Bobby Sherman was a significant musical star in the 1960s and 1970s. I can’t think of a single friend who hasn’t had a crush on him at some point.
Sherman had a fantastic acting career, many albums recorded, thousands of fans at his appearances, and millions of CDs sold. But, at the height of his celebrity, he decided to leave the entertainment world for good.
This was not because the 79-year-old believed his abilities had deteriorated. No, he was fighting for something more important: battling to save lives.
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Bobby Sherman was born on July 22, 1943, in Santa Monica, California, and reared in the nearby hamlet of Van Nuys.
By the age of 11, he was said to have mastered the trumpet and the piano, trombone, keyboard, and, of course, the guitar. Sherman attended Birmingham High School. He joined a band there and discovered a love for singing. He supposedly learned to play an incredible 16 instruments during his life.
Sherman enrolled at Pierce College in Woodland Hill, California, after graduating high school in 1961. There, he would form a relationship that would change his life.
Sherman met his girlfriend while studying child psychology at Pierce College. One evening, she decided to accompany him to a cast party for The Greatest Story Ever Told.
Sherman had already begun to play music at that point. He played in several bands throughout the San Fernando Valley, and many people were aware of his talent. As a result, when Sherman arrived at the meeting, he took advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities.
“I was always the guy who had the audacity to stand up and sing in front of everyone,” he later explained.
Bobby had friends in the band performing on stage during the party, so that probably helped a little. Regardless, he stood before everyone and sang Ray Charles’ “What I’d Say” to them.
Surprisingly encountered at a Hollywood party.
Because it was a Hollywood party, many celebrities from the entertainment world were present. Among them were Sal Mineo, Natalie Wood, and Jane Fonda.
“I was always the guy who had the audacity to stand up and sing in front of everyone,” he later explained.
Bobby had friends in the band performing on stage during the party, so that probably helped a little. Regardless, he stood before everyone and sang Ray Charles’ “What I’d Say” to them.
Surprisingly encountered at a Hollywood party.
Because it was a Hollywood party, many celebrities from the entertainment world were present. Among them were Sal Mineo, Natalie Wood, and Jane Fonda.
After the performance, they spotted his talent, so Mineo decided to tutor him.
“People were asking, ‘Who’s handling you?’” “I had no idea what it meant,” Sherman explained.
“Well, I was a Van Nuys kid, you know, and it was like, ‘What do they mean, handling me?’” Then I realized they were talking about representation.”
He rapidly became acquainted with Hollywood. After receiving a tip from one of the partygoers, an agency took Bobby Sherman to an audition three days later. Bobby was cast in a starring role in the upcoming television show Shindig.
Bobby needed the role, which lasted two years, to leave his mark. By that point, he had won the hearts of people all around the country, and job opportunities began to sprout everywhere.
Sherman appeared as a guest star on several other shows following the cancellation of Shindig in 1966, including The Monkees, Honey West, and The FBI. Even though he was already known in Hollywood, his big break came in 1968.
Here Come The Bridges featured Sherman as the stammering Jason Bolt, and he stayed on the show for the entire two years. After his stint, his character lost his stammer, and the program was ultimately canceled.
When Jason Bolt made an appearance at a telethon in Buffalo, Sherman noticed how well-liked the persona of Jason Bolt was among viewers. He was suddenly more than just a rising star. Instead, he had achieved stardom.
“The show had just hit the air, and we didn’t even have any records yet,” Sherman remarked.
Bobby eventually succeeded as a singer despite not receiving much acclaim for his vocals.
Sherman’s young audience purchased millions of records from 1969 to 1971, during which time he also recorded hits including Julie, Do Ya Love Me, Easy Come, Easy Go, and Little Woman.
He sold one million copies of four distinct recorded albums and six single recordings.
“A song begins with an idea – one line,” he said in 1971.
” I build that into a complete lyric. Then, I fit the music around it.”
In 1970 and 1971, Sherman starred in the television show Getting Together, a The Partridge Family spinoff about two songwriters. Sherman then appeared in several other guest appearances.
His marriage to Patti Carnel, his first wife, in 1971 took place concurrently with Sherman’s ascent to stardom. The couple’s two boys, Tyler and Christopher, were born into the world.
