Soul Music
Sometimes uplifting songs are born from tragedies. On November 23,1963, the day after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Bobby Hebb’s brother, Harold, was killed in a knife fight outside a Nashville nightclub. Devastated by the two events, Hebb took comfort in writing and optimistic song, “Sunny.” Hebb said: “All my intentions were just to think of happier times – basically looking for a brighter day – because times were at a low tide.”
After a series of demos and false starts, “Sunny” was finally recorded in 1965 with producer Jerry Ross (of Spanky and Our Gang fame). The recording was done at New York’s Bell Sound, with top session players led by bass guitar legend Joe Macho.
It was released as a single in 1966. “Sunny” reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the R&B Charts, and #12 in the UK. When Bobby Hebb toured with The Beatles in 1966 “Sunny” was at a higher chart position than any current Beatles song.
BMI ranked “Sunny” #25 in its Top 100 Songs of the Century. “Sunny” has been covered by a number of artists including Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Shirley Bassey, James Brown, Wes Montgomery, Jose Feliciano, Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, The Four Seasons, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, Johnny Mathis, Dusty Springfield, among others. It is a Sixties soul music classic.
