It has been seven years since Tommy Roe has been to the top of the charts. If you look back to 1962 and the hit “Sheila,” you might remember that Tommy tried to keep going after that hit, but just couldn’t compete with the British Invasion. Tommy continued to record and hit the charts with minor hits, but didn’t get back to number one until 1969, with this song, “Dizzy.”

“Dizzy” was written by Tommy and a high school friend named Fred Weller from his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Weller was one of the group Paul Revere Raiders, so I guess you could say, he was a Raider. Tommy appeared often on Dick Clark’s show Where the Action Is and Dick Clark liked Paul Revere and the Raiders and so they had many opportunities to hook up and write together. Tommy wrote the main lyrics and music for the song, but left Weller to write the chorus. They worked really well together.

The recording of “Dizzy” went OK, but when they were done, producer Steve Barri thought something was missing. He brought in an orchestra and added strings to the music, which was unusual for a record in 1969. That made all the different and probably contributed to it being the hit it was.

In 1969, when bubblegum music was at its height, Tommy fit right in. They say that he sounds a lot like Buddy Holly and that contributed to his success. This was Tommy Roe’s last number one song, however he hit the Top 10 one more time with “Jam Up, Jelly Tight” which peaked at number eight. (I never did understand the meaning of the title of that song. I think they just liked to rhyme words with “tight”.) His last Top 40 hit was a remake of “Stagger Lee” which topped out at number 23.

Tommy’s style of music faded away in the Seventies (as did bubblegum) and he was reduced to doing oldie type shows. He toured with people like Bobby Vee and Freddie Cannon. In 1986, he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and he has been recognised by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame for his contributions to the genre.

On February 7, 2018, he officially announced his retirement from the business. He is now living in Beverly Hills, California with his wife, Josette Banzet. He is 76 years of age.

“Dizzy” entered the Hot 100 on February 1, 1969 at number 86 and six weeks later during the week of March 15, the song hit number one where it stayed for four weeks.