Tommy Roe
Thomas David Roe was born on the 9th of May 1942 in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Brown High School before graduating and taking a job at General Electric soldering wires. This secure position seemed like a stable future until he wrote an original song called Sheila in 1960. Roe recalled writing the poem for a girl named Freda whom he had a crush on during high school. Local label owner Jud Phillips liked the song but suggested changing the title because Freda was not a suitable name for a hit record. Phillips sent him home where Aunt Sheila visited that weekend. The resulting single misspelled as Shelia appeared under the name Tommy Roe and the Satins. It remained a regional hit without charting nationally.
Roe re-recorded the track for ABC-Paramount in 1962 with a new hook featuring an insistent drum paradiddle. This rhythm pattern modeled the 1957 hit Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly. Felton Jarvis produced the session and deliberately chose to mimic Holly's sound to fill a vacuum left by the late rock star. Roe admitted he felt they were sponging off Holly while acknowledging the strategy worked. The arrangement became a Billboard number one hit in both the U.S. and Australia later that year. Global sales of the song grew slowly enough that the Recording Industry Association of America did not present the gold record until 1969. ABC-Paramount asked him to tour immediately after the success. He refused to quit his job at GE until the company advanced him five thousand dollars.
In March 1963 the UK music magazine NME reported that Roe had been upstaged by the Beatles during a twenty-one day UK tour. Fans ignored his performance to cheer for the British group instead. Despite this setback, he scored a Top 10 hit with Everybody which reached US number three and UK number nine. Another track called The Folk Singer written by Merle Kilgore also gained popularity in Britain. Following a successful tour by Roy Orbison, Roe decided to move to England where he lived for several years. In 1964 he recorded Diane From Manchester Square about a girl working at EMI House on London's Manchester Square. Sales of that single remained poor and it failed to chart despite the local connection.
His song Dizzy went to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. It also topped the UK Singles Chart and the Canadian charts simultaneously. This transatlantic chart-topper sold two million copies by mid-April 1969 alone. The sales volume earned him his third gold disc award from the industry. He guest-starred in an episode of Green Acres titled The Four of Spades airing on the 8th of November 1969. His final Top 10 single became Jam Up and Jelly Tight co-written with Freddy Weller. That track peaked at number eight in the U.S. and number five in Canada during 1970. It eventually became his fourth gold record after sustained sales over time.
Roe maintained a following even as his style declined in popularity throughout the 1970s mass market. He continued performing at concert venues sometimes alongside 1960s nostalgia rockers like Freddy Cannon and Bobby Vee. Numerous singles recorded in the late 1970s and 1980s targeted the country music market specifically. In 1986 Roe was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame for his contributions. The Rockabilly Hall of Fame also recognized his pioneering work within the genre. His autobiography From Cabbagetown to Tinseltown and places in between appeared in 2016. Michael Robert Krikorian co-wrote the book which detailed his life story from Atlanta to Hollywood.
On the 7th of February 2018 Roe officially announced his retirement on his Facebook page. He paused all activities until the 2nd of May 2022 when he released a new single titled 80. This track commemorated his eightieth birthday with a fresh recording effort. Roe appeared as a guest on several oldies-oriented podcasts during 2022 and 2023 to discuss his career history. On the 5th of January 2023 he released an album called From Here to Here on Solar Music. An interview with Goldmine confirmed his return stating that music is part of his DNA. Concert dates for Nashville on May 9 and Holmdel on June 8 marked his first live performances since 2018. He stated he would carry on until he could no longer perform.
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Common questions
When and where was Tommy Roe born?
Thomas David Roe was born on the 9th of May 1942 in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Brown High School before graduating and taking a job at General Electric soldering wires.
How did Tommy Roe write Sheila and why was it renamed?
Roe wrote the original song called Sheila in 1960 for a girl named Freda whom he had a crush on during high school. Local label owner Jud Phillips suggested changing the title because Freda was not a suitable name for a hit record after Aunt Sheila visited that weekend.
What year did Tommy Roe release Dizzy and how many copies did it sell by mid-April 1969?
His song Dizzy went to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. This transatlantic chart-topper sold two million copies by mid-April 1969 alone.
Why did Tommy Roe move to England and what happened with his single Diane From Manchester Square?
Following a successful tour by Roy Orbison, Roe decided to move to England where he lived for several years. In 1964 he recorded Diane From Manchester Square about a girl working at EMI House on London's Manchester Square but sales remained poor and it failed to chart despite the local connection.
When did Tommy Roe officially announce his retirement and when did he return to music?
On the 7th of February 2018 Roe officially announced his retirement on his Facebook page. He paused all activities until the 2nd of May 2022 when he released a new single titled 80 to commemorate his eightieth birthday.