Bobby Freeman

Bobby Freeman Robert Thomas Freeman June 13 1940 – January 23 2017 Was An American Rhythm & Blues And Soul Singer Songwriter And Record Producer. He Is Best Known For His Two Top Ten Hits The First In 1958 On Josie Records Called "Do You Want To Dance" And The Second In 1964 For Autumn Records "C'mon And Swim". Freeman Was Born In Alameda County And Raised In San Francisco California. He Attended Mission High School. He Started Singing In A Doo-Wop Group The Romancers In His Early Teens And First Recorded With Them For Dootone Records In 1956. Their Recordings Included "House Cat" Included On Several Later Rock And Roll Compilations. However The Group Soon Fell Apart And Freeman Started A New Group The Vocaleers Not To Be Confused With An Earlier Group Of The Same Name Who Recorded "Is It A Dream" . When Asked By A Local DJ If He Had Written Any Songs He Wrote Several And Recorded Them As Solo Demos. These Included "Do You Want To Dance" Which Were Heard By A Visiting Record Label Executive Mortimer Palitz Of Jubilee Records. He Signed Freeman To The Label And Had The Original Recording Overdubbed In New York By Session Musicians Including Guitarist Billy Mure. Released On The Jubilee Subsidiary Label Josie "Do You Want To Dance" Quickly Rose To Number 5 On The Pop Chart And Number 2 On The R&B Chart In Early 1958 When Freeman Was Still Only 17. The Song Was Covered Later As "Do You Wanna Dance" By Del Shannon Bobby Vee The Beach Boys Johnny Rivers Bette Midler John Lennon Cliff Richard Marc Bolan & T.Rex The Mamas & The Papas And The Ramones. Freeman Appeared On American Bandstand And Toured With Such Musicians As Fats Domino The Coasters And Jackie Wilson. Several Of His Follow-Ups On Laurie Including "Betty Lou Got A New Pair Of Shoes" And "Need Your Love" A Ballad Also Made The Pop Charts. He Left Laurie In 1960 And Signed With King Records Reaching The Charts Again With "Shimmy Shimmy". 6 However Several Of Freeman's Later Recordings For King In The Early 1960s Went Unreleased For Unexplained Reasons. He Did Not Return To The Charts Again Until 1964 After Signing For The Autumn Label When He Had His Second Top Ten Hit With "C'mon And Swim". The Song Was Co-Written By Label Owner And Radio DJ Tom Donahue Credited Under His Birth Name Thomas Coman And 20-Year-Old Sylvester Stewart Later Known As Sly Stone And Was Produced By Stewart. Freeman's Final Hit Was "S-W-I-M" Later In 1964. In 1964 Bobby Freeman Played Nightly At The Condor Club In San Francisco Where Carol Doda Performed Her Topless Go-Go Dancing Shows. Mainly Supporting Himself As A Singer In Clubs By The Late 1960s He Continued To Release Singles On Various Small Local Labels Through To The Mid-1970s But Met With Little Commercial Success. He Performed At The Bay Area Music "Bammy" Awards In Later Years. He Died Of Natural Causes On 23 January 2017. Discography Notable Singles
1958 "Do You Want To Dance" #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 "Mess Around" #89 Pop 1964 "C'mon And Swim" #5 Pop 1964 "S-W-I-M" #56 Pop 1974 "Everything's Love" Uncharted Albums
1958 Do You Wanna Dance Jubilee 1959 Get In The Swim Josie 1960 Lovable Style Of Bobby Freeman King 1964 C'mon And Swim Autumn Bibliography
The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia Of Rock & Roll Pareles Jon & Romanowski Patricia Eds. Summit Books 1983 read less