 Bobby
Vee was born Robert Thomas Velline in Fargo, North Dakota on
April 30, 1943 into a musical family. His father Sidney played
the violin and piano, his uncle played sax, and his two older
brothers, Bill and Sidney, Jr. both played guitar. By the age of
fifteen Bobby's musical career was already under way. "I
played saxophone in the high school band," remembers Bobby,
"but I wanted to rock out. We were playing all the standard
band pieces and I wanted to do 'Yakety Yak.' My brother Bill
went out and bought a guitar and I saved up enough money from my
paper route to eventually buy a new (but sun faded) thirty
dollar Harmony guitar for myself. We used to go to all the
country music shows that came through the area and then would
come home after and do our own version of the show in the living
room of our small home in Fargo."
 Before
long Bill had become an excellent guitar player and began
jamming with bass player Jim Stillman and drummer Bob Korum.
Bobby tried every angle imaginable to join the group sessions
but Bill thought he was too young. "I kind of backed into
the band. I used to make all kinds of deals with my brother to
come along and practice. When he finally let me join him (if I
would promise to keep quite) I was aware that they didn't know
any of the songs lyrically and I just happened to know them all.
I was fifteen years old and my ears were glued to the radio. It
didn't take long before I started singing the songs and they
started rockin' along." Before long, Dick Dunkirk took
Stillman's place on bass guitar and the "Shadows"
became one of the top new bands in the area.
At
this point, as the result of a tragic twist of fate, Bobby's
story begins to take on a bitter sweet flavor. The date was
February 3, 1959. A light plane carrying Buddy Holly, Richie
Valens, The Big Bopper and 20 year old pilot Roger Peterson
crashed in a snow covered Iowa field, killing everyone on board.
Only minutes earlier they had finished their performance at the
Surf Ballroom in Clearlake, Iowa and had rushed to the airport
in nearby Mason City to catch the charter plane that was to
bring them to their next engagement in Moorhead, Minnesota. News
of the tragedy traveled fast. People at the local radio station
in Moorhead, like everyone, were in a state of shock. The rest
of the tour had arrived by bus from Clearlake after a cold and
snowy all night drive. A decision was made to continue on with
the show. The promoters asked for local talent to help fill in
that sad night and as the curtain came up that evening, a new
voice was introduced to the world. A "fifteen year
old" voice that knew all the words to all the songs. Bobby
Vee. In the following thirty plus years Bobby would go on to
place thirty-eight songs in the Billboard top 100 charts, six
gold singles, fourteen top forty hits and two gold albums. But
that night, instead of a seat in the audience Bobby and his
brother Bill along with the "Shadows" took the stage
in memory of three of rock 'n' roll's brightest stars.
 Their
first paying gig was on Valentine's Day 1959. They drove 45
miles in zero degree weather in a heaterless '51 Oldsmobile to
play on benches that had been pushed together to form a
makeshift stage. In the middle of the show the benches pulled
apart and the amps smashed to the floor. Not exactly the kind of
impact they were looking for. The band made $60, which any
musician can tell you was damn good for a first gig in those
days.
June
1st 1959 Bobby and the group went to Minneapolis, Minnesota to
record a song for Soma Records that Bobby had written called
"Susie Baby." By the end of the summer, "Susie
Baby" had reached number one on all the local stations in
the upper mid-west and major record companies were calling with
interest in signing this new young singer. Bobby Vee and the
Shadows signed with Liberty Records in the fall of '59 and the
band continued on until 1963, when Bill deciding the road was
not to his liking, left to pursue interests closer to home.
Late
1960 after a couple of songs had barely inched their way into
the national charts it appeared that Liberty was losing faith
when a radio station in Pittsburgh, PA began playing the back
side of what might have been Bobby's last single. The song was
"Devil or Angel." It had been a R&B it a few years
earlier by a group called The Clovers and was a favorite of
Snuffy Garrett, the young producer responsible for signing Bobby
to Liberty. Following the records success in Pittsburgh,
"Devil or Angel" went on to reach the top ten in city
after city. By the end of 1960 it peaked at number 6 in the
Billboard charts, as well as reaching the top 20 on the R &
B charts. Liberty Records exercised its option and signed Bobby
to a five year contract.
If
"Susie Baby" served as Bobby Vee's entrance into the
world of Billboards hot 100, then 'Devil or Angel' was certainly
the foundation for a string of hit records reaching the nations
top 20 throughout the entire 60's era. Bobby's hits were not
limited to America. By 1963 he had collected seven top ten hits
in England as well as a number 2 album called "Bobby Vee
Meets the Crickets" and in 1963 shared the charts for forty
weeks side-by-side with the Beatles. His tours took him to
Japan, Australia and Europe as well as the United Kingdom, where
he is still a yearly visitor. His thirty plus year recording
career has produced over twenty-five albums including a Gold
Album from England for his 1981 "Singles Album"
release. Back in the U.S., Billboard Magazine called him,
"One of the top ten most consistent chart makers
ever."
 Into
the nineties, the beat goes on. With the continuing demand for
product by classic oriented radio stations and collectors alike,
EMI/Cema issued a twenty-five song re-mastered compact disc and
cassette as part of the Legendary Masters series. Late in the
year, a re-issue of his 1963 Christmas album was made available.
To coincide with his sold out 1990 tour of England, Bobby issued
a 17 song collectors edition cassette called "U.K. Tour
'90," on his own Rockhouse Record label. The tape, an
anthology of sorts, included new material recorded with his
sons, as well as several previously unreleased songs from past
years. In 1994 critics and collectors gave great reviews to his
"Last Of The Great 'Rhythm' Guitar
Players" CD. As testimony to Bobby's high energy show and
continued popularity the annual readers poll by sixties music
magazine The Beat Goes On voted him: 1991 Best American Act;
1992 Best Live Performer; 1993 Favorite Male Singer; and in 1994
he was named Runner Up to Paul McCartney in the category of Most
Accomplished Performer.
On
June 20, 1999, Bobby was presented The Theodore Roosevelt Rough
Rider Award by North Dakota's Governor Ed Schafer. The Rough
Rider Award is the highest recognition given by the state to
native North Dakotans. Gov. Schafer said, "Throughout his
success, Bobby has maintained his North Dakota roots and values.
He is praised by many of his peers not only for being a talented
performer, but a kind, good and humble person. I am extremely
proud to honor him with this award."
 Between
Europe and America, Bobby and his band perform about a hundred
dates a year. When he is not touring or working on his own
music, he is involved in the production of various other musical
projects at his Rockhouse Recording Studio, located outside of
St. Cloud, MN.
From
the white socks and ducktail days of "Susie Baby" to
the high tech digital present, Bobby has continued to grow as an
artist and entertainer and to enjoy a loyal following of fans
and friends alike.
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