BOBBY HEBB
Bobby Hebb is best remembered for the 1966 hit, "Sunny."
He was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 26, 1938. He and his older brother, Harold, began performing as a song-and-dance team when Bobby was three and Harold was nine. Hebb appeared on a TV show hosted by Country record producer Owen Bradley, which landed him a gig with Roy Acuff’s band. He also sang back-up on Bo Diddley’s 1955 recording of “Diddley Daddy,” played the trumpet in a U.S. Navy jazz band, and replaced Mickey Baker in the R&B duo, Mickey & Sylvia (“Love Is Strange”).
In 1960, Hebb’s debut single, a cover of Roy Acuff’s “Night Train to Memphis,” came out on the Rich label. It reached the top fifty in New York City. His second single, “Feel So Good,” followed in 1961. That same year, his third release, “Atlanta G.A.,” appeared on FM Records. Hebb would not record again for another five years.
On November 23, 1963—just one day after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy—Hebb’s brother, Harold, died in a knife fight outside a Nashville nightclub. Devastated by these events, Hebb attempted to bury his sorrows in songwriting. He also immersed himself in Gerald Wilson’s jazz album, You Better Believe It! But contrary to popular belief, Hebb did not write his signature hit, “Sunny,” in defiance of his grief.
After unsuccessful 1966 releases on the Boom and Scepter labels, Hebb recorded “Sunny” in New York City as a demo with producer Jerry Ross. Released on the Philips label, it rose to #3 on Billboard magazine’s Rhythm & Blues chart and did even better with the pop audience, hitting #2. This led to an identically titled album and a tour with the Beatles. Hebb followed up “Sunny” with a remake of Porter Wagoner’s 1955 Country hit, “A Satisfied Mind.” It went top forty in both the R&B and pop markets.
In 1970, Hebb’s second album, Love Games, appeared on Epic Records. His 1972 single on Philips, “Love Love Love,” made the top forty in England. Hebb’s final appearance on the U.S. charts was in 1975, with a remake of “Sunny.”
As the millennium drew to a close, Hebb was honored when BMI ranked “Sunny” at #25 on its Top 100 Songs of the Century. He was further honored in 2003, when his 1960 recording of “Night Train to Memphis” was included up in the book, Heartaches by the Number: Country Music’s 500 Greatest Singles, by Jim Cantwell and Bill Friskics-Warren.
Bobby Hebb, 72, died in Nashville of lung cancer on August 3, 2010.
Charted singles:
“Sunny” (1966) R&B #3, Pop #2
“A Satisfied Mind” (1966) R&B #40, Pop #39
“Love Me” (1966) Pop #84
“Love, Love, Love” (1972) UK #32
“Sunny ‘76” (1975) Pop #94
