Bobby Helms
Robert Lee Helms (August 15, 1933 – June 19, 1997) was an American country singer and musician. In 1957, he had a perennial Christmas hit with "Jingle Bell Rock", and two other hits that same year: "Fraulein" and "My Special Angel".
Also recorded as Bobby Lee Helms · Robert Helms
Bobby Helms

Little Darlin' · Billboard, page 54, 30 March 1968 · Public domain
- Full name
- Robert Lee Helms.
- Born
- 1933. · Bloomington.
- Died
- 1997. · Martinsville.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- singer, songwriter, musician, animator and composer.
- Fields
- country music.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Robert Lee Helms (August 15, 1933 – June 19, 1997) was an American country singer and musician. In 1957, he had a perennial Christmas hit with "Jingle Bell Rock", and two other hits that same year: "Fraulein" and "My Special Angel".
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Note VALÉORINE
Bobby Helms (1933–1997) was an American animator, composer and musician, among other activities. Born Robert Lee Helms in Bloomington, the animator died in Martinsville.
Genres include country music. Languages used include English. Works by Bobby Helms are held at Eye Filmmuseum.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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- Identity
- resolved
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Authority files
gnd · 1146950535 · museum · 598119094 · wikidata · Q888554 · wikipedia · Bobby Helms
In this article
Early life and family
Early life and family
Robert Lee Helms was born on August 15, 1933, in Helmsburg, Indiana, a small community outside Bloomington named for his family, the son of Hildreth Esther (née Abram) and Fred Robert Helms. His family was musical. Helms began performing as a duo with his brother, Freddie, before going on to a successful solo career in country music. Helms was married three times and was the father of eight children. His first two marriages ended in divorce, while he married his third wife in April 1997, two months before his death.
Solo career
Solo career
In 1956, Helms made his way to Nashville, Tennessee, where he signed a recording contract with Decca Records, and achieved multiple successes the following year. His first single in 1957, titled "Fraulein", went to number one on the country music chart and made it into the top 40 on the Billboard Best Sellers in Stores chart. Later that same year, he released "My Special Angel", which also hit number one on the country charts and entered the top 10 on Billboard's pop music chart, peaking at number seven. It sold over one million copies, earning a gold disc. His song "Jingle Bell Rock", which was released in the late fall of 1957, produced by Paul Cohen was a big hit and was being played and danced to on Dick Clark's teen dance show American Bandstand by mid-December of that year. It also re-emerged in four out of the next five years, and sold so well that it repeated each time as a top hit, becoming a Christmas classic still played today. (In 2016, it was rated radio's third-most-played Christmas song, according to StationIntel). It took five years for the song to become a second million-seller for Helms. It reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 21 weeks on the chart. The record gained gold disc status. At the end of a television performance of the song toward the end of his life, Helms said, "I didn't want to do the song when they first brought it to me, but now I'm sure glad I did." ASCAP and AllMusic list the writers of the song as Joseph Beal, Joseph Carlton, James Ross, and James Boothe. Another record by Helms was "Schoolboy Crush", which was a hit in the UK. It was released in the United States on June 23, 1958, on Decca. The same song was then covered by UK teen star Cliff Richard about the same time as the UK release. Helms continued touring and recording for the next three decades. His pioneering contributions to the genre have been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He was portrayed by Brad Hawkins in the 2007 film Crazy.
Health and Death
Health and Death
Helms suffered from emphysema, asthma, diabetes, and stomach problems. He began wearing an eye patch after losing sight in his right eye. He was a longtime resident of Martinsville, Indiana, until his death from complications from emphysema at the age of 63 on June 19, 1997.
Selected albums
Selected albums
Sings to My Special Angel (Decca, 1957) I'm the Man (Kapp, 1966) Sorry My Name Isn't Fred (Kapp, 1966) All New Just for You (Little Darlin', 1968) Pop-a-Billy (MCA, 1983) A Bobby Helms Christmas [EP] (Geffen, 2024)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1997
Bobby Helms died at Martinsville.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
United States.
Country
Bloomington.
Birth place
Martinsville.
Death place
Indiana.
Administrative region
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q888554: Bobby Helms
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Bobby Helms”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly publication
- Helms, Bobby (1936-1997), singer and songwriter, American National Biography Online, 2001
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2001
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1146950535, Bobby Helms.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.McDaniel, Randy. Whatever Happened to Classic Country Star Bobby Helms?. KXRB. February 3, 2017.
- 2.Andrew Crowley. 'My Special Angel': Son and grandson of Bobby Helms perform tribute concerts. The Hoosier Times.
- 3.Bush, John. Bobby Helms Artist Biography. allmusic.com.
- 4.Wonning, Paul R. A Year of Indiana History - Book 1: 366 Indiana History Stories. Mossy Feet Books. 376.
- 5.Murrells, Joseph. The Book of Golden Discs. Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. 92. 1978. 0-214-20512-6.
- 6.Decca Records
- 7.Lindquist, David. Jingle Bell Rock cemented legacy for Hoosier Bobby Helms. IndyStar.com. The Indianapolis Star.
- 8.All-Christmas Stations Start Strategy With Classics. Insideradio.com. December 9, 2016.
- 9.Murrells, Joseph. The Book of Golden Discs. Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. 102. 1978. 0-214-20512-6.
- 10.YouTube cbignore. Jingle Bell Rock.
- 11.Doc Rock. The Dead Rock Stars Club 1996 - 1997. Thedeadrockstarsclub.com.
- 12.Bobby Helms Chart History: Hot Country Songs. Billboard.
- 13.Bobby Helms Chart History: Hot 100. Billboard.
- 14.Bobby Helms Chart History: Adult Contemporary. Billboard.
- 15.Roberts, David. British Hit Singles & Albums. Guinness World Records Limited. 250. 2006. 1-904994-10-5.
- 16.Official Charts Company. Bobby Helms full Official Chart history.
- 17.Trust, Gary. Mariah Carey Becomes First Artist at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 in Four Decades, Thanks to 'All I Want for Christmas'. Billboard. December 30, 2019.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Helms, Bobby (1936-1997), singer and songwriter, American National Biography Online, 2001Crossref registry
Verifiedauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1146950535, Bobby Helms.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
A further 1 witness is held back from this article because the person or object named in it is not yet resolved to this record. They are kept, not discarded, and return once the identity is established.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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