Bobby Vee
Encyclopedia
Robert Thomas Velline known as Bobby Vee, is an American
pop music
singer. According to Billboard
magazine
, Vee has had 38 Hot 100
chart
hits
, 10 of which hit the Top 20.
, North Dakota
, he had his first single
with "Suzie Baby," an original song penned
by Vee that nodded towards Buddy Holly
's "Peggy Sue" for the Minneapolis-based Soma Records
in 1959
; it drew enough attention and chart action to be purchased by Liberty Records
, which signed him to their label
later that year. His follow-up single, a cover
of Adam Faith
's UK number 1 "What Do You Want?
", charted in the lower reaches of Billboard in early 1960; however, it was his fourth release, a revival of The Clovers
' doo-wop
ballad "Devil or Angel", that brought him into the big time with U.S. buyers. His next single, "Rubber Ball
", was the record that made him an international star
.
Vee's 1961 summer release "Take Good Care of My Baby
" went to No.1 on the Billboard U.S. listings and number 3 in the UK Singles Chart
. Known primarily as a performer of Brill Building
pop material, he went on to record a string of international hits in the 1960s, including "Devil or Angel" (U.S. #6), "Rubber Ball
" (1961—U.S. #6), "More Than I Can Say
" (1961—U.K. #4), "Run To Him" (1961—U.S. #2), "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
" (1963
—U.S. #3), and "Come Back When You Grow Up" (U.S. #3). When Vee recorded "Come Back When You Grow Up" in 1967
, he was joined by a band called 'The Strangers'.
Vee was also a pioneer in the music video
genre, appearing in several musical motion pictures
as well as in the Scopitone
series of early film-and-music jukebox
recordings. He is a 1999 inductee of the North Dakota
Roughrider Award
. He is mentioned in the movie No Direction Home
, regarding his brief musical association with Bob Dylan
and Dylan's suggestion that he was 'Bobby Vee' after Vee's regional hit.
EMI/UK released 'The Very Best of Bobby Vee' on May 12, 2008. This package charted in the UK top five.
On January 17, 2011, EMI/UK released 'Rarities', a double CD package with 61 tracks, many of which had been previously unreleased, others included alternate takes and first time stereo releases, also tracks from the 'Bobby Vee Live On Tour' album minus the 'canned' audience.
On March 28, 2011 Bobby Vee became the 235th inductee into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
" (February 3, 1959), the three headline acts in the line-up of the traveling 'Winter Dance Party'—Buddy Holly
, Ritchie Valens
, and The Big Bopper
—were killed, along with 21-year-old pilot Roger Peterson
, in the crash of a 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza v-tailed aircraft (registration #N3974N) near Clear Lake
, Iowa
, while en route to the next show on the tour itinerary in Moorhead
, Minnesota
. Velline, then aged 15, and a hastily-assembled band of Fargo, North Dakota, schoolboys calling themselves The Shadows volunteered for and were given the unenviable job of filling in for Holly and his band at the Moorhead engagement. Their performance there was a success, setting in motion a chain of events that led to Vee's career as a popular singer.
In 1963, Bobby Vee released a tribute album on Liberty Records called "I Remember Buddy Holly". In the sleeve notes accompanying the album, Vee recalled Holly's influence on him and the events surrounding the tragic death of Holly thus: 'Like so many other people, I became a Buddy Holly fan the very first time I heard him sing. I've been a fan ever since and I guess I always will be. I remember a few years ago when Buddy was scheduled to appear at a dance in my home town of Fargo, North Dakota. It was going to be a big event for the whole town, but even more so for me. I was anxiously looking forward to seeing Buddy in action.'
Vee continued, 'The day he was to arrive disaster struck, taking Buddy's life, along with the lives of two other fine singers, Ritchie Valens
and The Big Bopper
. The shocking news spread through Fargo very quickly. The local radio station broadcast a plea for local talent to entertain at the scheduled dance. About a week before this, I had just organized a vocal and instrumental group of five guys. Our style was modelled after Buddy's approach and we had been rehearsing with Buddy's hits in mind. When we heard the radio plea for talent, we went in and volunteered. We hadn't even named the group up to that time, so we gave ourselves a name on the spot, calling ourselves "The Shadows". We appeared at the dance and were grateful to be enthusiastically accepted. Soon afterwards, I made my first record. It was called "Suzie Baby" and I was pretty lucky with it; it was a fair-sized hit.'
Vee concluded, 'For some time now, I have wanted to make an album in tribute to Buddy, but I wasn't sure it was the proper thing to do. However, during the past year, I have received many requests to do such an album. These requests came not only from my fans and from DJs, but also from Buddy's loyal following---still a large group of devoted fans. It.... gave me the confidence to do the album. From "Suzie Baby" to this present album, I have made many records, but I have never forgotten Buddy Holly and his influence on my singing style and my career.'
Despite the circumstances of his debut, Vee went on to become a bona fide star, and regularly performs at the Winter Dance Party memorial concert
s in Clear Lake, and often some tribute concerts to the event are performed by his son Robbie along with Jay Richardson, the son of The Big Bopper
. Winter Dance Party tribute concerts are also performed by both his son Robbie along with the Big Bopper's son Jay Richardson.
, North Dakota
, with his cousins. He is half Finnish through his mother who was Saima Cecelia Tapanila. He lived in Beverly Hills
, for decades, but relocated to St. Cloud, Minnesota
, then to nearby Collegeville.
Vee married Karen Bergen of Detroit Lakes
, Minnesota
, December 28, 1963, and fathered three sons and a daughter. His children include: Jeffery Robert Velline (born January 3, 1965); Thomas Paul Velline (born October 25, 1966); Robert Bryon Velline (born August 4, 1967); and Jennifer Joanne Velline (born May 31, 1972). A number of his children join him on tour backing as his band. He is still active and touring internationally as a performer , along with his backup band, The Vees, which includes his two elder sons, Jeff and Tommy Vee. His youngest son, Robby Vee, is also a recording and performing artist. Bobby Vee is a recipient of the state of North Dakota's Roughrider Award and his contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
. In 2009 Bobby Vee was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
Bobby Vee and his sons in The Vees traveled to Perth, ND summer after summer to entertain people for the Music on the Prairie concert series and to participate in the Tuomala and Tapanila family reunions as both families came together from Canada and America.
Theater in Branson, Missouri
. He performed in the 8:00 pm 'Original Stars at American Bandstand' show with Fabian
, Chris Montez
, Brian Hyland
, and The Chiffons
.
In October 2007, he was on tour performing in 'The Last of the Big Rock Shows' along with Lesley Gore
and Billy "Crash" Craddock in Australia
.
.
In Dylan's autobiography, Chronicles, Volume One
, he makes special mention of Vee and shares significant and complimentary details about their friendship, both professional and personal.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer. According to Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, Vee has had 38 Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, 10 of which hit the Top 20.
Career
Born in FargoFargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, he had his first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
with "Suzie Baby," an original song penned
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Vee that nodded towards Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
's "Peggy Sue" for the Minneapolis-based Soma Records
Soma Records
Soma Records may refer to...*Soma Records , an American record company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota best known for issuing recordings by The Fendermen and The Castaways...
in 1959
1959 in music
-Events:*January 5 – The first sessions for Ella Fitzgerald's George and Ira Gershwin Songbook are held.*January 12 – Tamla Records is founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit, Michigan....
; it drew enough attention and chart action to be purchased by Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
, which signed him to their label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
later that year. His follow-up single, a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Adam Faith
Adam Faith
Terence "Terry" Nelhams-Wright, known as Adam Faith was a Teen idol English singer, actor and later financial journalist. He was one of the most charted acts of the 1960s. He became the first UK artist to lodge his initial seven hits in the Top 5...
's UK number 1 "What Do You Want?
What Do You Want?
"What Do You Want?" was a 1959 song which became a number one hit in the United Kingdom for Adam Faith. It was written by Les Vandyke and produced by John Burgess and arranged by John Barry. It first appeared on the charts on 20 November 1959 and spent 19 weeks there...
", charted in the lower reaches of Billboard in early 1960; however, it was his fourth release, a revival of The Clovers
The Clovers
-History:The group formed in 1946 at Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C., with members Harold Lucas, Billy Shelton, and Thomas Woods. John "Buddy" Bailey was added soon after, and they began calling themselves the "Four Clovers", with Bailey on lead...
' doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
ballad "Devil or Angel", that brought him into the big time with U.S. buyers. His next single, "Rubber Ball
Rubber Ball (song)
"Rubber Ball" was an early 1961 hit for Bobby Vee on Liberty Records. In fact, it was the record which made Vee an international star. The song was recorded on August 12, 1960 in a four-song, 3-hour session at United in Hollywood...
", was the record that made him an international star
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
.
Vee's 1961 summer release "Take Good Care of My Baby
Take Good Care of My Baby
"Take Good Care of My Baby" is a song written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin and made famous by Bobby Vee, when it was released in 1961. It quickly became popular, reaching #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in September. The song was covered by The Beatles during their audition at Decca Records on...
" went to No.1 on the Billboard U.S. listings and number 3 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Known primarily as a performer of Brill Building
Brill Building
The Brill Building is an office building located at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood...
pop material, he went on to record a string of international hits in the 1960s, including "Devil or Angel" (U.S. #6), "Rubber Ball
Rubber Ball (song)
"Rubber Ball" was an early 1961 hit for Bobby Vee on Liberty Records. In fact, it was the record which made Vee an international star. The song was recorded on August 12, 1960 in a four-song, 3-hour session at United in Hollywood...
" (1961—U.S. #6), "More Than I Can Say
More Than I Can Say
"More Than I Can Say" is a song written by Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison, both former members of Buddy Holly's band The Crickets and was recorded by their band in 1959 soon after Holly's death and was released in 1960. Their original version hit #42 on British Record Retailer Chart on 5/12/60...
" (1961—U.K. #4), "Run To Him" (1961—U.S. #2), "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (song)
"The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" is a popular song written by Benjamin Weisman, Dorothy Wayne, and Marilynn Garrett made famous by Bobby Vee on his 1963 Liberty Records album, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes. The popular single hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on the Easy Listening survey, and #9...
" (1963
1963 in music
-Events:*January 1 – The Beatles start a 5-day tour in Scotland to support the release of their new single, "Love Me Do".*January 4 – At Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, Dalida receives a Juke Box Global Oscar for the year's most-played artist on juke boxes....
—U.S. #3), and "Come Back When You Grow Up" (U.S. #3). When Vee recorded "Come Back When You Grow Up" in 1967
1967 in music
The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The...
, he was joined by a band called 'The Strangers'.
Vee was also a pioneer in the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
genre, appearing in several musical motion pictures
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
as well as in the Scopitone
Scopitone
Scopitone is a type of jukebox featuring a 16 mm film component. Scopitone films were a forerunner of music videos. The Italian Cinebox/Colorama and Color-Sonics were competing, lesser-known technologies of the time....
series of early film-and-music jukebox
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
recordings. He is a 1999 inductee of the North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
Roughrider Award
Roughrider Award
The Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award is an award presented by the governor of the state of North Dakota. It is bestowed upon prominent North Dakotans.-Recipients:Note: date in parentheses indicates date of award...
. He is mentioned in the movie No Direction Home
No Direction Home
No Direction Home is a documentary film by Martin Scorsese that traces the life of Bob Dylan, and his impact on 20th century American popular music and culture. The film does not cover Dylan's entire career; it concentrates on the period between Dylan's arrival in New York in January 1961 and his...
, regarding his brief musical association with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Dylan's suggestion that he was 'Bobby Vee' after Vee's regional hit.
EMI/UK released 'The Very Best of Bobby Vee' on May 12, 2008. This package charted in the UK top five.
On January 17, 2011, EMI/UK released 'Rarities', a double CD package with 61 tracks, many of which had been previously unreleased, others included alternate takes and first time stereo releases, also tracks from the 'Bobby Vee Live On Tour' album minus the 'canned' audience.
On March 28, 2011 Bobby Vee became the 235th inductee into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
The Day The Music Died
Vee's career began amid tragedy. On "The Day the Music DiedThe Day the Music Died
On February 3, 1959, a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll pioneers: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson. The day was later called The Day the Music Died by Don McLean, in his song...
" (February 3, 1959), the three headline acts in the line-up of the traveling 'Winter Dance Party'—Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
, and The Big Bopper
The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
—were killed, along with 21-year-old pilot Roger Peterson
Roger Peterson
Roger Peterson may refer to:*Roger Tory Peterson, ornithologist*Roger Peterson , Aruban-Dutch musician*Roger Peterson , pilot of the plane that crashed killing Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Jiles Perry Richardson...
, in the crash of a 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza v-tailed aircraft (registration #N3974N) near Clear Lake
Clear Lake, Iowa
Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,161 at the 2000 census. The city is named for the large lake on which it is located. It is the home of a number of marinas, state parks and tourism-related businesses. Clear Lake is also a major stop on Interstate...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, while en route to the next show on the tour itinerary in Moorhead
Moorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, and the largest city in northwest Minnesota. The population was 38,065 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Clay County....
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Velline, then aged 15, and a hastily-assembled band of Fargo, North Dakota, schoolboys calling themselves The Shadows volunteered for and were given the unenviable job of filling in for Holly and his band at the Moorhead engagement. Their performance there was a success, setting in motion a chain of events that led to Vee's career as a popular singer.
In 1963, Bobby Vee released a tribute album on Liberty Records called "I Remember Buddy Holly". In the sleeve notes accompanying the album, Vee recalled Holly's influence on him and the events surrounding the tragic death of Holly thus: 'Like so many other people, I became a Buddy Holly fan the very first time I heard him sing. I've been a fan ever since and I guess I always will be. I remember a few years ago when Buddy was scheduled to appear at a dance in my home town of Fargo, North Dakota. It was going to be a big event for the whole town, but even more so for me. I was anxiously looking forward to seeing Buddy in action.'
Vee continued, 'The day he was to arrive disaster struck, taking Buddy's life, along with the lives of two other fine singers, Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
and The Big Bopper
The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
. The shocking news spread through Fargo very quickly. The local radio station broadcast a plea for local talent to entertain at the scheduled dance. About a week before this, I had just organized a vocal and instrumental group of five guys. Our style was modelled after Buddy's approach and we had been rehearsing with Buddy's hits in mind. When we heard the radio plea for talent, we went in and volunteered. We hadn't even named the group up to that time, so we gave ourselves a name on the spot, calling ourselves "The Shadows". We appeared at the dance and were grateful to be enthusiastically accepted. Soon afterwards, I made my first record. It was called "Suzie Baby" and I was pretty lucky with it; it was a fair-sized hit.'
Vee concluded, 'For some time now, I have wanted to make an album in tribute to Buddy, but I wasn't sure it was the proper thing to do. However, during the past year, I have received many requests to do such an album. These requests came not only from my fans and from DJs, but also from Buddy's loyal following---still a large group of devoted fans. It.... gave me the confidence to do the album. From "Suzie Baby" to this present album, I have made many records, but I have never forgotten Buddy Holly and his influence on my singing style and my career.'
Despite the circumstances of his debut, Vee went on to become a bona fide star, and regularly performs at the Winter Dance Party memorial concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s in Clear Lake, and often some tribute concerts to the event are performed by his son Robbie along with Jay Richardson, the son of The Big Bopper
The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
. Winter Dance Party tribute concerts are also performed by both his son Robbie along with the Big Bopper's son Jay Richardson.
Personal
As a child, Bobby spent summers on the Tuomala Family Farm in PerthPerth, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 13 people, 4 households, and 2 families residing in the city. The population density was 98.6 people per square mile . There were 6 housing units at an average density of 45.5 per square mile...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, with his cousins. He is half Finnish through his mother who was Saima Cecelia Tapanila. He lived in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
, for decades, but relocated to St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
, then to nearby Collegeville.
Vee married Karen Bergen of Detroit Lakes
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
-Demographics:As of the official census of 2000, there were 7,348 people, 3,319 households, and 1,845 families permanently residing in the city. The population density was 980.4 people per square mile . There were 3,782 housing units at an average density of 504.6 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, December 28, 1963, and fathered three sons and a daughter. His children include: Jeffery Robert Velline (born January 3, 1965); Thomas Paul Velline (born October 25, 1966); Robert Bryon Velline (born August 4, 1967); and Jennifer Joanne Velline (born May 31, 1972). A number of his children join him on tour backing as his band. He is still active and touring internationally as a performer , along with his backup band, The Vees, which includes his two elder sons, Jeff and Tommy Vee. His youngest son, Robby Vee, is also a recording and performing artist. Bobby Vee is a recipient of the state of North Dakota's Roughrider Award and his contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on the internet on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre....
