Bobby Helms started performing two live radio shows daily at age of 9 (one before and one after school) on WTTS, Bloomington, Indiana. After he had gained recognition from the radio shows, Bobby started his own regular television show, The Hayloft Frolic, on WTTV, Channel 4, where he performed for nearly five years.

Due to Bobby’s popularity throughout Indiana, he was invited to perform on Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop Midnight Jamboree in Nashville, Tennessee. After hearing Bobby sing, Ernest Tubb arranged for Bobby’s audition with the soon-to-be Hall of Fame producer Paul Cohen, then of Decca Records. Immediately after the audition Bobby Helms was signed to the national recording label Decca Records.

In January of 1957, Paul Cohen decided it was time to release a song called “Fraulein,” written by Lawton Williams. This song reached Number 16 on the charts in the pop field, surprising everybody because it had a fiddle in it, which was standard for country, but not for pop. Before Fraulein left the country charts, Decca Records released “My Special Angel,” written by Timmy Duncan. Then, with “Fraulein” still on the charts after nearly a year and with “My Special Angel” making its way towards Number 1, Paul decided that Bobby should be the first to put “a little rock” in Christmas with a release of “Jingle Bell Rock.” All three songs were on the Billboard charts at Christmas time, setting a record for one artist having the No. 1, 2 and 7 hits at the same time. All of this succeeded in Bobby getting Cashbox’s Male Vocalist of the Year Award in 1957.

After all this success in 1957, Paul Cohen left Decca Records, and Bobby decided to follow Paul to Kapp Records. There, Bobby had several charted records from 1959 to 1962. Bobby decided to change labels and signed with Columbia Records, where he had several charted records, but none lived up to Bobby’s expectations. He then signed with Little Darlin Records where he had three Top 20’s songs. In 1970, Bobby joined Certron Records where “Mary Goes Round” reached Number 13 on the charts before Certron filed for bankruptcy.

In 1974, Bobby began touring again with his popular Bobby Helms Show (after a two-year layout due to his wife’s illness). Between 1980 and 1990 Bobby owned three nightclubs, sponsored a music festival yearly, and has performed over 150 tour dates each year. Bobby released his Greatest Hits and More, and a 10-song videotape in November 1990. Bobby also did a nationally syndicated half hour TV show.

(Edited by Dusty Owens, TCM Radio News)

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