According to Billboard magazine, he had 38 American Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.
Vee was born in Fargo, North Dakota, to Sydney Ronald Velline and Saima Cecilia Tapanila. His first single, "Suzie Baby," was written by Vee with a nod to Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue" and recorded for the Minneapolis-based Soma Records in 1959; it drew enough attention and chart action to be purchased by Liberty Records, who signed him later that year. His followup single, a cover of Adam Faith's UK number-one "What Do You Want?", charted in the lower reaches of the Billboard pop chart in early 1960. His fourth release, a revival of the Clovers' doo-wop ballad "Devil or Angel", brought him into the big time with U.S. buyers. His next single, "Rubber Ball", made him an international star.
Vee's 1961 summer release "Take Good Care of My Baby" went to number one on the Billboard U.S. listings and number three 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. number six), "Rubber Ball" (1961, U.S. number six, Australia number one), "More Than I Can Say" (1961, U.K. number four), "Run to Him" (1961, U.S. number two), "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" (1963, U.S. number three), and "Come Back When You Grow Up" (U.S. number three). When Vee recorded "Come Back When You Grow Up" in 1967, he was joined by a band called the Strangers. He also recorded, in 1961, a version of the song "Lollipop", originally by Ronald & Ruby, which also became a success.
Vee was also a pioneer in the music video genre, appearing in several musical films, as well as in the Scopitone series of early film-and-music jukebox recordings.
He received the North Dakota Roughrider Award in 1999.
He is mentioned in the film 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.
The Very Best of Bobby Vee, released by EMI/UK on May 12, 2008, charted in the UK top five. On January 17, 2011, EMI/UK released Rarities, a double-CD package with 61 tracks, many of which were previously unreleased. Others included were alternate takes and first-time stereo releases as well as tracks from the album Bobby Vee Live on Tour minus the "canned" audience.
On March 28, 2011, he became the 235th inductee into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In 2014 he was inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame.
Vee's career began amid tragedy. On February 3, 1959, "The Day the Music Died", three of the four headline acts in the lineup of the traveling Winter Dance Party—Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper—were killed, along with the 21-year-old pilot, Roger Peterson, in the crash of a V-tailed 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza airplane (Dion, the second headliner, opted not to travel on the plane). It crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa, en route to the next show on the tour itinerary in Moorhead, Minnesota. Velline, then aged 15, and a hastily assembled band of Fargo 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, Vee released a tribute album on Liberty Records called I Remember Buddy Holly. In the liner notes, Vee recalled Holly's influence on him and the events surrounding Holly's death:
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.
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.
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.
Vee went on to become a bona fide star and regularly performed at the Winter Dance Party memorial concerts in Clear Lake. His sons are all musicians and have performed with him there.
Early in Vee's career, a musician named Elston Gunnn [sic] briefly toured with the band. "Gunnn", whose birth name was Robert Allen Zimmerman, later went on to fame as Bob Dylan.
Dylan's autobiography, Chronicles, Volume One, mentions Vee and provides complimentary details about their friendship, both professional and personal.
In a concert at Midway Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota, on July 10, 2013, Dylan said he had been on the stage with many stars, but that none of them were as meaningful as Vee. He said Vee was in the audience and then played Vee's hit "Suzie Baby" with emotion. Dylan said (in an audio recording of the concert),
Thank you everyone, thank you friends. I left here a while back, and since that time, I've played all over the world, with all kinds of people. And everybody from Mick Jagger to Madonna. And everybody in there in between. I've been on the stage with most of those people. But the most meaningful person I've ever been on the stage with, was a man who is here tonight, who used to sing a song called "Suzie Baby". 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.
Vee and Karen Bergen were engaged July 1, 1963, and married December 28, 1963. They had four children: Jeffery Robert Velline (b. Jan 3, 1965), Thomas Paul Velline (b. October 25, 1966), Robert Bryon Velline (b. August 4, 1967), and Jennifer Joanne Velline (b. May 31, 1972). Karen died of kidney failure on August 3, 2015.
