Robert Alvin Von Hebb (July 26, 1938 – August 3, 2010) was an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his 1966 hit "Sunny".

Biography Early life and family Hebb was born in Nashville, Tennessee. His parents, William and Ovalla Hebb, were both blind musicians. Hebb and his older brother, Harold, performed as a song-and-dance team in Nashville beginning when Bobby was three and Harold was nine.

Solo career Hebb performed on a TV show hosted by country music record producer Owen Bradley, which earned him a place with Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff. Hebb played spoons and other instruments in Acuff's band. Harold later became a member of "Johnny Bragg and the Marigolds". Bobby Hebb sang backup on Bo Diddley's "Diddley Daddy". Hebb played "West-coast-style" trumpet in a United States Navy jazz band, and replaced Mickey Baker in Mickey and Sylvia.

On November 23, 1963, the day after John F. Kennedy's assassination, Bobby Hebb's brother, Harold, was killed in a knife fight outside a Nashville nightclub. Hebb was devastated by both events and sought comfort in songwriting. Though many claim that the song he wrote after both tragedies was the optimistic "Sunny", Hebb himself stated otherwise. He immersed himself in the Gerald Wilson album You Better Believe It! for comfort.

"Sunny" was recorded in New York City after demos were made with the record producer Jerry Ross. Released as a single in 1966, "Sunny" reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 3 on the R&B charts, and No. 12 in the United Kingdom. When Hebb toured with The Beatles in 1966 his "Sunny" was not at the time of the tour, ranked higher than any Beatles song then on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. BMI rated "Sunny" No. 25 in its "Top 100 songs of the century".

In 1976, Hebb released a newly recorded disco version entitled "Sunny '76". The single was a minor hit reaching No. 94 on the R&B chart.

Hebb also had lesser hits with his "A Satisfied Mind" in 1966 (No. 39 on the Billboard chart and No. 40 on the R&B chart) and "Love Me" in 1967 (No. 84), and wrote many other songs, including Lou Rawls' 1971 hit "A Natural Man" (co-written with comedian Sandy Baron). Six years prior to "Sunny", Hebb reached the New York City Top 50 with a remake of Roy Acuff's "Night Train to Memphis". In 1972, his single "Love Love Love" reached No. 32 on the UK charts.

After a recording gap of 35 years, Hebb recorded That's All I Wanna Know, his first commercial release since Love Games for Epic Records in 1970. It was released in Europe in late 2005 by Tuition, a pop indie label. Two new duet versions of "Sunny" were issued, one with Astrid North and the other with Pat Appleton. In October 2008, he toured and played in Osaka and Tokyo in Japan.

Hebb was an active resident of Cresskill, New Jersey.Lehmann, Marilyn. "Religion and Music Shape Bobby Hebb's Life Style", Ridgewood Herald-News, September 30, 1971. Accessed December 27, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Bobby Hebb of Cresskill, although best known for his record, 'Sunny', which he composed, wrote and sang, and which went over the eleven million mark, is a man with such a multitude of talents, and with so much energy to pursue them all that trying to follow his activities for just one day would leave the ordinary person far behind."

Death Hebb continued to live in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, until his death at age 72. On August 3, 2010, Hebb died from lung cancer while being treated at TriStar Centennial Medical Center, located in Nashville. He is interred at Nashville's Spring Hill Cemetery.

Discography Albums Sunny (1966) – US No. 103, R&B No. 21 Love Games (1970) That's All I Wanna Know (2005)

Singles YearSinglePeak chart positionsAUSBE (FLA)BE (WA)NLNZUKUSUS R&B1960"Night Train to Memphis"————————1961"Feel So Good"————————"Atlanta G A."————————1966"Sunny"181782161223"I Love Mary"————————"Betty Jo from Ohio"————————"A Satisfied Mind"—————653940"Love Me"——————84—1967"Ooh La La"————————"Some Kind of Magic" / "I Love Everything About You"————————"Everything is Coming Up Roses"————————1968"You Want to Change Me"————————1972"I Was a Boy When You Needed a Man"————————"Love Love Love"—————32——1974"Evil Woman"————————1975"Proud Soul Heritage"————————"Sunny '76"———————942005"Sunny" (featuring Astrid North)————————"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released

Selected songwriting credits Song Writer(s) Recorded versions"The Charms of the Arms of Love"Bobby HebbErnie Andrews (1968)Bobby Hebb (1970)Alice Clark (1972)"Don't You Care"Bobby HebbAlice Clark (1972)"A Natural Man"Bobby Hebb; Sandy BaronLou Rawls (1971)Larry Morris (1972)Walt Wagner (1972) Liza Minnelli (1974)The Dirtbombs (2001)"Sunny"Bobby HebbOver 150 versions including:Bobby Hebb (1966)Cher (1966)Booker T. & the M.G.'s (1967)Frank Sinatra (1968)Ella Fitzgerald (1971)Boney M. (1976)Hampton Hawes (1978)Christophe Willem (2006)Toots and the Maytals (2014)Billie Eilish and FINNEAS (2020)Jamie Jones (2021)"Would You Believe"Bobby HebbKenny Lonas (1967)William Hunt (1967)Grady Tate (1968)

Notes

References

Bibliography Cooper, Daniel (1998). "Bobby Hebb". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 235,

External links

Bobby Hebb interview on Nashville Scene That's All I Wanna Know on Tuition Records, Germany