Bobby Freeman - Songs

ABOUT

Bobby Freeman (June 13, 1940 - January 23, 2017) was a rock & roll/R&B/soul singer, songwriter, and producer with a great deal of crossover appeal who became famous during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for the original version of "Do You Want To Dance" (1958), an energetic, self-penned oldies dance classic later covered by The Beach Boys, Bette Midler, and many other bands and artists. This song was later included in the soundtrack to the 1973 movie blockbuster, "American Graffiti."

Born Robert Thomas Freeman in the San Francisco Bay Area, he began in his early teens singing in a doo-wop group known as The Romancers and first recorded with them on Dootone Records in 1956. He soon after formed another group, The Vocaleers, before a solo demo he made of "Do You Want To Dance" came to the attention of Mortimer Palitz of Jubilee Records who signed him to his label. Released on the Jubilee subsidiary label Josie, this song became a Top 5 hit on both the R&B and Pop/Rock charts when Freeman was still only 17. Other hits followed that include "Betty Lou Got A New Pair Of Shoes" (1958), "(I Do The) Shimmy Shimmy" (1960), and "C'mon And Swim" (1964), the latter of which became his second Pop/Rock Top 5.

Freeman continued to record on various labels through the 1970s and performed actively in the San Francisco area over the years. By the 1970s, he had begun to amass a loyal following among U.K. Northern Soul fans.

LINKS

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SONGS

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Bobby Freeman

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