Carl Dobkins Jr.(1941-2020)
Country/rockabilly singer Carl Dobkins Jr. was born in Cincinnati,
Ohio, in 1941 to a family of musicians who moved to Cincinnati from the
Appalachians. His father gave him a ukulele when he was nine years old.
He not only learned to play that instrument but afterwards took up the
guitar, and by high school he was writing and performing his own songs
and eventually cut a few demo records. Local record producer/manager
Gil Sheppard heard them and, after meeting with Dobkins, took him on as
a client. Dobkins cut a record for local Cincinnati label Fraternity
Records (also home to guitarist
Lonnie Mack), but it went nowhere.
Sheppard then signed Carl to King Records--a much larger label and home
to such stars as James Brown and
Hank Ballard--and Dobkins cut a record
there, but before it could be released Sheppard sold the master to the
national label Decca Records. The song, "If You Don't Want My Lovin'",
became a regional hit, though it didn't chart nationally. Nevertheless,
Decca thought it had a hot prospect in Dobkins and his next record was
his breakout one--"My Heart Is an Open Book", which shot to #3 on the
Billboard charts in 1959. Dobkins made several appearances on
Dick Clark's iconic teen dance show
American Bandstand (1952) (he made a total
of 14 appearances on the show over the years) promoting the record. He
went on a national tour and his follow-up songs, while not reaching the
heights that "Open Book" did, sold respectably.
His subsequent career, while not spectacular, was nonetheless solid and
he toured with some of the biggest names in
rock--Bobby Rydell,
Freddie Cannon,
Frankie Avalon among them--and, though he
is semi-retired, still makes occasional appearances.
Ohio, in 1941 to a family of musicians who moved to Cincinnati from the
Appalachians. His father gave him a ukulele when he was nine years old.
He not only learned to play that instrument but afterwards took up the
guitar, and by high school he was writing and performing his own songs
and eventually cut a few demo records. Local record producer/manager
Gil Sheppard heard them and, after meeting with Dobkins, took him on as
a client. Dobkins cut a record for local Cincinnati label Fraternity
Records (also home to guitarist
Lonnie Mack), but it went nowhere.
Sheppard then signed Carl to King Records--a much larger label and home
to such stars as James Brown and
Hank Ballard--and Dobkins cut a record
there, but before it could be released Sheppard sold the master to the
national label Decca Records. The song, "If You Don't Want My Lovin'",
became a regional hit, though it didn't chart nationally. Nevertheless,
Decca thought it had a hot prospect in Dobkins and his next record was
his breakout one--"My Heart Is an Open Book", which shot to #3 on the
Billboard charts in 1959. Dobkins made several appearances on
Dick Clark's iconic teen dance show
American Bandstand (1952) (he made a total
of 14 appearances on the show over the years) promoting the record. He
went on a national tour and his follow-up songs, while not reaching the
heights that "Open Book" did, sold respectably.
His subsequent career, while not spectacular, was nonetheless solid and
he toured with some of the biggest names in
rock--Bobby Rydell,
Freddie Cannon,
Frankie Avalon among them--and, though he
is semi-retired, still makes occasional appearances.