Bobby Sherman - Career As Performer

Career As Performer

Bobby's interest in music began at age 11 when he learned to play the trumpet. He eventually progressed to playing 16 musical instruments. At Birmingham High School Bobby played football, joined a dance band, and discovered his love for singing. From the time he was in high school, Bobby knew that he wanted to be some type of performer, but wasn't sure how to make it happen.

In 1962 Sal Mineo took Sherman under his wing and wrote 2 songs for him as well as arranging for Sherman to record the songs, then in 1964 when Sherman was asked by Mineo to sing with his old band at a Hollywood party (there were many actors and agents in attendance) he made such an impression at that party he landed an agent and eventually a part on the ABC television show Shindig! as a regular cast member/house singer. The show ran for two years, from 1964 to 1966. During that time Bobby made several records with Decca and another smaller label, and landed in all the teen magazines, but it did not seem to catapult his career. Sherman's luck changed drastically early in 1968 when, out of hundreds of actors, he was cast in the role as the bashful, stammering logger, Jeremy Bolt, in the television series Here Come the Brides (1968-1970 ABC), with Bridget Hanley as his romantic interest, Candy Pruitt. The cast included Robert Brown, David Soul, and Joan Blondell. Sherman managed to become the breakout star of the show as well as a beloved Teen Idol world wide.

Sherman also appeared on an episode of The Monkees entitled "Monkees at the Movies", playing a pompous surfer/singer named Frankie Catalina in the vein of Frankie Avalon, performing the song "The New Girl in School" (the flip of "Dead Man's Curve", co-written by The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, Jan Berry of Jan and Dean, songwriter Roger Christian and Bob Norberg, who was a room mate of Wilson's at the time).

In Sherman's recording career he earned seven gold singles, one platinum single, and five gold albums. He had a career total of seven top 40 hits. In 1969, his first gold single, "Little Woman", became popular, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (#2 in Canada) and spending nine weeks in the Top 20. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in October 1969. His other hits were "Julie (Do Ya Love Me)" (US #5) (Canada #3) (Australia #3) (written by Tom Bahler), "Easy Come, Easy Go" (US #9) (Canada #6), "Jennifer" (US #60) (Canada #32), "La, La, La" (US #9) (Canada #7), and "The Drum" (US #29) (Canada #7) (written by Alan O'Day). Some of these songs were produced by Jackie Mills, a Hollywood record producer, who also produced the Brady Bunch Kids. In Canada "Hey Mister Sun" reached #19, "Cried Like A Baby" reached #10, and "Waiting At The Bus Stop" reached #31. "La, La, La," "Easy Come, Easy Go," and "Julie Do Ya Love Me" all sold in excess of a million copies and garnered further gold discs for Sherman. "Julie Do Ya Love Me" was Sherman's sole excursion in the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at #28 in November 1970. The song competed there for chart space with White Plains' cover version, which eventually placed higher at #8.

Sherman toured extensively through the United States and the world in support of his many records and albums. He gave many concerts to sell-out crowds of mostly screaming young women from the late 1960s to the mid 1970's. The screaming by the young women was so loud that Sherman to this day has experienced hearing loss.

A March, 1971 episode of The Partridge Family featured Sherman, serving as a back-door pilot for the ABC TV series Getting Together which aired starting in September 1971. The show competed with CBS's All in the Family on Saturday nights and was canceled after 14 episodes. The theme song, "Getting Together" by Helen Miller and Roger Atkins should not be confused with the Ritchie Cordell tune by Tommy James & the Shondells which hit the Top 20 in 1967. Sherman also had a self-titled TV special that aired June 4, 1971.

Sherman has been a guest star on television series such as The Mod Squad, Ellery Queen, Murder She Wrote and Frasier. He has also been a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show, American Bandstand, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, KTLA Morning News, Visiting with Huell Howser on PBS, Good Day LA, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Good Morning America, and The Tonight Show with both Johnny Carson and later with Jay Leno. He was featured on 20/20, VH1, Entertainment Tonight, and Extra, among other television shows.

Sherman was a regular cast member on the television show Sanchez of Bel Air in 1986.

In 1998, after a 25 year absence, eager fans flocked to see him in concert as part of "The Teen Idol Tour" with Peter Noone, and Davy Jones. Fellow Monkees member, Micky Dolenz replaced Davy Jones on the tour in 1999. Bobby did his last concert as a solo performer in Lincoln, RI on August 25, 2001. Bobby has retired from public life, but still does corporate events occasionally and his on going charities.

Sherman was ranked #8 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 25 Greatest Teen Idols" (January 23, 2005 issue).

Due to Sherman's recording company Metromedia having gone out of business in 1986, he never officially received his platinum record for "Julie Do Ya Love Me". Sherman finally received his much delayed platinum record plaque in summer 2010.

The first season of Sherman's show Here Come the Brides was released on DVD by Sony Pictures on May 16, 2006. Here Come the Brides second season was released on February 28, 2012. Antenna TV started airing both seasons of Here Come the Brides on Sundays, beginning in early 2011, as part of their station launch (HCTB premiered on January 9, 2011).

Bobby was a frequent guest on the 1960s American television shows American Bandstand and Where the Action Is. He also made local and regional TV performances.