Bobby Vee was 1960s music star influenced by Buddy Holly
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
Inspired by the rock-and-roll icon Buddy Holly, 1960s singer Bobby Vee became a legend in his own right, recording dozens of Billboard hits and even earning the admiration of the Beatles.
Mr. Vee, who died on Monday, released such songs as 鈥淭ake Good Care of My Baby,鈥� 鈥淩ubber Ball,鈥� and 鈥淩un to Him.鈥�
Vee released an album titled 鈥淚 Remember Buddy Holly,鈥� but the way his career was influenced by Mr. Holly went further than that. When Vee was 15, he and a band served as substitutes for Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens after the group were involved in a plane crash on the way to a dance in Moorhead, Minn.听
Dance organizers had announced on the radio that they were looking for a group to take over for the singers who were in the crash. Vee and his group called in and performed in Moorhead instead of Holly and the other singers.
wrote that Vee鈥檚 singing was influenced by Holly as well, with Vee 鈥渕odel[ing] his nasal vocal style on Holly鈥檚.鈥澛�
Vee released such albums as the 1960 album 鈥淏obby Vee Sings Your Favorites,鈥� 1966鈥檚 鈥淟ook At Me Girl,鈥� and 1972鈥檚 鈥淣othin鈥� Like A Sunny聽 Day.鈥澛�
The singer eventually had 38 songs appear in the Billboard Hot 100 between 1959 and 1970, according to .听
In addition, Bob Dylan was at one point part of his band. Mr. Dylan spoke positively of his time working with Vee, and once called Vee 鈥渢he most beautiful person I鈥檝e ever been on the stage with,鈥� according to the Times. Dylan also reportedly said of Vee, 鈥淚鈥檇 always thought of him as a brother.鈥�
The Beatles appeared to be fans of Vee鈥檚 as well, as the group used Vee鈥檚 hit 鈥淭ake Good Care of My Baby鈥� when they recorded a song for Decca Records as part of an audition in 1962.
