Bobby Helms
Encyclopedia
Robert Lee Helms better known as Bobby Helms, was an American
country music
singer who enjoyed his peak success in 1957 with his hit, "Jingle Bell Rock
". He was mostly known for the Christmas song. His other hits include "Fraulein" and "My Special Angel
".
, Indiana
into a musical family, Helms began performing as a duo
with his brother
, Freddie, before going on to a successful solo
career in country music. In 1956, Helms made his way to Nashville
, Tennessee
, where he signed a recording contract
with Decca Records
. The following year was filled with astonishing successes. Helms' first single
in 1957 titled "Fraulein
" went to No. 1 on the country music chart
and made it into the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart. Later that same year he released "My Special Angel
", which also hit No. 1 on the country charts and entered the Top 10 on Billboard's
pop music
chart, peaking at No. 7.
Released just a few days before Christmas
1957, his song "Jingle Bell Rock" was a big hit. Uniquely, it also re-emerged four out of the next five years, and sold so well that it repeated each time as a top hit, and became a Christmas classic still played to this day. It took five years for this song to become a second million seller for Helms. It reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100
and spent 21 weeks in the chart
. The record
gained gold disc
status. Accounts that Helms wrote
and recorded the song with Hank Garland
seem to be apocrypha
l — ASCAP and Allmusic list the writers of the song as Joseph Beal, Joseph Carlton, James Ross and James Boothe.
Helms continued touring and recording
for the next three decades. His pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
.
Helms spent most of his later years living just outside of Martinsville, Indiana
until his death from emphysema
and asthma
at the age of 63 in 1997.
He was portrayed by actor
Brad Hawkins
in the 2007 film
, Crazy.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer who enjoyed his peak success in 1957 with his hit, "Jingle Bell Rock
Jingle Bell Rock
"Jingle Bell Rock" is the name of a popular Christmas song first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. It has received frequent airplay in the United States during every Christmas time since then. "Jingle Bell Rock" was composed by Joseph Carleton Beal , and James Ross Boothe...
". He was mostly known for the Christmas song. His other hits include "Fraulein" and "My Special Angel
My Special Angel
"My Special Angel" is a popular song by Jimmy Duncan, published in 1957.The song became a crossover hit in 1957 for Bobby Helms. "My Special Angel" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent four weeks at number one on the US Country music chart...
".
Biography
Born in BloomingtonBloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
into a musical family, Helms began performing as a duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with his brother
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
, Freddie, before going on to a successful solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career in country music. In 1956, Helms made his way to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, where he signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. The following year was filled with astonishing successes. Helms' first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1957 titled "Fraulein
Fraulein (song)
"Fraulein" is a 1957 single by Bobby Helms. "Fraulein" was Bobby Helms debut single on the U.S. country chart, reaching number one for four weeks and staying on chart for 52 weeks, the second longest song in country music history to spend over 50 weeks on the country singles chart after Eddy...
" went to No. 1 on the country music chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
and made it into the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. Later that same year he released "My Special Angel
My Special Angel
"My Special Angel" is a popular song by Jimmy Duncan, published in 1957.The song became a crossover hit in 1957 for Bobby Helms. "My Special Angel" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent four weeks at number one on the US Country music chart...
", which also hit No. 1 on the country charts and entered the Top 10 on Billboard's
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
chart, peaking at No. 7.
Released just a few days before Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
1957, his song "Jingle Bell Rock" was a big hit. Uniquely, it also re-emerged four out of the next five years, and sold so well that it repeated each time as a top hit, and became a Christmas classic still played to this day. It took five years for this song to become a second million seller for Helms. It reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and spent 21 weeks in the chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. The record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
gained gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status. Accounts that Helms wrote
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and recorded the song with Hank Garland
Hank Garland
Walter Louis Garland , better known as Hank Garland, was a Nashville studio musician who performed with Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison and many others.-Biography:...
seem to be apocrypha
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
l — ASCAP and Allmusic list the writers of the song as Joseph Beal, Joseph Carlton, James Ross and James Boothe.
Helms continued touring and recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
for the next three decades. His pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on the internet on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre....
.
Helms spent most of his later years living just outside of Martinsville, Indiana
Martinsville, Indiana
Martinsville is a city in and the county seat of Morgan County, Indiana, United States; the population was 11,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
until his death from emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
and asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
at the age of 63 in 1997.
He was portrayed by actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Brad Hawkins
Brad Hawkins
Brad Hawkins is an American film actor and television actor and a country singer and martial artist, best known for playing Ryan Steele in the TV series VR Troopers...
in the 2007 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Crazy.
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1955 | "Yesterday's Lovin'" | singles only | ||||
| "Freedom Lovin' Guy" | ||||||
| 1956 | "Tennessee Rock and Roll" | |||||
| 1957 | "Fraulein Fraulein (song) "Fraulein" is a 1957 single by Bobby Helms. "Fraulein" was Bobby Helms debut single on the U.S. country chart, reaching number one for four weeks and staying on chart for 52 weeks, the second longest song in country music history to spend over 50 weeks on the country singles chart after Eddy... " |
1 | 36 | |||
| "My Special Angel My Special Angel "My Special Angel" is a popular song by Jimmy Duncan, published in 1957.The song became a crossover hit in 1957 for Bobby Helms. "My Special Angel" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent four weeks at number one on the US Country music chart... " |
1 | 7 | 22 | My Special Angel | ||
| "Jingle Bell Rock Jingle Bell Rock "Jingle Bell Rock" is the name of a popular Christmas song first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. It has received frequent airplay in the United States during every Christmas time since then. "Jingle Bell Rock" was composed by Joseph Carleton Beal , and James Ross Boothe... " |
13 | 6 | single only | |||
| 1958 | "Just a Little Lonesome" | 10 | My Special Angel | |||
| "Jacqueline" | 5 | 63 | 20 | singles only | ||
| "Borrowed Dreams" | 60 | |||||
| "Jingle Bell Rock" | 6 | |||||
| 1959 | "The Fool and the Angel" | 75 | ||||
| "New River Train" | 26 | |||||
| "I Guess I'll Miss the Prom" | ||||||
| "No Other Baby" | 30 | |||||
| "Hurry Baby" | ||||||
| 1960 | "Someone Was Already There" | |||||
| "I Want to Be with You" | ||||||
| "Lonely River Rhine" | 16 | |||||
| "Jingle Bell Rock" (re-entry) | 36 | |||||
| 1961 | "Sad Eyed Baby" | |||||
| "How Can You Divide a Little Child" | ||||||
| "Jingle Bell Rock" (re-entry) | 41 | |||||
| 1962 | "One Deep Love" | |||||
| "Then Came You" | ||||||
| "Jingle Bell Rock" (re-entry) | 56 | |||||
| 1964 | "It's a Girl" | |||||
| 1967 | "He Thought He'd Die Laughing" | 46 | All New Just for You | |||
| 1968 | "The Day You Stop Loving Me" | 60 | ||||
| "I Feel You, I Love You" | 53 | single only | ||||
| "Touch My Heart" | All New Just for You | |||||
| 1969 | "My Special Angel" | Before Your Heartaches Begin | ||||
| "So Long" | 43 | |||||
| "Echoes and Shadows" | ||||||
| 1970 | "Mary Goes 'Round" | 41 | Greatest Performance | |||
| "Magnificent Sanctuary Band" | singles only | |||||
| "Just Hold My Hand and Sing" | ||||||
| 1971 | "He Gives Us His Love" | |||||
| "Hand in Hand with Love" | ||||||
| 1972 | "It's the Little Things" | |||||
| "It's Starting to Rain Again" | ||||||
| 1974 | "That Heart Belongs to Me" | |||||
| "Work Things Out with Annie" | ||||||
| 1975 | "Baby If I Could Make It Better" | |||||
| 1976 | "Every Man Must Have a Dream" | |||||
| "You" | ||||||
| 1977 | "Before My Heartaches Came" | |||||
| 1978 | "I'm Gonna Love the Devil Out of You" | |||||
| "I'm Not Sorry" | ||||||
| 1979 | "One More Dollar for the Band" | |||||
| 1983 | "Tears Ago" | |||||
| "I'm Drinking It Over (With My Friend Jim Beam)" | ||||||
| 1984 | "It's Raining Boners" | |||||
| 1985 | "I Wish I Could Say I Find" | |||||
| 1986 | "I'm the Man" | |||||
| 1987 | "Dance with Me" | Country | ||||
| "Somebody Wrong Is Lookin' Right" | ||||||
| 1996 | "Jingle Bell Rock" (re-release) | 60 | 18 | Jingle All the Way Jingle All the Way Jingle All the Way is a 1996 American family comedy film directed by Brian Levant and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson, Jake Lloyd, James Belushi and Robert Conrad... (soundtrack) |
Selected album discography
- Jingle Bell Rock - (1957) - Pilz
- To My Special Angel - (1957) - DeccaDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
- I'm the Man - (1966) - KappKapp RecordsKapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp . David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca Records and RCA Victor Records. Kapp licensed its records to London Records for release in the UK.In 1967, David Kapp sold his label to MCA Inc...
- Sorry My Name Isn't Fred - (1966) - Kapp
- All New Just For You - (1968) - Little Darlin'
- Pop-a-Billy - (1983) - MCAMCA RecordsMCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
External links
- findagrave.com (Photo)
- [ Helms biography at Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
]