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Bobby Angel .......... The King Of Country

1975 witnessed two more chart entries for Bobby on Springbok's Top 20. When his third and fourth singles, Don Junior and The Greatest Christmas Gift (wth Barbara Ray), entered the charts in December.January and February of 1976 saw Bobby entertaining troops on the border in South West Africa (now Namibia), while March witnessed his South African TV debut on the Mimi Coertse variety show along with teen starlet Gwynneth Ashley-Robin and opera singer Bruce Martin. In March Bobby's 5th single, It's a Burning Thing was released. The song enjoyed a nine-week stay on the charts, peaking at #15 in May. In June, Teal Records honoured him for the feat of having five consecutive singles enter the charts. Shortly afterwards his LR It's a Burning Thing entered the LP Top 20 charts. The song Green Eyed Angel, written especially for Bobby by James Coleman of Nashville, Tennessee, was Bobby's sixth consecutive hit. Released in June, the single entered the charts in July reaching #5 on Springbok's Top 20 in September and spending 15 weeks on the charts in total.In August, Bobby embarked on a six-week tour of the country with "International TV Startime" - a show which incuded Marie Gibson, Richard Loring, Mel Miller, Hansie Roodt, Cindy and Buzzy Ray.

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Billed on the show were visiting international group, The Wombles. When their producer Barney Smith skipped the country, they were asked to return to England by South African producer, Rod Alexander, after it was discovered that they (The Wombles) simply mimed to pre-recorded music.In October 1976, Bobby and Barbara Ray, collected a SARIE Award for the category: Best Vocal Group. Bobby's fan mail had reached enormous proportions and his diary for live concerts was booked to capacity. He was approached to write a theme song, together with Hennie Bekker, for a new TV series entitled Call Me Kelly. His subsequent recording of Kelly's Song was so popular that Teal decided to release the track on a single. It reached #13 on Springbok's Top 20 in December 1977 and spent 7 weeks on the charts. When his contract with Teal expired in December, he received attractive offers from rival record companies. Bobby decided, however, to renew his contract with Teal as he enjoyed working with John Smithers whom he felt had done much for his musical career.1978 witnessed Bobby sporting a beard - a look he maintains to this day. At that stage he was a regular on television, appearing in shows such as Pop Shop, Good Vibrations and Country Celebration. In March he signed a four-week contract to appear with the Dutch group Pussycat on their tour of South Africa.

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His polished performances and professionalism were praised by both audiences and critics alike. In September he was awarded the South African music industry's most coveted award: the 1978 SARIE Award for the category: S.A.'s Best Male Vocalist. Hs group Sidewinder accompanied him on all his gigs and also backed him on several of his albums.Starting December 1979, Bobby hosted a fortnightly television show, Gentle On My Mind - created by SABC TV to cater for the increasng demand by viewers for Country music. A distinguishing element of the show was that guest stars performed live and did not mime to pre-recorded tapes, as is the norm on music programmes. The series was so popular that its run was extended for a further year and an album by the same name released. A highlight of the show for Bobby was when American country star, Glen Campbell, appeared as a guest on his show. Not only was Glen a special guest artist, he also sang back vocals on one of Bobby's performances. Another international artist to appear on Bobby's show was Susan Anton. In September 1980 Lance James launched the Springbok Radio (country) festival which was attended by 10 000 enthusiastic country fans. The line-up of stars included Barbara Ray, Marie Gibson, Tommy Dell, Bobby Angel and his backing group, Sidewinder. The festival was repeated the following year at the Rand Show where a record attendance figure of 40 000 fans was recorded. A rare appearance by retired country veteran Charles Jacobie delighted the audience who gave him a standing ovation.As with some of his (Teal) predecessors Virginia Lee and Barbara Ray, Bobby chose not to renew his recording contract with Teal, but accepted a generous offer from a rival company EMI in December 1980.

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His first album under ths banner, The Country Music of Bobby Angel, was released shortly afterwards. He guested on Highveld Country and performed at the 1981 Arts Awards. At this time Bobby resigned from his job as a diamond cutter and turned his energies to a full time musical career.In 1982 EMI appointed Bobby as a producer of various artists' albums. Although he had co-produced some of his own albums, his LP Angel Eyes would be his first solo production. In 1983 Bobby and Barbara Ray were in the charts again with their recording of Voices, which entered the Top 20 of Springbok's (now) Top 30 hit parade. The song spent 12 weeks on the charts. In August Bobby was awarded two Gold Records for his albums The Angel and The Country Music of Bobby Angel. The year also saw another successful Springbok Radio Keep It Country show at Milner Park and the return of Bobby's ever popular TV show, Gentle On My Mind, which ran until 1985. His show was voted among the Top 10 most popular TV shows in the country.

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In 1985 Bobby undertook a nationwide tour along with South Africa's biggest country names in the CarlingCountry Tour. He continued touring and performing until 1988, when he announced his retirement from show business.Recently Bobby made a welcome return to the recording booth when he recorded a new album. This collection recalls an earlier period, though, and includes rare gems from Bobby's early recording career such as Around The World and Beyond The Sea, which demonstrate his impressive vocal versatility. Many titles, too, make a welcome appearance for the first time in CD format. Gallo Record Company honours South Africa's 'King Of Country Bobby Angel.

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