On April 29, 2012, Vee announced on his website that a year prior he had been diagnosed with an early stage of Alzheimer's disease and consequently would withdraw from the music business.
On October 24, 2016, Vee died in Rogers, Minnesota, from complications of early onset Alzheimer's disease.
Charms
Bobby Vee Lyrics
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See how they sparkle in the sun
Ding dong ding listen to them ring
They seem to be telling everyone
That you're my-why baby
With a twist of your wrist it can be told
You're my-why baby
There it is, in fourteen ca-a-a-ra-a-at golden
Pretty charms, pretty little charms
Starting from the day we met
The Sweet Sixteen, the moments in between
That New Year's Eve we won't forget
So if some guy should ask you
If some night you're free
Wave him away with a wave of your arms
Do as I say, just blind 'em with your charms
And show him you belong to me
So if some guy should ask you
If some night you're free
Wave him away with a wave of your arms
Do what I say, just blind 'em with your charms
And show him you belong to me
(Pretty charms, pretty little charms)
(Pretty charms, pretty little charms)
(Pretty charms, pretty little charms)
The song "Charms" by Bobby Vee is a romantic tune about the power of a girl's charms. The lyrics describe these charms as pretty, little, and sparkling in the sun. When they ring, they seem to be telling everyone that the girl is the singer's baby. The twist of the wrist of the girl can reveal the truth, that she belongs to the singer. The charms are significant to the couple as they remember specific moments in their relationship, such as their Sweet Sixteen and New Year's Eve celebrations.
The lyrics show the singer's possessive nature as he wants the girl to blind any other guy who may try to approach her with her charms and show that she belongs to him. The song suggests that the girl is the singer's, and he wants to make sure nobody else has any chance with her. The melody is catchy, and the lyrics are romantic, making it a classic love song.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretty charms, pretty little charms
Bobby is singing about some beautiful accessories, that he thinks are pretty little charms.
See how they sparkle in the sun
The singer is pointing out how these charms shine and shimmer when the sun hits them.
Ding dong ding listen to them ring
Bobby wants us to pay attention to the sound the charms make when they clink together, like the sound of a bell - ding dong ding.
They seem to be telling everyone
Bobby believes that the charms are like an advertisement for all to see and hear.
That you're my-why baby
The song is essentially a proclamation of love - the charms are supposed to tell everyone that she is the singer's baby.
With a twist of your wrist it can be told
Bobby thinks that just by twisting her wrist, everybody can see that the charms belong to her.
You're my-why baby
Again, the singer is declaring his love for someone special in his life.
There it is, in fourteen ca-a-a-ra-a-at golden
The last line in this refrain implies that the connection between the singer and his baby is as valuable as a piece of fourteen-carat gold and it's visible through the charms.
Starting from the day we met
Bobby is going through some special times, including their first encounter.
The Sweet Sixteen, the moments in between
He then goes on to talk about the milestones they had shared in the past, and all the instances in-between which could have played a massive part in their love story.
That New Year's Eve we won't forget
The singer is recalling a specific, memorable and significant New Year's Eve clock striking experience.
So if some guy should ask you
Bobby's speaking to his baby, telling her about his possessiveness, asking her to stay loyal to him.
If some night you're free
He asks her to resist the temptation of being with someone else and stay true to him.
Wave him away with a wave of your arms
The meaning is pretty self-explanatory: Bobby wants his baby to shoo the other guy away by waving her arms and telling him to leave forcefully.
Do as I say, just blind 'em with your charms
Bobby urges his 'baby' to listen to him and to use her charms/wits to control the other guy and make him leave.
And show him you belong to me
The last line again stresses the importance of belongingness and loyalty, indicating that his girl belongs to him alone.
(Pretty charms, pretty little charms)
Repeating the first line to emphasize its meaning.
(Pretty charms, pretty little charms)
The second repetition of the same line, for added effect.
(Pretty charms, pretty little charms)
Bobby has to mention the charm once more to regurgitate the importance of the passage.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HELEN MILLER, HOWARD GREENFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind