INTERVIEW: Tommy Roe talks Beatles, Elvis Presley and 'American Bandstand'

Tommy Roe: My first appearance on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" was in 1962, when the show originated from Philadelphia, and "Sheila" was #1 in the world. I was only 20 years old, and grew up watching "Bandstand," so I was really excited to be on the show. I remember being very nervous, and Dick went out of his way to make me feel at home, and comfortable. Of course, after the show moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, Dick invited me to appear on "Bandstand" many times with a new hit under my belt. How many times I don't know, but I would guess, 8 or 10 times. 

 

Tommy Roe: I have worked with many artists through the years, and it was always a pleasure for me to share the bill with one of my favorite artists, and to get to know them. I have always adored, and respected talent, and knowing what it takes to achieve success in the entertainment business, I have a great admiration for some of my friends in the business. Being a songwriter myself, I would have to say that working the short time that I did with Neil Diamond was a rewarding experience because we were touring on a Dick Clark Caravan of Stars show when he was talking backstage about this new song he was writing called, "Kentucky Woman." Next time I saw Neil was on our show,"Where the Action Is," performing his brand new record, "Kentucky Woman." Need I say more? Joe South is another song writer I greatly admire, and was a big influence on me, and my choice to pursue a song writing career while growing up in Atlanta. I believe the Beatles' success is hard to relate to other artists because they really stand alone. I think the song writing team of Paul McCartney and John Lennon, are unmatched in contemporary music, and their achievements are unparalleled, certainly in my life time.

 

Tommy Roe: The craziest live performance? That is easy. I went to a concert in Atlanta at the old Rialto theater to see Elvis. I was in high school, and next to Buddy Holly, Elvis was my favorite. I had a seat on the left aisle, about third row, so I just knew I would be able to see the show very well. Elvis's band did a few numbers, and that was great, and then the MC announced Elvis, and when he walked on stage, pandemonium broke out. From that point on, I could hardly see him, and never did hear him sing because of the screaming girls in the audience. It was my experience at this Elvis concert (we called them shows back then) that I decided where I really wanted to be at a show was on the stage, not in the audience. So, because of this experience, I began to dream of becoming an entertainer. 

Tommy Roe: My experience on the Beatles tour wasn't anything new for me because of my experience at the Elvis concert. I had seen this all before, but now, I am witnessing this phenom from backstage. I knew from the beginning of our tour, that these four guys, The Beatles, were on their way. The boys, along with Brian Epstein, had been talking to me about how much they would like to release their records in the U.S., and I told Brian that I would try to get them a deal. So I tried to get my record label, ABC Paramount, to sign them to a recording contract when I returned to New York after our tour. I was the golden boy at the label at the time with a big hit, "Sheila," and could sit down with the powers that be whenever I wanted to. I alerted my producer, Felton Jarvis, to meet me in New York, when I returned, and set up the appointment with the president of the label. I had already told Felton about the Beatles, and he respected my judgement enough to set the meeting. When we arrive at the office, I was a little nervous, I had never pitched another act before, and wasn't sure what to expect. But, Felton was excited, and he could sell straw hats to the eskimos, so I felt buffered by his courage. They all congratulated me on the tour, and asked to see the album that I brought back from England to pitch to the label. When they saw the album cover of the Beatles picture, the room just went silent, and Felton blurted out something to effect, "well you have to hear them." The president of the label dropped the needle down on the record, played a few bars of "Please, Please, Me," and then picked the needle up from the record, and told Felton, and me, this is garbage, you boys let us be the talent scouts, and Tommy, we have you a nice room at the Waldorf, with a nice TV. Go to your hotel, and write us another hit. Needless to say, I was shocked, and devastated by their reaction, and the whole experience. About six months later, the Beatles got their record deal, and now every time the executives at my label would see me coming, they would just run for the exit.

Tommy Roe: Well, I was invited to open the show for the Beatles at the Washington Coliseum show in Washington, DC. on February 11, 1964. They had already performed in New York, and of course they had appeared on the Ed Sullivan show so we knew it would be exciting. Beatlemania became a word we would all become very familiar with in a short time. It was a crazy night, we met briefly after the show, and I congratulated them on their success, and that was the last time I saw the Beatles in person. 

Tommy Roe: They had not changed at all. The were really humble about the success they were having in the U.S., and looking forward to seeing our country. They were really great guys to hang with during those early days. 

Tommy Roe: John had told me on the tour in 1963 that they were doing "Sheila" in their show at the Star Club, in Hamburg, Germany. It seems that he was always confused about the chord progression on "Sheila," and played a few bars for me on the bus one night. Sure enough he was playing one chord out of sequence, and I pointed it out to him, and he thanked me, and then we jammed a little with the guitars. I later heard a bootleg version of "Sheila" recorded at the Star Club, and could hear the mistake in the chord progression that John had asked me about. Unfortunately, it is a pretty raw version of the performance of "Sheila," but I am still glad to have it. It's history... 

Tommy Roe: I appeared on many of these shows, and most of them were lip-syncing the record. They were all fun to do. 

Tommy Roe: I was a regular on "Where the Action Is" for about a year, and did many concerts with Paul Revere and The Raiders. I moved to Los Angeles just to do the show for a short time, and ended up staying and commuting back, and forth, to Atlanta. I have fond memories of this period of my career. 

Tommy Roe: Yes, I appeared on those shows as well. I even moved to England for a short time because of so many offers to tour in England. 

Tommy Roe: I retired from touring in 2006, and now I continue to write, and work my extensive catalog of songs. I love the internet and currently I am working on some new projects in this exciting medium. Stay tuned.