Bobby Helms
Though his name is unfamiliar to most, Bobby Helms rules the airwaves every year around December 25th. His single "Jingle Bell Rock" first became a hit in 1957, and it reappeared on the charts four of the following five years to become an all-time Christmas classic. Before he was pigeonholed, though, Helms had a successful country career with two number one hits to his credit.
Born on August 15, 1933, in Bloomington, IN, Helms first performed on his father Fred's Monroe County Jamboree, singing while brother Freddie played guitar. The Helms Brothers, as they were billed, became a regional attraction. Bobby later cut a single called "Tennessee Rock and Roll," but then returned to Bloomington to appear on the Hayloft Frolic television show. While on the program, he was encouraged to go to Nashville to sing background vocals on an Ernest Tubb session. Tubb recommended him to Decca Records, and the label signed him in 1956. His debut single, "Fraulein," initially flopped in January 1957 but then hit number one on the country chart in April. (The song also hit the pop Top 40 in July of 1957.) In October, Helms released another number one, "My Special Angel," which stayed four weeks at the top and crossed over to number seven pop.
Helms' next recording was "Jingle Bell Rock"; though Decca released it only two days before Christmas 1957, the single still peaked at number six on the pop chart. Two 1958 singles -- "Just a Little Lonesome" and "Jacqueline" -- hit the country Top Ten but flopped elsewhere, though a reissue of "Jingle Bell Rock" made the pop Top 40. The country single "Lonely River Rhine" hit the Top 20 in 1960, but subsequent new material from Helms had little success. (Decca reissued his Christmas hit each year from 1960 to 1962 with diminishing returns.)
Helms toured throughout the '60s and recorded two albums for Kapp in 1966, I'm the Man and Sorry My Name Isn't Fred -- a nod either to brother Freddie or father Fred. Two years later, he released All New Just for You on the Little Darlin' label. Several singles placed modestly on the country charts during 1967-1968, including "He Thought He'd Die Laughing" and "So Long." The 1970 Certron single "Mary Goes 'Round" was his last hit, but Helms recorded Pop-a-Billy for MCA as late as 1983.
© John Bush /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Jingle Bell Rock/Captain Santa Claus (And His Reindeer Space Patrol)
Christmas Music - Released by Geffen on 2 Dec 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
Bobby Helms Sings To My Special Angel
Rock - Released by Geffen on 3 Mar 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Classic Years: 1956-1962
Country - Released by Geffen on 1 Jan 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jingle Bell Rock (Special Nashville Edition)
Country - Released by Country Rewind on 7 Dec 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jingle Bell Rock (Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix)
Christmas Music - Released by Christmas Chill on 1 Jan 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jingle Bell Rock
Christmas Music - Released by Audio Fidelity on 3 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anthology: The Deluxe Collection (Remastered)
Country - Released by Master Tape Records on 14 Aug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Special Angel (Mono Version)
Pop - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Jingle Bell Rock
Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 21 Nov 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas
Country - Released by Pretty World Records on 8 Sep 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jingle Bell Rock
Christmas Music - Released by Santa records on 10 Nov 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Special Angel (Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, December 1, 1957)
Pop - Released by SOFA - AV Catalog DD on 1 Jan 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jingle Bell Rock & More Christmas Favorites
Ambient/New Age - Released by Classic Music International on 21 Dec 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jingle Bell Rock
Miscellaneous - Released by Christmas Legends on 21 Nov 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Special Angel / Jingle Bell Rock (Rerecorded Version)
Christmas Music - Released by K-Tel on 4 Jul 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas With Bobby Helms
Christmas Music - Released by Tam-Tam Media on 1 Jul 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jingle Bell Rock (Ryan Riback Remix)
Christmas Music - Released by Geffen on 1 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Classics
Alternative & Indie - Released by Holiday Classics Records on 1 Jul 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les Idoles De La Musique Country: Boddy Helms, Vol. 1
Country - Released by Mpm on 25 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo