Bobby Vee Part 2 and The Blooper Bug

Hi again on our trip into the 5th estate. I just felt like I was Rod Sterling introducing “The Twilight Zone.” Over the years I felt like I was a resident of that place when things didn't go quite as planned. Bloopers. I do not know a single person in the broadcast media that has not been bitten by the “Blooper Bug”. As a matter of fact, a fellow named Kermit Schaefer produced at least 5 albums called “Pardon My Blooper.” To be sure, I have made hundred if not thousands of “mis-speaks.” One that sticks in my mind happened during a news story,that I was reading very early in my career. It was about Homecoming Weekend at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa. The story was supposed to read “as part of the festivities they will be roasting a full black Angus steer.” However this young announcer, read it as “a full back Angus steer.” Of course, at this point the on duty control room person, my friend the late Mike Sarlo, let out a loud “MOO” and started running around the control room using his hands for horns and charging the newsroom window. That was the end of anything that made sense for the rest of the news cast, as every time I would recover, Mike would moo so only I could hear him. The late Harry Von Zell, announcer for Burns and Allen, referred to the then president as Hoobert Heever. A reporter assigned to Washington, DC said “according to a high White Horse souse,” Even the Legendary Paul Harvey broke into un-controllable laugher at a story about a poodle. I remember that, as we were covering a network commercial with a local live commercial, so I was listening in the headphones. After that happened and Paul's announcer was in stitches trying to read the network fill commercial. Other times we announcer types get stuck on the most simple things. Mine is “Cinnamony Applesauce,” from the school lunch menu of the Horseheads, NY High School, My mentor Dick Crownover never could say “Social Security”. Our boss once told Dick that “you will be in big trouble if the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic ever gets social Security.' Even the Late Don Holcombe from KMOG, who I admired for his command of the language, got stuck one day on Tsumani.

1962 was a hot year for Bobby's label Liberty Records. They sold more records than any other label. As I mentioned last week they had the biggest acts in the country. Bobby had “Run To Him,” which hit #2 on the charts and sold over a million records. He also recorded one of my favorites “Take Good Care of My Baby.” I actually used the term “Pizzicato strings.” I think I impressed Bobby, since I had told him, rightfully so that my technical knowledge of music is very limited. That was the song Bobby sang at his daughters wedding. Bobby said, “I thought it would be easy, I slowed it down and changed the words as bit. When it came time for me to sing, it was so tough, my little girl getting married. I couldn't look at her. To me it was a magic memory.” The slow version of the song was released in 2003 in England on an album, that is available from Bobby's web site www.bobbyvee.com. That little aside story was one of the many special moments that occurred during my Legendary Artist Interview Series.

Bobby's personal favorite song is “Run To Him.” That 1962 song was written for the Everly Brothers, and his producer accidentally picked up the wrong pile of music, and before the mistake was discovered by the record label, “we had already recorded it,” said Bobby.

I had the pleasure of playing two Bobby Vee songs as a new records, “Devil or Angel” and “Come Back When You Grow Up Girl.” I hate to say that the Bobby Vee interview was one of my favorites, because I really enjoyed talking with all the legends of rock and roll. It was a D.J.'s dream come true!

Trivia: What song did Bobby Vee sing on American Bandstand that upset host Dick Clark? Bobby Vee was appearing on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and sang his latest hit “Please Don't Talk About Barbara.” After the show, Clark asked Bobby, “What did you sing that song for?” Unknown to Bobby was that Dick Clark was in the process of getting a divorce from his wife BARBARA.