#2: Stay Away From Bobby by the Sherry Sisters
City: Fort St. John, BC (and Peace River, AB)
Radio Station: CKNL/CKYL
Peak Month: April 1963
Peak Position in Fort St. John ~ #12
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Stay Away From Bobby”
The Sherry Sisters were a vocal pop duo from Brooklyn, New York. They were two sisters, Lois and Karen Klein. Karen Klein entered a talent contest at the age of 16 when she was a counselor at the Catskill Mountain resort of the famous Concord Hotel in Kiamesha Lake, New York. Spotted by a booking agent, she and Lois represented the United States in the First International Song Festival in Bogata, Colombia. They released their debut single on the Okey label titled “Stay Away From Bobby”.
“Stay Away From Bobby” was an ‘answer song’ to the Marcie Blane hit record titled “Bobby’s Girl”.
“Stay Away From Bobby” was co-written by Eddie Deane and George Goehring. Edward V. Deane was a songwriter, composer, producer, author, singer, actor, comedian and publisher. He was born in 1929 in New York City. Educated at Bryant High School and the Music School Settlement, he was a singer and actor on television and radio. He joined ASCAP in 1956 and founded his publishing firm Burlington/Burlington Music Corp. in 1958. His popular-song compositions include “The Men in My Little Girl’s Life” (Mike Douglas – #6 – 1965), “Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu” (Dicky Doo and the Don’ts – #40 in 1958) “Princess” (Frank Gary – #30 in 1961), “Rock-A-Billy” (Guy Mitchell – #10 in 1957), “Small Sad Sam” (Phil McLean – #21 in 1961), “Hootenanny” – cowritten with George Goehring (The Glencoves – #38 in 1963), and “The Way It Was (The Way It Is)”. Deane was often associated with the publisher Joy Music Corp. He died in 2008 at the age of 79.
George Goehring was born in 1933 in Philadelphia. His best known composition is “Lipstick On Your Collar” a #5 hit for Connie Francis in the USA in 1959, which peaked at #3 in the UK. He told the Baltimore Sun in 198 that he had personally pitched “Lipstick on Your Collar” to Ms. Francis during a visit her home. He arrived unannounced at her New Jersey residence and demonstrated the song at her personal piano. Goehring also wrote “Robot Man”, a #2 hit for Connie Francis in the UK in 1960, (which was covered by Jamie Horton and became a #1 hit in Vancouver (BC). His other notable hits were “Half Heaven – Half Heartache” which was a #12 hit for Gene Pitney, and “Please Don’t Talk to the Lifeguard” which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #31 in 1963. Goehring also wrote songs which were recorded by Dion, Anita Bryant, Guy Mitchell, Elvis Presley, and Barbra Streisand. In 1966 Goehring was the composer for Donald Seale’s adaptation of Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s novel, Lady Audley’s Secret, which opened at in Baltimore in 1966. Goehring died in 2024 at the age of 91.
From November 1962 to January 1963, Marcie Blane had a Top Ten hit titled “Bobby’s Girl”. The single spent nine consecutive weeks in the Top Ten, and peaked at #2 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart. In the song, Marcie Blane sings about staying at home each night, hoping Bobby will phone her. However, she knows “Bobby has someone else.” Backing male singers intone, “You’re not a kid anymore.” However, she persists, “Still in my heart I pray, there soon will come the day, that I will have him all to myself. I want to be Bobby’s girl…. And if I were Bobby’s girl, if I were Bobby’s girl, what a faithful, thankful, girl I’d be.”
One of the songwriters of “Bobby’s Girl”, Gary Klein, went on to produce a number of hit singles. These include “My Heart Belongs To Me” for Barbra Streisand, “No More Tears (Enough is Enough)” for Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer, “Simple Song of Freedom” for Tim Hardin, “Stop and Smell the Roses” for Mac Davis, “Southern Nights” for Glen Campbell, and “Here You Come Again” for Dolly Parton.
In “Stay Away From Bobby”, the Sherry Sisters take on the voice of Bobby’s girlfriend – the “someone else” Bobby has in his life. They explain to Marcie Blane, “You’ll never be Bobby’s Girl, here’s the reason why. Bobby told me, ‘I’m his girl,’ why do you still try?” We learn some dirt about the girl on the sidelines who wants to be Bobby’s Girl. In the past she stole away Jimmy from someone called Joan “right before her eyes.” And Bobby has previously “believed all your lies.” Moreover, Bobby is in love with the girlfriend he’s going steady with. So, if the gal who wants to be Bobby’s Girl wants to get romantically involved, the Sherry Sisters suggest “find someone who’s free.” And “don’t you dare go near Bobby…. he’s mine for eternity.”
“Stay Away From Bobby” peaked at #12 in Fort St. John (BC) and Peace River (AB), #13 in Chillicothe (OH) and Worcester (MA), and #20 in Springfield (MA).
In the summer of 1964, the Sherry Sisters had a minor hit titled “Sailor Boy”, which charted in Honolulu, San Bernardino (CA) and Moline (IL). In 1966 they founded the Karelo Music Co. On Epic Records, they published with Karelo Music Co. “Not Tonight”, which was a commercial failure. While “Two Flights Up” in 1966 also disappointed. Aside from these two singles, there was no more publishing under Karelo Music Co.
In 1967, billed as Lois and Karen the sisters released a single titled “Army Bound”. In 1972, the sisters co-wrote a B-side for a band called Cane and Able. They also wrote some songs for a singer named Barry Gordon.
According to Discogs, Lois and Karen Klein also recorded songs in a variety of languages. This included Spanish, Japanese, Hebrew, French, Italian, Greek and Russian. Karen Klein went on to be a teacher and a publicist. In 1979, Karen Klein became an executive with ASCAP. She retired in 2015.
December 4, 2024
Ray McGinnis
References:
“Karen Klein,” Discogs.com.
“George Goehring, pop song composer known for ‘Lipstick on Your Collar,’ dies,” Baltimore Sun, September 3, 2024.
Marcie Blane, “Bobby’s Girl“, Seville Records, 1962.
Lyrics, “Bobby’s Girl” (Performed by Marcie Blane, 1962)
CKNL 560-AM Fort St. John (BC)/CKYL 610-AM Peace River (AB) Top 12 | April 27, 1963
Did not know about the Sherrys and this answer song to “Bobby’s Girl.” The answer song to this tune that I am familiar with is “She Wants To Be Bobby’s Girl” by Dickie Lee in ’63 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpzJIjJFZhs
Great addition to the article. Thanks for your comment!