Pop Music
Part of the fun of the music of 1950s music is all the pioneering going on where artists take different strands of American music and weave them together. This is true of one of the golden oldies favorites “My Special Angel,” sung by Bobby Helms. The song, written by Jimmy Duncan, was a crossover hit for Helms, who is best known as a country singer. In 1957, the song went to #7 on the Billboard Pop Chart, #1 on the Country & Western Best Sellers in Stores Chart, and #8 on the R&B chart. The background vocals are provided by the Anita Kerr Singers. There have been numerous covers of the song, including those by Bobby Vinton, Frankie Avalon, The Crests, and The Vogues.
Bobby Helms was the professional name of singer and guitarist Robert Lee Helms, from Bloomington, Indiana. Some of Helms’s other popular songs were “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Fraulein.” Jimmy Duncan, from Houston, Texas, was a songwriter, singer and producer. In addition to writing “My Special Angel,” he co-wrote “String Along,” which charted for Fabian in 1960 and for Ricky Nelson in 1963.
2 Comments
My boyfriend always siad I was his special angel. Thanks for keeping these golden oldies alive.
I used to sing that to my girlfriend back in the day. Thx for the golden oldies music!