. In 2009 Bobby Vee was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
Bobby Vee and his sons in The Vees traveled to Perth, ND summer after summer to entertain people for the Music on the Prairie concert series and to participate in the Tuomala and Tapanila family reunions as both families came together from Canada and America.
Current activities
Vee concluded a long-running engagement at Dick Clark's American BandstandAmerican Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
Theater in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
. He performed in the 8:00 pm 'Original Stars at American Bandstand' show with Fabian
Fabian (entertainer)
Fabiano Anthony Forte , known as Fabian, is an American teen idol of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He rose to national prominence after performing several times on American Bandstand. Eleven of his songs reached the Billboard Hot 100 listing.-Early life:Fabian was the son of Josephine and Domenic...
, Chris Montez
Chris Montez
Chris Montez , is an American singer.-Early life:Montez grew up in Hawthorne, California, influenced by the Latino-flavored music of his community and the success of Ritchie Valens....
, Brian Hyland
Brian Hyland
Brian Hyland is an American pop recording artist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s...
, and The Chiffons
The Chiffons
The Chiffons was an all girl group originating from the Bronx area of New York in 1960.-Biography:The Chiffons were one of the top girl groups of the early 1960s...
.
In October 2007, he was on tour performing in 'The Last of the Big Rock Shows' along with Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore is an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit "It's My Party", which she recorded at the age of 16. Following the hit, she became one of the most recognized teen pop singers of the 1960s.- Biography :Gore was born in New York City, New York. She was raised in...
and Billy "Crash" Craddock in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Lore
Early in Vee's career, a musician named Elston Gunnn briefly toured with the band. "Gunnn", whose birth name was Robert Allen Zimmerman, later went on to fame as Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
.
In Dylan's autobiography, Chronicles, Volume One
Chronicles: Volume One
Chronicles, Volume One is the first part of Bob Dylan's planned 3-volume memoir. Published on October 5, 2004, by Simon & Schuster, the 304-page volume covers selected points from Dylan's long career. The book spent 19 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list for hardcover nonfiction books...
, he makes special mention of Vee and shares significant and complimentary details about their friendship, both professional and personal.
Films
- Swingin' Along (1962), Lippert Films, color, 74 minutes, director: Charles Barton, producer: Jack Leewood, screenplay: Arthur Morton
- A comedy about a songwriting contest, originally released in 1961 as Double Trouble. Scenes were added of Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
(doing "What'd I Say") and Bobby Vee (doing "More Than I Can Say").
- Play it Cool (1962), Allied Artists, black and white, 82 minutes, director: Michael Winner, producers: Leslie Parkyn, Julian Wintle, screenplay: Jack Henry
- Selection of early 1960s performers woven through a plot about a bratty, rich teenage girl looking for her boyfriend. Vee sings "At A Time Like This."
- Just for Fun (1963), Columbia Pictures, black and white, 85 minutes, director: Gordon Fleming, producer and screenplay: Milton Subotsky
- British teens win the right to vote, so the two major political parties strive to win this new voting bloc to their sides. Meanwhile, there's a parade of pop stars including Freddy CannonFreddy CannonFrederick Anthony Picariello Jr. , known as Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singer, whose biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans", and "Palisades Park".-Biography:...
, Ketty Lester, Jeremy Lloyd, Bobby Vee, The Crickets, The Springfields, Jet Harris, Tony Meehan, Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, The TornadoesThe TornadoesThe Tornadoes were a surf band from Redlands, California, the first to receive national airplay with a surf instrumental. The song was "Bustin' Surfboards", released on Aertaun Records in 1962, and it has since become a classic and mainstay of the surf genre...
, Brian Poole and the TremeloesThe TremeloesThe Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, Essex, and still active today.-Career:They formed as Brian Poole and the Tremoloes influenced by Buddy Holly and The Crickets...
and Johnny TillotsonJohnny TillotsonJohnny Tillotson is an American singer and songwriter. He enjoyed his greatest success in the early 1960s, when he scored 9 top-ten hits on the pop, country and adult contemporary billboard charts including "Poetry In Motion" and the self-penned "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'"...
. Vee sings "All You Gotta Do Is Touch Me" and "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes."
- C'mon, Let's Live a Little (1967), Paramount Pictures, color, 85 minutes, director: David Butler, producers: John Herelandy, June Starr, screenplay: June Starr