Ulysses B. "Bobby" Nunn Sr. (September 20, 1925 – November 5, 1986) was an American
R&B singer with the musical groups
The Robins
The Robins were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal groups who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound. They were founded by Ty Terrell, and twin brothers Bi ...
and original bass vocalist of
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing ...
. He was born in
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
, United States, and died of
heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, U.S.
Biography
Nunn was a
welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
champion in the
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
. After his
discharge in 1947 he moved to
Watts, California
Watts, California, was a city of the sixth class that existed in Los Angeles County, California, between 1907 and 1926, when it was consolidated with the City of Los Angeles and became one of the neighborhoods in the southern part of that city.
...
. He became a member of the A-Sharp Trio with Billy Richards, Roy Richards, and Ty Terrell, and they eventually became
The Robins
The Robins were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal groups who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound. They were founded by Ty Terrell, and twin brothers Bi ...
.
Nunn would
record some
duets
A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers.
Duets or The Duets may also refer to:
Films and television
* ''Duets'' (film), a 2000 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Huey Lewis
* "Duets" (''Glee''), a 2010 episod ...
with
Little Esther
Esther Phillips (born Esther Mae Jones; December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) was an American singer, best known for her R&B vocals.Santelli, Robert (2001). ''The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Penguin Books. p. 376. . She ...
as well as some
solo
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Comics
* ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series
* Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics
Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
recordings in the early 1950s. In 1952 he recorded for Sage & Sand Records with Bobby Byrd and Ty Terrell. Bobby Byrd is better known as
Bobby Day
Robert James Byrd (July 1, 1930 – July 27, 1990), known by the stage name Bobby Day, was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit record " Rockin' Robin", written by Leon René und ...
of "
Rockin' Robin" fame.
In 1955, Nunn and
Carl Gardner
Carl Edward Gardner (April 29, 1928 – June 12, 2011) was an American singer, best known as the foremost member and founder of The Coasters. Known for the 1958 song "Yakety Yak", which spent a week as Hot 100 number-one hits of 1958 (USA), numbe ...
split from The Robins to become
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing ...
with
Leon Hughes
Leon Hughes, Sr. (born Leon Hughes, May 6, 1930 in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Los Angeles County, California) is an American rhythm and blues singer. He is the last surviving original member of The Coasters.
Biography
Leon Hughes is an origi ...
and
Billy Guy
Billy Guy (June 20, 1936 – November 5, 2002) was an American singer, best known as a lead singer for the Coasters. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Biography
Born Frank Phillips in Texas, Guy is best known as a memb ...
.
After leaving The Coasters, he teamed with another former Coaster
Leon Hughes
Leon Hughes, Sr. (born Leon Hughes, May 6, 1930 in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Los Angeles County, California) is an American rhythm and blues singer. He is the last surviving original member of The Coasters.
Biography
Leon Hughes is an origi ...
to record as The Dukes in 1959. Two
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
were released "Looking For You" b/w "Groceries, Sir" (Flip #343), and "I Love You" b/w "Leap Year Cha Cha" (Flip #344).
Nunn recorded
backup
In information technology, a backup, or data backup is a copy of computer data taken and stored elsewhere so that it may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form, referring to the process of doing so, is "back up", w ...
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
with a vocal group for
Dorsey Burnette
Dorsey William Burnett Jr. (December 28, 1932 – August 19, 1979) was an American early rockabilly singer. With his younger brother Johnny Burnette and a friend named Paul Burlison, he was a founder member of The Rock and Roll Trio. He is als ...
on
Imperial Records
Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group.
Early years to 19 ...
. These two songs "Try" and "You Came As A Miracle" were recorded on August 28, 1958, and were released as a single (Imperial #5561) in March 1959. In 1965, Nunn
arranged
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...
the
song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...
"Whip It On Me Baby" by
The O'Jays
The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hi ...
on
Imperial Records
Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group.
Early years to 19 ...
. This song was earlier recorded by fellow Coaster
Billy Guy
Billy Guy (June 20, 1936 – November 5, 2002) was an American singer, best known as a lead singer for the Coasters. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Biography
Born Frank Phillips in Texas, Guy is best known as a memb ...
on Double-L Records in 1963. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Nunn had his own group of Coasters called "The Coasters Mark II" with members
Grady Chapman
Grady Chapman (October 1, 1929 – January 4, 2011) was best known as the American lead singer of doo wop group The Robins.
Biography
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Chapman joined The Robins in 1952, singing alongside Bobby Nunn, Bill ...
