OK. Let’s get this out in the open right away. As a young adolescent, I was a fan of Bobby Sherman.
That’s right. Bobby Sherman.
Yes, the man behind “Little Woman”, “Julie, Do Ya Love Me”, “Easy Come, Easy Go”, “La, La, La (If I Had You)”, and my favorite, “Seattle”.
I’ll first post a video to get you in the right mood and then provide info on his success as a performer. I’ll then share the dramatic turn his life took which led to a wonderful career as a public servant (which Ray V. will appreciate) and then close with one more video.
The song Seattle is from the TV show “Here Come the Brides”, which aired from 1968-70. Sherman played the bashful, stammering logger Jeremy Bolt. As of 1970, Bobby Sherman had received more fan mail than any other performer on the ABC-TV network. The song always made me want to visit Seattle, although I still have not made it there…
Sherman was born in 1943 and was a singer, actor, and occasional songwriter who became a teen idol in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He had a series of successful singles, eventually earning seven gold singles, one platinum single, and five gold albums. In May 1969, he released the single “Little Woman”, which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (#2 in Canada) and spent nine weeks in the Top 20, selling over one million copies
Sherman gave many concerts to sellout crowds of mostly screaming young women from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s. The screaming of the young women was so loud that Sherman experienced hearing loss.
But it was his performance on an episode of the Jack Webb television series Emergency! (“Fools”, season 3, episode 17, aired January 19, 1974), which led to a new calling. Eventually, he left the public spotlight and became an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). He volunteered with the Los Angeles Police Department, working with paramedics and giving CPR and first aid classes. He officially became a technical Reserve Police Officer with the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1990s, a position he still held as of 2017. He was later promoted to Captain in the Los Angeles Police Department. For more than a decade he served as a medical training officer at the Los Angeles Police Academy, instructing thousands of police officers in first aid and CPR. He was named LAPD’s Reserve Officer of the Year in 1999. Talk about a second career…
Sherman’s commitment to public service has extended outside the U.S. He and his wife co-founded the Brigitte & Bobby Sherman Children’s (BBSC) Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to provide motivated students in Ghana with a high-quality education and music program, giving them the tools they need to pursue higher education and become successful, contributing adults.
Fun fact: Sherman was ranked #8 in TV Guide’s list of “TV’s 25 Greatest Teen Idols” (January 23, 2005 issue).
Here’s the final song, probably my favorite of his hit singles. My apologies for the tie…
Any other Bobby Sherman fans out there?
What can I say? I remember Bobby Sherman…barely. 😄 In the days of three TV networks, it seemed like everyone who made it to prime time was or became a big star. Although I wasn’t a fan, I enjoyed some of his songs. It is surprising that he left the entertainment business to be an EMT and reserve police officer. It is good to know about that and his foundation work. I appreciate his selflessness more than his music although a lot of music that was popular in the 70s can seem lame by today’s standards.
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he’s had an impact in two very different ways – it’s wonderful to see what he did after he left the world of entertainment…
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Thanks for the info .
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I found this blog while trying to locate an address for Bobby Sherman. I have had this crazy idea for a couple of years to send him a thank you letter for his impact on my childhood. Do you know if he has an email address?
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I do not, sorry…
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Sounds kind of like bubble gum music, to me. I think he was one of those clean, wholesome rock singers that religious kids were allowed to listen to. Good singer though, in my view.
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I guess you can see how I was influenced by having two older sisters… But I still think his music sounds good today…
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I can’t say that I got into his music at all. I do remember lots of the girls having a crush on him. Kudos to him for his second career. I had never heard of any of that until now.
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I agree that his second career is making more of a difference than his first one…
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Thanks for this introduction to Bobby Sherman who I had previously never heard of. I think its good to have an eclectic music taste though. Ha. 😆
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I don’t think he was well known outside the U.S. Plus, his popularity peaked before you were born!
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Yep!
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I’ll blame it on having two older sisters 🙂
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Another well written post, Jim! I do not remember a lot about Bobby Sherman, but then again I have spent very little time as a young, easily-smitten girl. He reminds me of David Cassidy, another heart throb delivered into our homes via television. The hair, the smile, the natural good looks. But I love your Paul Harvey style ‘the rest of the story”. His work outside of music and TV I had not known. And I find the second chapter of his life to be truly inspirational. Thanks for sharing!
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you were probably too young when he reached his peak of popularity. Plus, I had two older sisters 🙂
I agree that he made more of an impact once he left the entertainment business..
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of course i remember bobby, we used to watch the show, mostly for him ,and swoon over him. i knew all of his big songs and even had a poster. glad to read about what he did with his life after leaving the entertainment world.
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Did you wish your name was Julie? 🙂
And yes, it was wonderful to learn that the next part of his life was one of service
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yes! and yes
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I’ve never heard of him, and having watched a few seconds of both videos – more than enough! – I’m rather wishing I hadn’t now 😉
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sorry to have ruined your day, I did try to warn you… 🙂
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It’s ok, I didn’t spend long on them – a quick blast of each was enough 😉
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but you have to be impressed with what he has done as a second career after leaving the entertainment industry…
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Indeed. Very impressive and of far greater benefit to society. He’s done well.
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agreed…
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How unusual! The second career I mean, not the fact that you liked him 🙂 I sort of remember him, mostly his easy come, easy go song, and I probably liked him at the time too.
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it is amazing, and wonderful, how he completely went in a different direction from the entertainment business…
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I actually remember that show!!! The song too!! It put a smile on my face on this drear rainy morning!! 😊
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it was a fun show to watch; I was about 12 years old when it was on…
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I’ve never heard of Bobby Sherman, Jim. Unfortunately, the videos wouldn’t load for me today so I’ll have to look them up on the internet.
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it may not be a wise use of your time 🙂
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I did look it up, a good looking chap … he looks a lot like a young Tom Cruise.
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that’s a good comparison; I had never thought of it, but I can see the resemblance.
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I remember him but not the show. I was only 3 when it first came out. Don’t remember it in syndication. We were supposed to be going to Seattle in a few days, but cancelled our trip earlier this year when COVID hit. I’ve never been there either. Frank lived out there for many years.
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in syndication either; maybe not enough episodes. I still want to get out to Seattle…
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I had never heard of him, or his songs, before today.
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if you were a young teenage girl, you may have been more impressed 🙂
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I remember thos songs though I haven’t heard them for a loooong time!
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Yes, it has been along time for me as well… 🙂
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Great post! I can connect the dots from Seattle to LA with Sherman’s acting skills. I still listen to “Seattle” once in awhile. Here’s an interesting sidenote from the cast of “Here Come the Brides.” Robert Brown and Mark Lenard guest starred in episodes of the original “Star Trek.” Brown did one episode while Lenard later played Spock’s father.
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it’s like one of those six degrees of separation!
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I have been a fan of Bobby Sherman when he was on Here Comes The Bride’s. I enjoyed the show. I also loved his music. I listen to his songs on Rewound Radio. I am still a fan and still get excited hearing his songs.
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I am sure Bobby would be happy to hear that!
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