Sherman constructed a scale model of Disneyland’s Main Street in his garden because he wanted his children to have a wonderful environment to grow up in. He spent around $15,000 on it, which took him about two and a half years to finish.
Not everyone was happy with the project; his wife was annoyed by the constant noise of hammers.
“I didn’t know what home was”
“At one point, she said, ‘If you don’t finish it, I’ll kill you,” Sherman joked in an interview.
Bobby’s kids served as the catalyst for creating his own piece of Disneyland and his new line of work.
Before Shaun Cassidy or even David Cassidy, Bobby established himself as a genuine television adolescent heartthrob. Eventually, performers like Donny Osmond “replaced” him.
But Sherman was loved by millions of followers at the height of his fame and appeared in popular television shows while making hit records.
His two most beloved albums were Sixteen and Tiger Beat.
Yet though he lived out his dream-like few others ever get to do, Sherman explained that he would usually film five days a week and even had evening shows on the weekend. Suffice it to say the busy schedule took its toll.
“It was so hectic for three years that I didn’t know what home was,” he explained.
“I was disoriented, I never knew where I was. I always had to be reminded. But, in all honesty, I must say I had the best of times because the concerts and the fans were great. It was the proverbial love-in, but it just zapped so much out of me.”
Then, in the midst of his enormous fame, Bobby made the surprising decision to transition to a completely different but equally significant career.
He ultimately decided to adjust his plans and gave up his career in music and television to save lives.
The rearing of his children was something Sherman took very seriously, and Patti, his then-wife, was frightened of blood. Accidents always happen, as any parent would attest, and Christopher and Tyler frequently trip and get hurt.
These falls occasionally caused minor cuts and wounds, including bloody knees. Sherman enrolled in several classes to be best equipped to handle such circumstances. He took an introductory course in first aid and CPR and later worked as a volunteer EMT.
“The first call, I saved a 5-year-old girl’s life. I thought, ‘yeah, that’s the most incredible feeling,’” Bobby recalled in a 1994 interview.
Sherman completed additional training and later worked for the Los Angeles Police Department as a first aid instructor for police officers.
Bobby was sworn in as a police officer with the LAPD and appointed chief medical training officer in 1992. He displayed amazing bravery in the face of difficulty in 1994, giving birth to five children while still in the field.
Sherman awoke to an earthquake on January 17, 1994, at his Encino, California, home. He chose to drive to the epicenter in his pickup rather than hide.
Some required assistance, while others needed first aid. Bobby’s knowledge and presence were required in any scenario.
Even though Bobby’s career transition put him in danger of dealing with various challenging circumstances, he was still, at heart, an entertainer and had preserved many of his endearing traits from his time in the business. He even got to run into some of his previous supporters on the field.
He once related a tale about how paramedics from the Fire Department accompanied him on rescue calls due to his teen idol status.
“On one call in Northridge, we were working on a hemorrhaging woman who had passed out,” Bobby told The Times.
“Her husband kept staring at me. Finally, he said, ‘Look, honey, it’s Bobby Sherman!’ The woman came to a start. She said, ‘Oh great, I must look a mess!’ I told her not to worry; she looked fine.”
Bobby kept recording film and television scores in his makeshift studio over the years. In 1997, he made his final appearance on television as the star of an episode of Fraiser.
He performed on the “Teen Idol Tour” in the late 1990s with Peter Noone, Davy Jones, and Micky Dolenz of the Monkees. But after that, he decided to leave the entertainment industry officially.
Sherman thanked his followers for everything and said it was difficult to maintain success.
“What I’ve done with my life and what I’ve been able to accomplish all comes down to the fact that the fans have blessed me. It’s stayed with me, so I can have the opportunity to do things that I love doing,” the star mentioned.
“I don’t think I’d change a thing — except to be maybe a little more aware of [the success], because I probably could’ve relished the fun of it a little more,” Sherman admitted. “It was a lot of work. It was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. But it was the best of times.”
Bobby Sherman wed his second wife, Brigette, in 2011, and they are still married. The same year they tied the knot, they founded The Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation, a Ghana-based youth center dedicated to blending music and education.
Today, Bobby is 79 years of age. I think you’ll all agree that he looks very much like himself, as he’s retained much of his familiar appearance!
Bobby Sherman was an outstanding actor and entertainer, and we will always miss those great years!
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