Bobby Freeman
Encyclopedia
Bobby Freeman is an African-American
soul
singer, songwriter
, and record producer
who recorded for the Autumn Records
label
in San Francisco, California
. He is best known for his 1958 hit
"Do You Want To Dance?
" and his 1964 Top Ten hit "C'mon and Swim". "Do You Want To Dance?" was covered
later (as "Do You Wanna Dance
") by Del Shannon
, The Beach Boys
, Bette Midler
, John Lennon
, Cliff Richard
, The Mamas & The Papas
and the Ramones
. "C'mon and Swim" was written
and produced
by twenty-year-old Sylvester Stewart
, later known as Sly Stone
. In 1964, Bobby Freeman played nightly at the Condor Night Club
in San Francisco where Carol Doda
performed her topless Go-Go dancing
shows.
Freeman began his recording
career at age 14 with the Romancers who recorded briefly on the Dootone label. At 17, he scored a hit with "Do You Want To Dance?" and appeared on the pop charts with various follow-ups through 1961. In 1964, he was back in the Top Ten with the dance-craze hit "C'mon and Swim", which reached #5. The craze had cooled by the time he released his follow-up "S-W-I-M", but he continued to tour widely over the next few years. Mainly supporting himself as a singer in strip clubs by the late 1960s, he released another single
in 1974 on Touch Records, but it met with little commercial success. He has performed at the Bay Area Music ("Bammy") Awards in recent years.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
who recorded for the Autumn Records
Autumn Records
Autumn Records was a 1960s San Francisco-based pop record label. Its most prominent contract was considered The Beau Brummels, a band who released a pair of top 20 singles, "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little"....
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He is best known for his 1958 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
"Do You Want To Dance?
Do You Wanna Dance?
"Do You Wanna Dance?" is a song written by Bobby Freeman , and recorded by him in 1958. It is also popular in a version performed by the Beach Boys, which was released in 1965, and in a version recorded by Bette Midler in 1972...
" and his 1964 Top Ten hit "C'mon and Swim". "Do You Want To Dance?" was covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
later (as "Do You Wanna Dance
Do You Wanna Dance?
"Do You Wanna Dance?" is a song written by Bobby Freeman , and recorded by him in 1958. It is also popular in a version performed by the Beach Boys, which was released in 1965, and in a version recorded by Bette Midler in 1972...
") by Del Shannon
Del Shannon
Del Shannon was an American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961.- Biography :...
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
, The Mamas & The Papas
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
and the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
. "C'mon and Swim" was written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by twenty-year-old Sylvester Stewart
Sly Stone
Sly Stone is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of...
, later known as Sly Stone
Sly Stone
Sly Stone is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of...
. In 1964, Bobby Freeman played nightly at the Condor Night Club
Condor Club
The Condor Night Club is a striptease bar or topless bar in the North Beach section of San Francisco, in California, USA. The club opened in 1964....
in San Francisco where Carol Doda
Carol Doda
Carol Ann Doda was a topless stripper in San Francisco, California in the 1960s through 1980s, one of the first of the era....
performed her topless Go-Go dancing
Go-Go dancing
Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at a discotheque. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s when women at the Peppermint Lounge in New York City began to get up on tables and dance the twist...
shows.
Freeman began his recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
career at age 14 with the Romancers who recorded briefly on the Dootone label. At 17, he scored a hit with "Do You Want To Dance?" and appeared on the pop charts with various follow-ups through 1961. In 1964, he was back in the Top Ten with the dance-craze hit "C'mon and Swim", which reached #5. The craze had cooled by the time he released his follow-up "S-W-I-M", but he continued to tour widely over the next few years. Mainly supporting himself as a singer in strip clubs by the late 1960s, he released another single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1974 on Touch Records, but it met with little commercial success. He has performed at the Bay Area Music ("Bammy") Awards in recent years.
Notable singles
- 1958 "Do You Want To Dance?Do You Wanna Dance?"Do You Wanna Dance?" is a song written by Bobby Freeman , and recorded by him in 1958. It is also popular in a version performed by the Beach Boys, which was released in 1965, and in a version recorded by Bette Midler in 1972...
" (#5 Pop, #2 R&B) - 1958 "Betty Lou Got a New Pair of Shoes" (#37 Pop, #20 R&B)
- 1958 "Need Your Love" (#54 Pop, #29 R&B)
- 1959 "Mary Ann Thomas" (#90 Pop)
- 1959 "Ebb Tide" (#93 Pop)
- 1960 "(I Do the) Shimmy Shimmy" (#37 Pop)
- 1961 "The Mess Around" (#89 Pop)
- 1964 "C'mon and Swim" (#5 Pop, #5 R&B)
- 1964 "S-W-I-M" (#56 Pop, #56 R&B)
- 1974 "Everything's Love" (Uncharted)
Albums
- 1958 Do You Wanna Dance (JubileeJubilee RecordsJubilee Records was a record label specializing in rhythm and blues along with novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. Jerry Blaine became Abramson's partner. Blaine bought out Abramson's half of the company in 1947. The company name was Jay-Gee Recording...
) - 1959 Get in the Swim (JosieJosie RecordsJosie Records was a subsidiary of Jubilee Records in New York and was active from 1954 through to 1971. Single records were numbered from 760 through to 1031.Their best sellers were The Cadillacs, Bobby Freeman and The Meters....
) - 1960 Lovable Style of Bobby Freeman (King Records)
- 1964 C'mon and Swim (AutumnAutumn RecordsAutumn Records was a 1960s San Francisco-based pop record label. Its most prominent contract was considered The Beau Brummels, a band who released a pair of top 20 singles, "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little"....
)