Return to Rock-and-Roll Page.Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans was an aggregation of singers who came together to record some hits under the direction of record producer Phil Spector.
The group was brought together by Spector in 1962 and consisted of black session singers Bobby Sheen, Darlene Love and Fanita James. It was originally conceived under the name Bobby and the Holidays as a vehicle for lead singer Bobby Sheen, who a short time later used the stage name Bob B. Soxx for a while. Love and James, along with Jean King, were members of the legendary vocal group the Blossoms, a group that also included a number of other session singers along the way.
The first effort for Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans was a song from the 1946 Walt Disney Film Song of the South titled Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah. Written by Ray Gilbert and Allie Wrubel, the movie version had previously won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Produced by Spector and arranged by Jack Nitzsche, the version by Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans had a distinct arrangement that differed from the original in the film and featured a unique guitar sound. In late 1962 and early 1963 it became a solid top ten entry on the USA chart.
Although Bobby Sheen sang lead on Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah, it was Darlene Love who took over those duties on some of the group's subsequent recordings, including their second and final top forty hit Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Heart?, in the spring of 1963, as well as Not Too Young to Get Married. Both performed in that role on the sole album released by the group Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah.
It was back to Sheen on lead on the group's later recordings such as The Bells of St. Mary's and Here Comes Santa Claus. The members of the group can also be heard on records recorded as the Crystals and under the name of Darlene Love. Sheen had been a member of the Robins as early as 1957 and made a number of solo recordings both before and after his stint with Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans. He later toured as a member of the Coasters. Love and James were later replaced by Gloria Jones and Carolyn Willis, but the group was eventually dropped by Philles Records and disbanded. Love sang lead for the Crystals on He's A Rebel and He's Sure the Boy I Love, appeared in some major films over the years, and as this is written still appears from time to time on The Late Show With David Letterman.
Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans are most closely identified with their fine top ten recording from 1962 Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah.
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