Bob Dawdy born 16 December 1942

Bob Dawdy (December 16, 1942 - January 21, 2013) was best known as lead guitarist of the Velaires. 

Robert Edward Dawdy was born at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, the son of Richard and Mary (Green) Dawdy. The family moved to Sioux City in the late 1940’s. Bob was a self taught musician, who started playing at age 4. In 1958, at the age of 15, Bob became lead guitarist for The Screamers at Central High School, but they soon changed their name to The Flairs (not to be confused with the doo-wop group The Flairs based in Los Angeles). 

Their first record was a do-it-yourself effort recorded at Kay Bank studio in Minneapolis by The Screamers in 1959. The titles were I Dig and What Did I Do Wrong? This got some local and regional air play and helped promote bookings for the band. But then in early 1961, their lean years got better shortly after they drove to Oklahoma City and cut a tape with a version of Roll Over Beethoven as the Flairs. The band were headed for Norman Petty’s Clovis, New Mexico studio, but they never made it that far South, stopping in Oklahoma City for a session at Gene Sullivan’s studio there. They recorded five songs, but still had twenty minutes remaining on the clock, so the Flairs cut Roll Over Beethoven. It was a song they played so often on stage, that they dismissed its hit possibilities. 

Founding member Don Bourett said that the name change from The Flairs to The Velairs resulted from a problem with a recording company contract. When they needed to make a change, he explained: "We had just played the Vel Air Ballroom in Des Moines, so became the Velaires!', a slight difference in spelling of the ballroom, which has stuck ever since." Later in 1961, as The Velaires, they signed with Jamie Records and again released "Roll Over Beethoven" which leapt onto the Billboard charts rising to No. 51 nationally and reaching No. 1 in Los Angeles. 

                                    

The Velaires consisted of Bob Dawdy (lead guitar) , Danny Matusak (rhythm guitar), Jerry DeMers (bass) and Don Bourett (drums). All four were vocalist although Jerry and Dan did most of the singing on their recordings. These four original members remained together as the Screamers, the Flairs and finally the Velaires. The fifth Velaire was their full-time manager and booking agent, Dan's older brother, Richard "Dick" LaMiere Matousek. 

While "Roll Over Beethoven" was on the charts, The Velaires had the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand in Philadelphia being the only-Iowa based group to have ever done so. They also joined the Caravan of Stars for a time. They would follow “Roll Over Beethoven” with eight more releases on such labels as Jamie Records, Mercury Records, Palm Records, Ramco Records and Brent Records. Other releases on Jamie Records included their cover of "Dream" (Johnny Mercer) and "Ubangi Stomp" (Earl Bostic). 

The original members would stay together until 1963 when Dan Matousek would reform the group and continue on until 1971 under the name of Danny and The Velaires. This band recorded in 1966 in Omaha several originals that received ample airplay, but never charted after "Roll Over Beethoven." 

After leaving Danny & the Velaires, Bob Dawdy performed concerts for many benefits, especially those for missing and exploited children. He shared his gift of music to anyone wishing to listen or learn. Bob taught thousands of people to play the guitar and other instruments. He taught at Flood Music, Midbell Music and from home. Some of his students went on to study music at Berklee in Boston. 

During 1996, the Velaires fans were treated to a reunion gig where the original band members played their old songs. The following year they band were inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. In April of 2013 the Velaires were inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2012, Bob was celebrated for his lifetime of music at The Chesterfield, which was also his last public performance. Following this performance, he fulfilled his lifetime dream of attending the 55th annual Monteray Jazz Fest along with his son, Bobby Jr. 

Bob Dawdy died on January 21, 2013, at home, in Sioux City, Iowa, at age 70. Founder member and drummer Don Bourett did his final gig as The Velaires with keyboardist Gene Ambroson, bassist Mike King, guitarist Bill “Chopper” Pelchat and saxophonist Dave Napier, during June 2019. Bourett died in Soux City on March 4, 2024. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, Waterbury Funeral Services obit & Sioux City Journal)