Tommy Roe

by Bill Dahl Widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late 60s, Tommy Roe cut some pretty decent rockers along the way, especially early in his career — many displaying some pretty prominent Buddy Holly roots. In fact, Roes initial pop smash, 1962s chart-topping Sheila, was quite reminiscent of Hollys Peggy Sue, utilizing a very similar throbbing drum beat and Roes hiccuping vocal. The singer had previously cut the song for the smaller Judd label before remaking it in superior form for ABC-Paramount. The infectious Everybody — another hot item the next year — was waxed in Muscle Shoals at Rick Halls Fame studios, normally an R&B-oriented facility (its not widely known that Roe wrote songs for the Tams, a raw-edged soul group from his Atlanta hometown). Once Roe veered off on his squeaky-clean bubblegum tangent, he stuck with it for the rest of the decade. His lighthearted Sweet Pea and Hooray for Hazel burned up the charts in 1966, and he was still at it three years later when he waxed his biggest hit, Dizzy, and Jam Up Jelly Tight.