Tommy Roe
| Tommy Roe | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Thomas David Roe |
| Born | May 9, 1942 Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Genres | Rock and roll, pop, bubblegum |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Labels | ABC Records, Monument Records, MGM Records |
| Website | www.tommyroe.com |
Tommy Roe (born Thomas David Roe, May 9, 1942, Atlanta, Georgia, United States)[1] is an American pop music singer-songwriter.
Best-remembered for his hits "Sheila" (1962) and "Dizzy" (1969), Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late 1960s, but Roe cut some pretty decent rockers along the way, especially early in his career", wrote critic Bill Dahl.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
He was raised in Atlanta where he attended Brown High School.[2] After graduating, he landed a job at General Electric soldering wires.
He had a Billboard #1 hit record in the U.S. and Australia in '62 with the track "Sheila". A buildup of global sales of "Sheila" meant that the R.I.A.A. did not present the gold record until 1969.[2]
When "Sheila" became a hit, ABC-Paramount Records asked him to go on tour to promote the hit. He was reluctant to give up his secure job at GE until ABC-Paramount advanced him $5,000.[3]
The following year Roe scored a Top 10 hit with "Everybody", which reached US #3 and UK #9, and the critically acclaimed "The Folk Singer" (#4 UK[4]) written by Merle Kilgore was also popular. However in March 1963, the UK music magazine NME reported that he and Chris Montez had both been upstaged by The Beatles and their fans on a 21-day UK tour.[5]
Following a more successful tour of the United Kingdom by his friend Roy Orbison, Roe toured there and then moved to England where he lived for several years. In 1964 Roe recorded a self-penned song, "Diane From Manchester Square", with his backing group at the time, the Roemans. It was a story in song about a girl called Diane who worked in an upstairs office at EMI House when it was based in London's Manchester Square. Sales of this single in the UK were poor, and it failed to chart. In 1965, he and Jerry Lee Lewis combined with Orbison to create an album for the Pickwick International label. During the 1960s, he had several more Top 40 hits, including 1966's #8 "Sweet Pea" (#1 Canada) and #6 "Hooray for Hazel" (#2 Canada).[2] In 1969, his song "Dizzy" went to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart,[4] #1 in Canada, as well as to Billboard's #1 in the U.S. This transatlantic chart-topper sold two million copies by mid-April 1969, giving him his third gold disc award.[2]
His final Top 10 single, a track co-written with Freddy Weller, "Jam Up and Jelly Tight", was his fourth gold record, peaking at #8 in the U.S. and #5 in Canada.[2]
The 1968 Merle Kilgore song, "The Folk Singer", is allegedly written about Tommy Roe.[6]
A resident of Beverly Hills, California, he is married to Josette Banzet, an actress from France who won a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Award for her performance in the 1976 television mini-series, Rich Man, Poor Man.
In 1986, he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Although his style of music declined in popularity with the 1970s mass market, he maintained a following and continued to perform at a variety of concert venues, sometimes with 1960s nostalgia rock and rollers such as Freddy Cannon and Bobby Vee.
[edit] Partial discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | RIAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | |||
| 1963 | Sheila | 110 | — |
| Something for Everybody | — | — | |
| 1964 | Everybody Likes Tommy Roe | — | — |
| 1965 | Ballads and Beat | — | — |
| 1966 | Sweet Pea | 94 | — |
| 1967 | Phantasy | — | — |
| It's Now Winter's Day | 159 | — | |
| 1969 | Dizzy | 25 | — |
| 1970 | 12 In A Roe | 21 | — |
| We Can Make Music | 134 | — | |
| 1971 | Beginnings | — | — |
| 1976 | Energy | — | — |
| 1977 | Full Bloom | — | — |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title / Songwriter(s) | UK[4] | AUS[7] | CAN[8] | U.S.[9] | GER[7] | RIAA Certification[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | "Sheila" (Tommy Roe) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | Gold |
| 1962 | "Susie Darlin'" (Robin Luke) | 37 | - | 21 | 35 | - | - |
| 1962 | "Piddle De Pat'" (Tommy Roe) | - | - | 21 | - | - | - |
| 1963 | "Everybody" (Tommy Roe) | 9 | - | 3 | 3 | - | - |
| 1963 | "The Folk Singer" (Merle Kilgore) | 4 | - | 34 | 84 | - | - |
| 1964 | "Carol" (Chuck Berry) | - | - | - | 61 | - | - |
| 1964 | "Come On" (Ernie Hall / Dan Penn) | - | - | 23 | 36 | - | - |
| 1964 | "Party Girl" (Buddy Buie) | - | - | - | 85 | - | - |
| 1966 | "Sweet Pea" (Tommy Roe) | - | 36 | 1 | 8 | - | Gold |
| 1966 | "Hooray for Hazel" (Tommy Roe) | - | 30 | 2 | 6 | - | - |
| 1967 | "It's Now Winter's Day" (Tommy Roe) | - | - | 13 | 23 | - | - |
| 1967 | "Little Miss Sunshine" (Tommy Roe) | - | - | - | 99 | - | - |
| 1967 | "Sing Along With Me" (Tommy Roe) | - | - | - | 91 | - | - |
| 1969 | "Dizzy" (Tommy Roe / Freddy Weller) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | Gold |
| 1969 | "Heather Honey" (Tommy Roe) | 24 | 8 | 6 | 29 | 23 | - |
| 1969 | "Jack and Jill" (Tommy Roe / Freddy Weller) | - | 22 | 10 | 53 | - | - |
| 1970 | "Jam Up and Jelly Tight" (Tommy Roe / Freddy Weller) | - | 4 | 5 | 8 | - | Gold |
| 1970 | "Pearl" (Tommy Roe / Freddy Weller) | - | - | 17 | 50 | - | - |
| 1970 | "Stir It Up and Serve It" (Tommy Roe / Freddy Weller) | - | - | - | 50 | - | - |
| 1970 | "We Can Make Music" (Lou T. Josie) | - | - | - | 49 | - | - |
| 1971 | "Stagger Lee" (Harold Logan, Lloyd Price) | - | - | 17 | 25 | - | - |
| 1972 | "Mean Little Woman, Rosalie" (Richard Laws) | - | - | - | 92 | - | - |
| 1973 | "Working Class Hero" | - | - | - | 97 | - | - |
| 1985 | "Some Such Foolishness " (R.A. Wade) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
[edit] Legacy
- Sheila's stage name was taken from the title of her first release, which was a French cover of the song "Sheila".
- In 1991 The Wonder Stuff and Vic Reeves released a cover of "Dizzy" that topped the UK Singles Chart.[11]
[edit] See also
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- The History of Rock & Roll
- Where the Action Is
- List of people from Georgia (U.S. state)
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Biography by Bill Dahl". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5296. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 151, 210, 247 & 266. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ Books.google.com
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 467. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 118. CN 5585.
- ^ "Second Hand Songs - Recording: The Folk Singer - Johnny Cash". Second Hand Songs. 22 April 2005. http://www.secondhandsongs.com/performance/31401. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ a b Chart information at tsort.info
- ^ Canadian Singles Charts at webfitz.com
- ^ Allmusic.com - Charts & Awards
- ^ RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for singles by Tommy Roe
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 457. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
