Bobby Hebb wrote and developed a hit track in 1963 that became a soul jazz standard, with the singer having been inspired by two tragic events and needing an uplifting message.
If you look up how many times Hebb’s “Sunny” has been covered since it was released in 1966, there’s no clear answer. Some reports claim the soul track could have up to 1,000 recorded covers by different artists over the years. “Sunny” undoubtedly became a music staple and had a chord progression that would influence countless tracks.
Hebb released the song in June 1966 after it was recorded at Bell Sound Studio in New York City. The track quickly rose on the charts and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the R&B Singles chart. It also found itself at No.1 on Cash Box and did well in the UK at No. 12. Hebb’s success with “Sunny” even led him to tour with the Beatles the year it was released.
While “Sunny” is seen as an uplifting and fun song, its backstory is anything but. Hebb was reportedly inspired to write “Sunny” after two major tragedies. One was the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy on live television while driving in a motorcade through downtown Dallas. A few days later, Hebb dealt with his own personal tragedy. His older brother, Harold, was murdered in Nashville.
“It was dark when I started working on the song, and the sun was rising, and it was a different color, the sky was like purple,” said Hebb, according to American Songwriter.
“At that moment I didn’t realize how special [the song] would become. I thought that it was good, and it would help, but I did not know how much … the president had been assassinated and the very next day my brother got killed. Everybody was feeling rather negative at that time, and I think we all needed a lift.”
It was reported in 1963 that a bar fight had broken out at a nightclub in West Nashville. An unruly customer had refused to take his hat off indoors and led the club’s bouncer to chase him out with a shotgun. Harold, who also worked at the club, went outside to check on the situation.
Unknown to him, the unruly customer was waiting for Harold and stabbed him several times. Harold was given the shotgun by his co-worker during the fight and shot his attacker dead, but Harold also died from his injuries.
“The lyric and the melody came to me at the same time. The lyric spoke for itself, it produced the melody. It was just right there. Under my fingers, all I had to do was just play it … I was at the right place at the right time, in the right frame of mind. I was ready to receive what was being offered,” said Hebb.
“Sunny” has since been covered by an array of artist from Cher, James Brown, Luis Miguel, and the Eurodisco group Boney M.
Related: 1979 Hit, Covered by 27-Year-Old Oscar Winner, Is Still a Slow-Burning Classic 47 Years Later
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