- Bobby Hebb
Bobby Hebb (born Robert Von Hebb,
26 July 1938 , Nashville,Tennessee ) is anAfrican American singer andsongwriter , best known for his writing and 1966 recording of "Sunny".Life and career
Hebb's parents, William and Ovalla Hebb, were both blind
musician s. Hebb and his older brother Harold performed as a song-and-dance team in Nashville, beginning when Bobby was three and Harold was nine. Hebb performed on a TV show hosted bycountry music record producer Owen Bradley , which earned him a place withGrand Ole Opry starRoy Acuff . Hebb playedspoon s and other instruments in Acuff's band. Harold later became a member of Johnny Bragg and the Marigolds. Bobby Hebb sang backup onBo Diddley 's "Diddley Daddy". Hebb played "West-coast-style"trumpet in aUS Navy jazz band, and replacedMickey Baker inMickey and Sylvia .On
23 November 1963 , the day afterJohn F. Kennedy 'sassassin ation, Harold Hebb was killed in a knife fight outside a Nashvillenightclub . Hebb was devastated by both events and sought comfort in songwriting. The song he wrote was the optimistic "Sunny"::"All my intentions were just to think of happier times – basically looking for a brighter day – because times were at a low tide. After I wrote it, I thought "Sunny" just might be a different approach to what Johnny Bragg was talking about in "Just Walkin' in the Rain".
"Sunny" was recorded in
New York City , which resulted in a tour withThe Beatles for Hebb. It is one of the most covered popular songs, with hundreds of versions released. BMI rates "Sunny" number 25 in its "Top 100 songs of the century"."Sunny" has been recorded by, among others,
Boney M ,Cher ,Georgie Fame ,Johnny Rivers ,Stevie Wonder ,Frank Sinatra withDuke Ellington ,Ella Fitzgerald , theElectric Flag , The Four Seasons, theFour Tops ,James Brown ,Wilson Pickett ,Les McCann ,Dusty Springfield , andThe Alex Trio featuring David Wise . One cover, adisco version called "Sunny '76" was a hit for Hebb in that year. In 2000, Musiq did an updated dance version retitled "Just Friends (Sunny)," which went to #31 on the U.S.Billboard charts.Although he is considered a
one-hit wonder , Hebb also had hits with his "A Satisfied Mind" in 1966 and "Love Me" in 1967, and has written many other songs, including Lou Rawls' 1971 hit "A Natural Man." Six years prior to "Sunny", he reached the New York City Top 50 with a remake of Roy Acuff's "Night Train To Memphis".After thirty five years Bobby Hebb recorded a new
album . "That's All I Wanna Know" was the first commercial release by Hebb since James Flemming Rasmussen produced "Love Games" forEpic Records in 1970. It was released inEurope in late 2005 by Tuition, a new pop indie label. New versions of "Sunny" were also issued (two duets: one with Astrid North, and one with Pat Appleton).Bobby lives in Rockport MA and works for the DPW
Other details
* The verse and
refrain of "Sunny" ends with an up-and-down four-note motif lifted from theJames Bond theme, for "Dr. No".
* Bobby Hebb was the thirdAfrican-American to ever perform at theGrand Ole Opry .External links
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:6aq6g44ttv1z~T1 "All Music Guide" biography]
* [http://www.tuition-music.com/ "tuition" German Label of the release "That's All I Wanna Know"]
* [http://www.bobbyhebb.com Official website]
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