Rubber Ball (song)
Encyclopedia
"Rubber Ball" was an early 1961 hit for Bobby Vee
on Liberty Records. In fact, it was the record which made Vee an international star. The song was recorded on August 12, 1960 in a four-song, 3-hour session at United in Hollywood. It was produced by a 19-year-old Texan, Thomas "Snuff" Garrett
, and was co-written at the Brill Building
in New York by Gene Pitney
, using his mother's maiden name, (Orlowski) and by Aaron Schroeder
.
The song was Vee's fifth single release in the US, where it made #6 on the Billboard charts
; it was a breakthrough hit for him in the UK, where it reached #4. In Australia, it was Vee's only #1 record, where it stayed for 3 weeks in early 1961. The record also marked Vee's first use of overdubbing his second vocal.
The song was covered as a single by British singer Marty Wilde
, who also had chart success when it went to #9 in 1961.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys released a cover version that can be found on their Complete Hits album.
Bobby Vee
Robert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
on Liberty Records. In fact, it was the record which made Vee an international star. The song was recorded on August 12, 1960 in a four-song, 3-hour session at United in Hollywood. It was produced by a 19-year-old Texan, Thomas "Snuff" Garrett
Snuff Garrett
Snuff Garrett is a retired American record producer whose most famous work was during the 1960s and 1970s. His nickname is a play on Garrett's Snuff, a brand of snuff....
, and was co-written at the Brill Building
Brill Building
The Brill Building is an office building located at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood...
in New York by Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
, using his mother's maiden name, (Orlowski) and by Aaron Schroeder
Aaron Schroeder
Aaron Schroeder was an American songwriter and music publisher.-Biography:Born Aaron Harold Schroder , he graduated from the school now known as the Fiorello H...
.
The song was Vee's fifth single release in the US, where it made #6 on the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
; it was a breakthrough hit for him in the UK, where it reached #4. In Australia, it was Vee's only #1 record, where it stayed for 3 weeks in early 1961. The record also marked Vee's first use of overdubbing his second vocal.
The song was covered as a single by British singer Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, and is the father of pop singers Ricky Wilde, Kim Wilde and Roxanne Wilde.-Career:Wilde was performing under the name Reg Patterson at London's Condor Club in...
, who also had chart success when it went to #9 in 1961.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys released a cover version that can be found on their Complete Hits album.