The record failed to attract any interest, but within two years Roe had signed a recording contract with ABC-Paramount Records who re-recorded and re-released the song. His first break came when, like Bobby Vee, he was asked to stand in on a date which Buddy Holly had been booked for, and a year later Roe recorded and released “Sheila” on the tiny Judd Records label in Atlanta. Influenced by the sounds of the late Buddy Holly, Roe developed a unique style that, combined with his All-American clean-cut image, made him a popular musical performer throughout the 1960s. In 1991, The Wonder Stuff and Vic Reeves released a cover of "Dizzy" that topped the UK Singles Chart.Roe was raised in Atlanta where he attended Brown High School.Sheila's stage name was taken from the title of her first release, which was a French cover of the song "Sheila"."Mean Little Woman, Rosalie" (Richard Laws) " Stagger Lee" (Harold Logan, Lloyd Price) "Stir It Up and Serve It" (Tommy Roe / Freddy Weller) "Jam Up and Jelly Tight" (Tommy Roe / Freddy Weller) "Jack and Jill" (Tommy Roe / Freddy Weller) Although his style of music declined in popularity with the 1970s mass market, he maintained a following and continued to perform at a variety of concert venues, sometimes with 1960s nostalgia rock and rollers such as Freddy Cannon and Bobby Vee. In 1986, he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Ī resident of Beverly Hills, California, he is married to Josette Banzet, an actress from France who won a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Award for her performance in the 1976 television mini-series, Rich Man, Poor Man. Roe guest-starred in an episode of the American sitcom, Green Acres, called "The Four of Spades", which first aired on 8 November 1969, one week to the day before the Hot 100 debut of his final Top 10 single, a track co-written with Freddy Weller, "Jam Up and Jelly Tight", which became his fourth gold record, peaking at number 8 in the U.S. This transatlantic chart-topper sold two million copies by mid-April 1969, giving him his third gold disc award. In 1969, his song " Dizzy" went to number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, number 1 in Canada, as well as number 1 in the U.S. During the 1960s, he had several more Top 40 hits, including 1966's number 8 "Sweet Pea " (number 1 Canada) and number 6 "Hooray for Hazel" (number 2 Canada). Sales of this single in the UK were poor, and it failed to chart. In 1964 Roe recorded a song written by Buzz Cason entitled, "Diane From Manchester Square." It was a story in song about a girl called Diane, who worked in an upstairs office at EMI House, when it was based in London's Manchester Square. Late that year Roe scored a Top 10 hit with "Everybody", which reached US number 3 and UK number 9, and "The Folk Singer" (number 4 UK) written by Merle Kilgore was also popular.įollowing a more successful tour of the United Kingdom by his friend Roy Orbison, Roe toured there and then moved to England where he lived for several years. However in March 1963, the UK music magazine NME reported that he and Chris Montez had both been upstaged by The Beatles and their fans on a 21-day UK tour. He was reluctant to give up his secure job at GE until ABC-Paramount advanced him $5,000. When "Sheila" became a hit, ABC-Paramount Records asked him to go on tour to promote the hit. A build up of global sales of "Sheila" meant that the R.I.A.A. did not present the gold record until 1969. and Australia in 1962 with the track " Sheila". He had a Billboard number 1 hit in the U.S. After graduating, he landed a job at General Electric soldering wires. Roe was raised in Atlanta where he attended Brown High School.
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