Bobby Vee (born Robert Thomas Velline, April 30, 1943 – October 24, 2016) was an American pop singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s. According to Billboard magazine, he had 38 American Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20. Vee was born in Fargo, North Dakota, to Sydney Ronald Velline and Saima Cecilia Tapanila. His first single, "Suzie Baby," was written by Vee with a nod to Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue" and recorded for the Minneapolis-based