Bobby Hebb dies aged 72
Written by admin on August 4, 2010 – 4:27 pm -| Bobby Hebb has died aged 72 from lung cancer. He passed away yesterday (August 3) at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville.
Hebb was a singer-songwriter best known for his composition of the classic song “Sunny,” which he took to number two on the US pop charts in 1966. |
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Hebb was raised in Nashville and became a versatile musician and showman early on, playing trumpet, guitar, piano and percussion. He performed with his brother Harold as a song and dance team in the 1950s, which brought him to the attention of Roy Acuff, whose band Hebb joined. He would later join Johnny Bragg and the Marigolds and then replace Mickey Baker in Mickey and Sylvia for a time.
The song “Sunny” was written in 1963. Some believe that it was written in response to the double tragedies of JFK’s murder on 23 November and his brother Harold’s murder the day after in a knife fight in a Nashville nightclub. Hebb recorded “Sunny” in New York City and it was a smash hit when released in 1966. The success of the song led to a tour with the Beatles. Hebb also managed two more moderate hits over the next year – “A Satisfied Mind” and “Love Me.”
Hebb wrote many songs for other artists, including “A Natural Man” for Lou Rawls, which won a Grammy in 1971, but “Sunny” was his most significant achievement. The song has been covered by hundreds of artists, including Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Cher, Wilson Pickett, Ella Fitzgerald, Dusty Springfield and Boney M.
Let’s remember Bobby Hebb through some of the best versions of his most famous composition, starting with his own.
Bobby Hebb – “Sunny”
Marvin Gaye – “Sunny”
Dusty Springfield – “Sunny”
Frank Sinatra – “Sunny”
Cher – “Sunny”
Stevie Wonder – “Sunny”
Tags: Bobby Hebb, Cher, Dusty Springfield, Frank Sinatra, marvin gaye
Posted in 60s pop, Obituaries, Soul |
