Bobby Sheen born 17 May 1941

Bobby Sheen (May 17, 1941 – November 23, 2000) was an American rhythm and blues singer. Though he made a handful of records under his given name, singer Bobby Sheen was far better known to audiences as Bob B. Soxx, the nominal leader of the Blue Jeans, themselves a studio creation of the legendary pop producer and svengali Phil Spector.

Born Robert Joseph Sheen in St. Louis, Missouri, Sheen was raised

The Ding Dongs

in West Hollywood, CA. A tall young man who dressed his hair in a fashionable pompadour, he sang in a high voice heavily influenced by Clyde McPhatter, who was the Drifters' first important lead singer in the early 50s. Sheen recorded with Robins, The Ding Dongs,  and the Loveables before making his solo debut with the Liberty Records single "How Many Nights." In 1962, Sheen hooked up with Spector through a recommendation from Lester Sill, a prominent Hollywood music business figure who had just gone into partnership with the 21-year-old producer to form the Philles label.

Spector was also briefly employed as head of A & R for Liberty Records, and his first venture with Sheen was a single for that label titled 'How Many Days', a copy of McPhatter's solo records, recorded in New York. A few months later Spector moved his recording operation to Los Angeles, where he booked time at a studio, Gold Star, located at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Vine Street. The site of many hit recordings, Gold Star was noted for its exceptionally resonant echo chamber, located in the bathroom. It also employed a young engineer, Larry Levine, who was eager to collaborate in Spector's more unorthodox notions. Their first session together produced 'He's A Rebel', released under the name of the Crystals, even though all the singing was done by session singers - one of whom was Sheen.

                               

It was at a second Gold Star session, in the autumn of 1962, that Sheen found himself singing the lead part on a version of 'Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah', a children's song from a 1940 Walt Disney film, 'Song of the South', which Spector had re-styled. At the session, 
Spector had assembled three guitarists, three bass players, at least two pianists, four saxophonists, a drummer and a percussionist. Levine spent almost three hours trying vainly to capture the correct sound balance on the studio's primitive three-track desk.  In frustration, he turned off all the microphones. One by one he turned them back on, until Spector shouted: 'That's it! That's the sound!'

However, one microphone had been inadvertently left off, and the distant, metallic sound of Billy Strange's electric guitar solo leaking into the microphones of the other musicians became the signature. A top 10 hit over the Christmas of 1962, it helped prepare the way for the records by the Crystals and the Ronettes which established Philles as the last great phenomenon before the arrival of the Beatles ended pop's age of innocence.

With Darlene Love and Fanita James, two session singers who collaborated as the Blue Jeans, Sheen released two more Bob B Soxx singles in 1963, 'Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Heart?' and 'Not Too Young To Get Married', on both of which Love sang the lead part - as she had, uncredited, on 'He's A Rebel' and the Crystals' next hit, 'He's Sure The Boy I Love’. When neither Bob B Soxx follow-up matched the success of 'Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah', Spector turned his interest elsewhere.

But the group's final appearance, as contributors to the producer's legendary 'Christmas Album', also permitted Sheen his finest hour, delivering a soaring lead vocal on a magnificently thunderous arrangement of 'The Bells Of St Mary's'. In 1966 Sheen signed a contract with Capitol , releasing the single "Dr. Love" under his own name. Neither "Dr. Love" nor its follow-up, "Something New to Do," enjoyed any real commercial success, although both were later revived on the Northern soul club circuit.

He would later join Bobby Nunn's group of The Coasters and recorded an album with the group called Coasting in 1979, which was released on Sheen's own record label, Salsa Picante Records. When Bobby Nunn died in 1986, Nunn's group of The Coasters still toured with Sheen and Billy Richards, Jr. as members.

Bobby Nunn´s Coasters in Germany 1982

(Nunn, Richards, Sheen; and top left unknown).

Sheen died of pneumonia in Los Angeles, California on November 23, 2000, at the age of 59. His son Charles has become the custodian of his father’s legacy.

(Edited  from Soulwalking & AllMusic)

Bob.B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans - Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

On the 24th August 1962, Producer Phil Spector recorded a "wall of sound" version of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" with Bobby Sheen doing the lead vocal with former Capitol Records singing group The Blossoms (Darlene Wright [soon to be renamed Darlene Love], Fanita James, and Gloria Jones) doing backup vocals. When the track is released it was credited to Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans.

 

Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans was an early 1960s vocal group produced by Phil Spector, and was initially conceived as a vehicle for the lead vocals of Bobby Sheen, who took the stage name Bob B. Soxx. The Blue Jeans were backing vocalists Darlene Love and Fanita James, both of whom were also members of the then girl group The Blossoms.

Despite Sheen's status as group leader, by the time the trio entered the recording studio, Spector was often using Love as the group's primary vocalist. Sheen sang lead on the group's first hit, 1962's "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" (originally from the 1946 Disney movie, Song of the South). It debuted on the Billboard pop chart on Nov 17, 1962, peaked at #8 (in 1963) & charted for 13 weeks. It also debuted on the Billboard R&B chart on Dec 8, 1962, peaked at #7 (in 1963) & charted for 9 weeks.

Love, meanwhile, handled the lead vocals on Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans' two follow-up singles, 1963's "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Hearts?" and "Not Too Young to Get Married".
Sheen and Love shared vocal duties on the only album the group ever recorded, Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah (1963).

Sheen can be heard as lead vocalist on the group's final recordings, "The Bells of St. Mary's" and "Here Comes Santa Claus", two tracks on the Spector-produced album, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (1963), on which Love also appears as a solo artist. On the cover of this album, a group portrait shows Sheen with two Blue Jeans vocalists, who have been identified as James and yet another Blossoms member, Gloria Jones.

After 1963 the group was dropped by Philles Records and effectively ceased to exist. Sheen went back to using his real name, recorded some tracks for Capitol Records in the mid 1960s, and later joined a touring version of The Coasters, which featured original bass singer Bobby Nunn. Sheen had previously been a member of The Robins, joining in 1957. Love recorded a few solo hits, but, more memorably, was the lead vocalist on at least two hit records by The Crystals. It is also established that Sheen, Love and Wright were the voices on The Crystals' hit, "He's a Rebel". (Info Wiki)