Reply #23: Tommy Roe. What a cute little guy he was. Wonder what he is up to now??

[pbartch]

http://www.classicbands.com/roe.html

Tommy Roe is sometimes described as "The father of Bubble Gum Music"

Tommy was born in Atlanta on May 9th, 1942. Among his boyhood friends were Joe South, Mac Davis, Ray Stevens and Billy Joe Royal. While a student at Brown High School, he formed a group called The Satins which played at local dances around town. The group performed several of his compositions, notably 'Sheila', which they recorded in 1960. At the time, the single was unsuccessful.

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His material often bordered on the plight of a hopeless romantic always ready to kiss and tell. Self penned lyrics such as those found in Dizzy ("...and kissed you and my heart began to melt,") stirred critics to label him a bubblegum artist, catering to just teen and pre-teen appetites. But whatever formula he chose to follow, it wasn't long before teen girls were following him. Especially girls whose names were cleverly featured in his songs!

In March 1963, he toured the UK along with Chris Montez, (best known for "Call Me", "The More I See You" and "There'll Never Be Another You"), and both gained their first substantial exposure. Interestingly, they were the headliners on a bill with the Beatles and witnessed some strong competition when the fab four reportedly stole the show.

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Roe continued to have success with 'Everybody', which became a US number 3 in 1963. A stint in the army kept him off the charts until 1966 when he recorded 'Sweet Pea', which garnered considerable airplay. The song reached the US Top 10, as did its follow-up, 'Hooray For Hazel', but Roe's biggest hit came in 1969 when 'Dizzy' topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The singer enjoyed further success that year with 'Heather Honey' and 'Jam Up and Jelly Tight', but for much of the 70s he opted to pursue a low-key career in his home state.

Roe did release some new material with 'Energy' and 'Full Bloom', but when they failed to get much attention, he subsequently stuck to the nostalgia circuit. He released several albums in the 90's, but they were just re-packaged songs from his heyday. Memories of his past success were resurrected when 'Dizzy' returned to the top of the UK charts in 1992 in a version by "the Wonder Stuff" and alternative comedian Vic Reeves.

In later years, Tommy worked in country music and did some touring with oldies shows. In all, Tommy Roe placed eleven songs in the top forty in the 1960's, two of which made the number one spot on the charts: "Sheila" and "Dizzy".

Here are Tommy Roe's songs which reached the top forty on the U.S. national record charts:

1 (#1)...Sheila-1962
2 (#35)...Susie Darlin'-1962
3 (#3)...Everybody-1963
4 (#36)...Come On-1964
5 (#8)...Sweet Pea-1966
6 (#6)...Hooray For Hazel-1966
7 (#23)...It's Now Winters Day-1967
8 (#1)...Dizzy-1969
9 (#29)...Heather Honey-1969
10 (#8)...Jam Up Jelly Tight-1969
11 (#25)...Stagger Lee-1971