supported music and arts programs for local children.
They had four children: sons Jeffrey, Thomas, and Robert, and a daughter named Jennifer. His sons often performed with him later in his career. Sadly, Karen passed away in 2015.
Bobby and his sons also opened a music production company called Rockhouse Productions. It is still running today in St. Joseph, Minnesota. The Vee family also helped organize and perform at the "Joetown Rocks" festival for many years. This festival brought thousands of fans to St. Joseph every July.
Later Years and Passing
Bobby Vee continued to perform live until 2011. At that time, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. This is a brain condition that affects memory. In 2011, his friends and family helped him record his last new songs. These songs were released as an album called The Adobe Sessions in 2014.
In 2012, Bobby Vee shared publicly that he had Alzheimer's. He then decided to stop performing music. He received special care for his memory in a facility in Rogers, Minnesota. Bobby Vee passed away on October 24, 2016, at the age of 73, due to complications from Alzheimer's disease.
Career
The Day the Music Died
Bobby Vee's music career began in a very sad way. On February 3, 1959, a tragic event happened. It is now known as "The Day the Music Died". Three famous musicians, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, died in a plane crash. They were on tour for the "Winter Dance Party" and were flying to their next show in Moorhead, Minnesota.
Bobby Vee was only 15 years old at the time. He and his band of school friends, called the Shadows, volunteered to perform. They filled in for Buddy Holly and his band at the Moorhead concert. Their performance was a success! This unexpected event helped start Bobby Vee's amazing career as a singer.
In 1963, Bobby Vee released an album called I Remember Buddy Holly. It was a tribute to Buddy Holly. In the album notes, he wrote about how Buddy Holly influenced him. He also shared memories of that sad day and how his band got their start. Bobby Vee became a star and often performed at memorial concerts for the "Winter Dance Party". His three sons, who are also musicians, performed with him there.
Music
Bobby Vee's first song was "Suzie Baby". He wrote it, inspired by Buddy Holly's song "Peggy Sue". He recorded it in 1959. This song became a hit in Minnesota. It gained enough attention that Liberty Records signed him later that year.
His next songs also became popular. "Devil or Angel" (1960) was a big hit in the U.S. Then, "Rubber Ball" (1961) made him famous around the world. In 1961, his song "Take Good Care of My Baby" reached number one on the U.S. pop charts!
Bobby Vee was known for singing "Brill Building pop" songs. This style of pop music was often written by songwriters working in the Brill Building in New York City. He had many international hits in the 1960s. These included "More Than I Can Say" (1961), "Run to Him" (1961), "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" (1963), and "Come Back When You Grow Up" (1967).
His original band was called The Shadows. But they changed their name to The Strangers. This was because there was already a famous British band called The Shadows.
Bobby Vee also helped create early music videos. He appeared in several musical movies. He was also in the Scopitone series, which were like early film-and-music jukebox recordings.
Connection with Bob Dylan
Early in Bobby Vee's career, a musician named Elston Gunnn toured with his band for a short time. This musician was actually Robert Allen Zimmerman, who later became the famous singer Bob Dylan. In his autobiography, Bob Dylan wrote about Bobby Vee. He shared kind words about their friendship and time together.
In 2013, Bob Dylan performed a concert in St. Paul, Minnesota. He said that Bobby Vee was in the audience. Dylan then played Bobby Vee's hit song "Suzie Baby" with great feeling. He said that Bobby Vee's voice had a "metallic, edgy tone" and was "as musical as a silver bell." Bobby Vee remembered that Bob Dylan, as Elston Gunnn, "played pretty good in the key of C."
Awards and Honors
In 1999, Bobby Vee received the North Dakota Roughrider Award. This award honors people from North Dakota who have achieved great things.
He is also mentioned in the film No Direction Home. This film is about Bob Dylan's life. It talks about Bobby Vee's brief musical connection with Dylan.
In 2008, The Very Best of Bobby Vee album was released in the UK and reached the top five on the charts. In 2011, a double-CD called Rarities was released. It had 61 songs, many of which had never been heard before.
On March 28, 2011, Bobby Vee was added to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In 2014, he was also inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame.
Discography
During his career, Bobby Vee earned six "gold singles" and one "gold album". This means these songs and albums sold many copies.
Gold Singles
- "Devil or Angel" (1960)
- "Rubber Ball" (1961)
- "Take Good Care of My Baby" (1961)
- "Run to Him" (1961)
- "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" (1962)
- "Come Back When You Grow Up" (1967) (Bobby Vee and The Strangers)
Gold Albums
- The Bobby Vee Singles Album (1980) was certified gold in the UK.
Filmography
- Swingin' Along (1961) - Bobby Vee played himself in this comedy about a songwriting contest.
- Play It Cool (1962) - He played himself in this movie about a teenage girl looking for her boyfriend. He sang "At A Time Like This".
- Just for Fun (1963) - Bobby Vee appeared as himself in this British film. He sang "All You Gotta Do Is Touch Me" and "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes".
- C'mon, Let's Live a Little (1967) - He played a character named Jesse Crawford in this film.
Images for kids
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Vee in 1962
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In Spanish: Bobby Vee para niños
