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Posted on 07/28/2025 3:37:41 PM PDT by nickcarraway
He wrote the classic that’s been covered hundreds of times, and made other fine records of his own.
He wrote and recorded a classic soul song that has been covered by hundreds of artists, from Georgie Fame to Del Shannon, and from Wilson Pickett to the Four Tops. He was the versatile Bobby Hebb, the R&B man from Nashville born on July 26, 1936, who gave us “Sunny.”
Hebb performed on stage even before he was in kindergarten, and when he wrote “Sunny,” inspiration came at perhaps the darkest time in his life. It was in November 1963, when President Kennedy was assassinated. Just 24 hours later, Hebb’s brother Harold, or Hal (with whom he had formed a song and dance act as a small child) was killed in a fight in their home town.
To help him through such grim experiences, Hebb decided to focus on the positive and create a song that celebrated happy times. Its upbeat sentiment and catchy melody, intertwined with a little poignant dreaminess, caught on fast. “Sunny” was first recorded by the Japanese artist Mieko Horota, in 1965, before Bobby cut his version of the song for Philips and released it in April 1966.
The single went to No.3 R&B, No.2 pop (for two weeks, second only to the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Summer In The City”) and No.12 in the UK. Georgie Fame’s swift cover entered the British chart only two weeks later; the two renditions were in the Top 15 at the same time, and Fame’s peaked at No.13.
In 1966 alone, there were at least 11 other high-profile covers of “Sunny.” The song proved its versatility to be interpreted in R&B (Pickett, Billy Preston, Della Reese, Chuck Jackson) and pop (Shannon, Cher, Manfred Mann, Bobby Vee, Chris Montez, John Walker of the Walker Brothers, and Britain’s Alan Bown Set).
The covers, and the royalties, continued to accrue for Hebb in 1967, when there were some 30 new takes on the tune including those by Andy Williams, Dusty Springfield, Nancy Wilson, Booker T and the MGs, Trini Lopez, and even Robert Mitchum.
Frank Sinatra gave the song his seal of approval in his collaboration with Duke Ellington in 1968, as did Motown via the Four Tops and Stevie Wonder. Their former signing Mary Wells also did it that year, along with Shirley Bassey, country star Eddy Arnold and everyone from Frankie Valli to Leonard Nimoy.
Remakes of “Sunny” have continued to emerge on an almost annual basis, including readings by James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Herb Alpert and Boney M’s UK hit of 1976. In 2014, Bryan Adams chose it for his Tracks Of My Years covers album. In April 2020, Billie Eilish and Finneas paid the song another compliment by performing it on the all-star live stream One World: Together At Home.
Hebb may never have repeated the success of “Sunny,” but his album of the same name from 1966 is well worth investigating, especially for the infectious “Love, Love, Love,” which became a belated UK Top 40 entry in 1972. He also made both the pop and R&B Top 40 in the US with another track from the album, a fine version of Porter Wagoner’s 1955 country No.1 “A Satisfied Mind.” Bobby died in 2010 at the age of 72.
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Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Bobby Hebb!?!?!
I waw him in concert in ‘66!
He opened for a One Hit band called the Cyrkle followed by those four guys from England with the long hair.
You mean The Cyrkle? Their one hit was written by Paul Simon.
"Hebb became one of the first black entertainers to appear and perform on the Grand Ole Opry Show in Nashville. During the 1960s he toured with the Beatles and later wrote and recorded with Marvin Gaye. In 1971 he co-wrote "A Natural Man" with Sandy Barron, earning Lou Rawls a Grammy Award. He also went on to record the hits "A Satisfied Man" (1966), and "Love Me" in 1967. He died at the Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, from lung cancer." (Wikipedia)
Two singles: Red Rubber Ball and Turn Down Day.
The Cyrkle
I saw them as the opening act for the Beatles.
Does that make me old? Don’t answer.
Some of the Cyrkle personnel ended up with Bill Deal & the Rhondells.
Great song. I think I posted about it here a while ago. The idea that his brother was outside a local bar and was shot and killed and Hebb forced his depression away to think of the hope from the Sun shining is really unique.
We had so many brilliant Black songwriters and musicians back in the day.
We don’t hear anything like this anymore.
Del also had quite a few other cover songs that hit big there like “Lightning Strikes” and “Red Rubber Ball”. He stated that since he had all these hits that weren’t his own, he didn’t have the words memorized. While he was performing he had to have someone hold up cue cards with the lyrics!
Not the same Rhondells.
Per wiki:
They were originally a “frat rock” band called the Rhondells but were later discovered and managed by Brian Epstein, who was best known as manager of the Beatles.
Also this interview.
https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2024/05/the-cyrkle-interview.html
Thanks for posting this.
YW.
I saw him in concert in ‘66!
He opened for a One Hit band called the Cyrkle followed by those four guys from England with the long hair.
I saw the same show at Dodger stadium in August 1966, Bobby Hebb, The Cyrkle and the long haired English guys.
The Cyrkle were the only US group managed by Brian Epstein.
I saw them as the opening act for the Beatles.
Does that make me old? Don’t answer.
Yup, just like me.
We have to think young.
Glenn Beck said when he heard of the sad passing of the actor who played Theo on Bill Cosby he said “He was 54? That went through me, I admit. That means we’re old, too.”
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