Title: Sheila
Artist: Tommy Roe
Year: 1962
Album: N/A - single release
For my last song of 1962, I thought I'd share a song that is so completely derivative of another artist that it's a little bit shameful. Tommy Roe's "Sheila" went to number one on the pop charts, presumably fueled by sales from heart-broken fans of Buddy Holly who must have felt that a Holly sound-alike was better than nothing. Holly died three years earlier in the plane crash that also cut short the careers of Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. But it was Holly who was blazing a trail toward becoming a rock and roll icon. How interesting it would have been to see how (or if) he stood up to the British invasion of 1964!
Roe's single is like "Peggy Sue" Lite, complete with Holly's trademark hiccups and the snare-less rockabilly beat originated by the late innovator. Nonetheless, it's a nice enough song and a good way to close the door on my week-long survey of 1962.
See you tomorrow in 1972.
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