,
Bobby Sheen
Robert Joseph Sheen (May 17, 1941 – November 23, 2000) was an American rhythm and blues singer.
Biography
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Sheen is best known for singing with Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans who had their biggest hit "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Da ...
, and Billy Richards Jr. (who is nephew to Billy Richards).
Nunn also appeared on a record by "The Coasters Two Plus Two" in 1975 called "Searchin '75" b/w "Young Blood" (released on Chelan Records and produced by
Bumps Blackwell
A bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each crew attempting to catch and ‘bump’ the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind.
The form is mainly used in intercollegia ...
). The other members of this group included
Leon Hughes
Leon Hughes, Sr. (born Leon Hughes, May 6, 1930 in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Los Angeles County, California) is an American rhythm and blues singer. He is the last surviving original member of The Coasters.
Biography
Leon Hughes is an origi ...
,
Grady Chapman
Grady Chapman (October 1, 1929 – January 4, 2011) was best known as the American lead singer of doo wop group The Robins.
Biography
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Chapman joined The Robins in 1952, singing alongside Bobby Nunn, Bill ...
, and
Jerome Evans.
In 1985, Nunn's group of The Coasters had appeared on the NBC variety show "Our Time" hosted by
Karen Valentine
Karen Valentine (born May 25, 1947) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as young idealistic schoolteacher Alice Johnson in the ABC comedy drama series ''Room 222'' from 1969 to 1974, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award f ...
, "
Fabian's Good Time Rock 'N' Roll" oldies special, and a Churches Chicken commercial (which included members Nunn, Sheen, Richards, and Sonny Chaney). After Nunn's death in 1986,
Bobby Sheen
Robert Joseph Sheen (May 17, 1941 – November 23, 2000) was an American rhythm and blues singer.
Biography
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Sheen is best known for singing with Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans who had their biggest hit "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Da ...
and Billy Richards Jr. continued to tour with Nunn's group of
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing ...
.
Nunn is
interred
Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
at the
Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles.
(Another Bobby Nunn recorded for
Motown Records
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...
in 1982. He is no relation to this Bobby Nunn.)
Discography
Singles
*"Why Did You Leave Me Baby?" / "Alone About Midnight" (Hamptone International #605) (1/1950)
*"Bring Your Lovin’ Back To Me" / "I Got A Country Gal" (Blue #105) (1950) (as Billy Nunn)
*"Anticipating Blues" / "Hard Luck Women & Strife" (
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
by Big Duke with
Pete Johnson All-Stars) (
Dootone #302) (1950)
*"Clappin’ And Shoutin’" / " I'm Tellin’ You Baby" (Blue #115) (1951) (as Billy Nunn)
*"Christmas Bells" / "Two Sisters" (B-side
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...
by Que Martin) (
Recorded In Hollywood
Recorded In Hollywood was an independent American record label specializing in rhythm and blues, active from the late 1940s to the end of the 1950s, which issued several sides by artists significant to the genre. John Dolphin (music producer), Joh ...
#244) (1951)
*"Saturday Night Daddy" / "Mainliner" (B-side by
Little Esther
Esther Phillips (born Esther Mae Jones; December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) was an American singer, best known for her R&B vocals.Santelli, Robert (2001). ''The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Penguin Books. p. 376. . She ...
) (Federal #12100) (1952) (Bobby Nunn & Little Esther)
*"You Took My Love Too Fast" / "Streetlights (B-side by Little Esther) (Federal #12122) (1952) (Bobby Nunn & Little Esther)
*"Please Don’t Hurt Me" / "Delicious Are Your Kisses" (Sage & Sand #203) (1952) (with Bobby Byrd & Ty Terrell)
*"Candle Of Love" / "Peanut Brittle" (Sage & Sand #204) (1952) (with Bobby Byrd & Ty Terrell)
*"Like" / "Henrietta" (Titan #1703) (1960) ("Henrietta" with Ginny Tyler)
*"Sixty Minute Man Is Back"/"Been Thinking It Over" (Tishman 714)(????)
Various artists compilations
*''Blues For Dootsie: The Blue And Dootone Sides'' (Ace #1115) (2006)
*''Rhythm And Blues Christmas'' (Ace #1128) (2006)
*''From The Doo Wop Vaults Of Titan Records'' (TRCD #1700)
Notes
External links
The Coasters website Find A Grave Memorial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nunn, Bobby
1925 births
1986 deaths
American rhythm and blues singers
The Coasters members
Boxers from Alabama
Musicians from Birmingham, Alabama
Burials at Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles
20th-century American singers
American male boxers
20th-century American male singers
Recorded In Hollywood artists
Welterweight boxers