Bobby Hebb

Robert Von Hebb (July 26, 1938, Nashville – August 3, 2010) was an African American singer and songwriter, best known for his writing and recording of "Sunny".

Hebb's parents, William and Ovalla Hebb, were both blind musicians. 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 by country music record producer Owen Bradley, which earned him a place with Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff. Hebb played spoons and other instruments in Acuff's band. Harold later became a member of Johnny Bragg and the Marigolds. Bobby Hebb sang backup on Bo Diddley's "Diddley Daddy". Hebb played "West-coast-style" trumpet in a United States Navy jazz band, and replaced Mickey Baker in Mickey and Sylvia.

On 23 November 1963, the day after John F. Kennedy's assassination, Harold Hebb was killed in a knife fight outside a Nashville nightclub. Hebb was devastated by both events and sought comfort in songwriting. Though many claim that the song he wrote after both tragedies was the optimistic "Sunny", Hebb himself stated otherwise. He immersed himself in the Gerald Wilson album, Would You Believe, for comfort.

"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, after demos were made with the record producer Jerry Ross. When Hebb toured with The Beatles in 1966 his "Sunny" was as well received as any Beatles tune, as evidenced by tapes of the concerts. 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". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.

"Sunny" has been recorded by, among others, Cher, Boney M, Georgie Fame, Johnny Rivers, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra with Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, the Electric Flag, The Four Seasons, two different versions from Frankie Valli, the Four Tops, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Les McCann, Wes Montgomery, Dusty Springfield, and Classics IV. One re-recording, a disco 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.

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 Top 50 with a remake of Roy Acuff's "Night Train To Memphis".

After a recording gap of thirty five years Hebb recorded a new album. That's All I Wanna Know was his first commercial release since Love Games for Epic Records in 1970. It was released in Europe 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). In October 2008 he toured and played in Osaka and Tokyo in Japan.

Ipanema Films of Germany is involved in a biographical film which includes Hebb, his biographer Joseph Tortelli and Billy Cox.

Hebb continued to live in his hometown of Nashville until his death from lung cancer at Centennial Medical Center on August 3, 2010. Coincidentally, Hebb died just one day after two rare sun eruptions directed toward earth were observed around the world by astronomers. The eruptions occurred after a long decade long hiatus of sun spot hiatus, marking the beginning of a new cycle of sun activity. The coincidence of Hebb's passing, whose huge hit "Sunny" took the United States by storm in 1966, while occurring shortly after the "solar flare" could be a sign Hebb was far greater an artist then he was given credit for on earth.

References

• Cooper, Daniel (1998). "Bobby Hebb". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 235.

External links

• Bobby Hebb interview, "Nashville Scene"
• Allmusic biography
• tuition German Label of the release "That's All I Wanna Know"
• Official website
• Singer of 60's Hit Sunny Died Day After Rare Sun Tsunami Blast Toward Earth