Bobby Helms

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Bobby Lee Helms (born August 15, 1933 in Bloomington , Indiana , † June 19, 1997 in Martinsville , Indiana) was an American country singer who became famous in 1957 through the hit Fraulein .

biography

As a child, Bobby Helms appeared together with his brother Freddy as The Helms Brothers . The duo made numerous appearances on local radio and television shows over a period of six years. Then Bobby went on alone. Ernest Tubb brought him to Nashville in the mid-1950s and brokered a record deal with Decca .

His first single, Fraulein , was released in early 1957 . The song hit the country charts on March 30, 1957, then moved to number one and held the top position for four weeks. The single was listed in the country charts for 52 weeks. In addition, he was able to place himself in the pop charts, where the single reached number 36.

His next single, My Special Angel , reached number one on the country charts again, where it was at the top of the best seller charts for four weeks and was listed on the country charts for 26 weeks. The single became a top 10 pop hit and peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Top 100.

The third release of 1957, the Christmas song Jingle Bell Rock , also became a hit. Although the title was in the country charts in December 1957 at number 7 on the jockey charts for only one week, it was all the more successful in the pop charts where the single reached number 6. The song was rediscovered several times during the Christmas season in the following years, it occupied middle positions in the top 100 in the years 1958 and 1960 to 1962. Through repeated entries into the charts, Helms received his second gold record five years after the single was released , My Special Angel had previously been awarded gold. At the end of 2018, the title was also awarded a silver record in Great Britain . The title Jingle Bell Rock became a classic over the years and was among other things. a. covered by Randy Travis . Although he couldn't appear in the legendary Grand Ole Opry , he made it to the Town Hall Party , also a well-known radio show from the 1950s. At the end of the decade his music developed in the direction of rockabilly , which can be heard well on Long Gone Daddy .

Jingle Bell Rock , 1983

In 1958 he achieved top 10 hits again with Just a Little Lonesome and Jacqueline . After Helms recorded minor hits in the pop charts in 1958 with the titles Borrowed Dreams and The Fool And The Angel , he was in 1959 with the song New River Train at number 26 in the country charts. In 1960 he had his last top twenty hit in the country charts with Lonely River Rhine . After that, his streak of success was over.

A change to the Kapp Records label in 1965 did not bring about a change either. Helms continued to be musically active and had some minor hits like He Thought He'd Die Laughing and So Long in 1967 and 1968 . His last chart placement reached Helms in 1970 with Mary Goes' Round for Certron Records, but continued to play singles for MCA Records until 1983 . After that, his songs only appeared on small labels.

Helms died of emphysema in 1997 in Martinsville , Indiana .

Discography

Albums

year title Label
1957 Bobby Helms Sings to My Special Angel Decca
1966 I'm the man Cap
1966 Sorry My Name Isn't Fred Cap

Remarks

  1. ↑ The notations in the country charts are taken from: Whitburn, Joel: Top 40 Country Hits 1944 - 2006 . New York, NY: Billboard Books, 2006, p. 156. The single was number one in the Jockey Charts for four weeks, three weeks in the Best Seller Charts, and only number 9 in the Juke Box Charts
  2. ↑ The information on the pop charts is taken from: Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Singles 1955 - 1993 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, 1994, p. 271. 36th place in the Top 100, in the Best Seller Charts the single was only 46th.
  3. ↑ 6th place in the Top 100, 7th place in the bestseller charts and 11th place in the jockey charts.
  4. ↑ 1958 # 35, 1960 # 36, 1961 # 41, 1962 # 56
  5. ^ Murrells, Joseph: The Book of Golden Discs . 2nd Edition. London: Barrie and Jenkins, 1978, p. 102
  6. ↑ Music Sales Awards: UK
  7. ↑ Number 10 on the Country Best Seller Charts
  8. ↑ Song from the film The Case Against Brooklyn with Darren McGavin in the lead role; the single reached number 5 on the country charts and number 63 on the pop charts.
  9. ^ Borrowed Dreams # 60, The Fool And The Angel # 75

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Helms, Bobby
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Helms, Bobby Lee (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American country singer
DATE OF BIRTH August 15, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Bloomington , Indiana , United States
DATE OF DEATH June 19, 1997
Place of death Martinsville , Indiana , United States