Rockabilly Crooner, Americana Pioneer
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROBERT THOMAS VELLINE A.K.A. BOBBY VEE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROBERT THOMAS VELLINE A.K.A. BOBBY VEE, the talented singer-songwriter who came up in the matrix of early rock’n’roll, crooner pop, and rockabilly.
Bob Dylan recalled that Vee "had a metallic, edgy tone to his voice, and it was as musical as a silver bell." Nearly forgotten today, Vee sold millions of records, was a pioneer of the music video format, and maintained an international touring schedule until a few years before he passed (from Alzheimer's complications) in 2016.
Early in Vee's career, a musician calling himself Elston Gunn toured as a keyboardist with Vee’s band. Gunn was actually Bob Dylan. In a concert in St. Paul MN (July 10, 2013), Dylan spoke from the stage, “Thank you everyone…I lived here a while back, and since that time, I've played all over the world, with all kinds of people…everybody from Mick Jagger to Madonna…and everybody in there in between…but the most beautiful person I've ever been on the stage with, was a man who is here…I want to say that Bobby Vee is actually here tonight. Maybe you can show your appreciation with just a round of applause. So, we're gonna try to do this song, like I've done it with him before once or twice.” Then Dylan gave an emotional rendition of Vee's hit, "Suzie Baby.”
Some dismissed Vee as “teen idol fluff”—a pretty face that sold records—a tag that dogged similar artists like Brian Hyland and Rick Nelson. Like them, however, Vee had talents to beat the typecast. Even his lightweight pop sides had an ornate quality. He did album collaborations with The Crickets and The Ventures and, after the chart hits dried up in 1967, he experimented with bubblegum soul, folk rock, and baroque pop (cutting a notable version of “The Girl I Left Behind Me”, a song designed for The Monkees).
In 1972 Vee teamed with Red Rhodes, The Dillards, The 5 Man Electric Band, and The Wrecking Crew to create the masterwork album NOTHING LIKE A SUNNY DAY, released under his real name. It was a strong platform for his songwriting skills and featured stunning vocal work on par with The Eagles and Crosby Stills & Nash. Velline’s LP got global attention but it's now an obscurity from the Golden Age of Country Rock—it’s well worth seeking out:
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