“Teen vocalist Bobby Vee Fair headliner Friday nite” from the August 25, 1964 Door County Advocate
Teen vocalist Bobby Vee Fair headliner Friday nite
Bobby Vee, one of the current crop of teen-age singing idols, will headline the Teen Time stage show Friday night at the Door County Fair. Also on the program will be the De Capas, popular young folk singing group from Sheboygan.
Bobby Vee, at the age of 15, got his first chance to sing because he was the only one in the group who knew the lyrics.
Bobby came by his interest in music because it was a family hobby. His father, Sidney Velline, was accomplished on both the violin and piano, although be was a professional chef. Bobby’s uncle, Doug Velline, played sax, while Bobby’s two older brothers, Sidney Jr., 20, and Bill, 22, are guitarists.
Bobby picked up guitar from his brother Sid while still attending Central high school in Fargo. Sid and Bill already were members of a 15-piece band and they allowed Bobby to sit in on practice sessions provided he would “shut up.”
Little did the older brothers realize then that the kid brother they were telling to “shut up” would soon be one of the best known pop singers in America.
Then fate interceded, when in 1959, the group was asked to fill in on a date for the immortal Buddy Holly, who had been killed in a plane accident. They went out and bought themselves identical sweaters, labeled themselves the “Shadows” and put Bobby on as vocalist—mostly because he knew all the lyrics to six numbers in their skimpy repertoire.
The “Shadows” played to 2,500 persons on their fill-in debut and were a smash hit, particularly Bobby.
The date aroused enough professional interest to have them brought to nearest big city, Minneapolis, where Bobby cut a record, “Susie Baby,” with key members of the original group backing him and his brother Bill playing lead guitar. Shortly after this, Bobby met Arnold Mills, who signed him to a personal management contract.
Under Mills’ directions, Bobby’s professional career was successfully launched. “Devil or Angel,” which he wrote with his brothers, passed the three - quarter - million sales mark within a few weeks after its release, and this was followed by a succession of hits: “More Than I Can Say,” “Stay-in’ In,” “How Many tears” and “Take Care of My Baby.” These six single releases represent more than four million dollars worth of record business.
BOBBY VEE
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
[Bobby Vee was born on April 30, 1943.]
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