My Main Man Mr. Bobby Hart

"My Man Bobby Hart"
Dr. Rox Remember When?
Article #175 September 2025
By: RLSchwinden aka MrZerr0

When I was a kid growing up on the Westside of Sioux City, Iowa, in grade school I think we got out of school about 3pm or so, now I would run home to watch TV, because from about 4 to 5:30pm I could watch what I wanted, although then there were only 4 channels NBC 4, ABC 9, CBS 14 and PBS 11, even then we had a tough time picking up CBS channel 14 as it was UHF and half the time on PBS there was not much to watch. I remember "Leave It To Beaver" being on all the time and no wonder as Jerry Matthers was born in Sioux City. Also "I Dream Of Jeannie" "Star Trek".

I had been actively listening to records since I was very young, as I have covered many times, the 1st music I was exposed to was by my Aunt Debby, that being Dave Clark 5 and Beatles, I discovered The Monkees on my own, from watching TV at the age of 3. Well in 1972 or so I had 5 Monkees singles and their 1st album. When I was sitting in my room listening to records I would read the labels of the other records I had. I noticed on The Monkees records I kept seeing the names "Boyce And Hart" on The Monkees records. Low and behold one day after school I am watchin "I Dream Of Jeannie" (Season 3 Episode 6 Oct 1967) and there in living color is Tommy Boyce And Bobby Hart (also Billy Lewis who I later became friends with through Bobby Hart) on the show singing their own songs "Out And About" "Girl I'm Out To Get You If I Can" and "Love Every Day" I was blown away, now it didn't sound exactly like The Monkees, but close enough for me, years later my buddy Eric DeW. gave me a copy of their album "Test Patterns" after that I slowly acquired more and more Boyce & Hart records.

Now admittedly Boyce said they chased the current hits on the radio writing "Answer Songs" to current hits, or writing songs in the vein of the current hits on the radio EX: "Last Train To Clarksville" to "Paperback Writer" and "Let's Dance On" to "Good "Lovin". When it came to the duo themselves, I believe it was their idea to be similar to "The Righteous Brothers" that had formed in 1963, releasing 12 albums and 28 singles with 20 songs on the BillBoard Charts. With Boyce's tenor vocals and Hart's baritone vocals. While working at "RecordShop" in 1990 (Golden Valley, MN.) I met Larry S. who saw Boyce And Hart in concert on 18 Oct 1968 Bloomington at the Met. Ctr. for the Bobby Kennedy Memorial Event, where Sonny And Cher were scheduled to appear, although Cher was pregnant with their 1st child and was instructed to stay home. Hart said of the gig "When we found out Cher was not going to appear, we decided to do our show and get the heck out of there before a riot broke out and we got caught in the middle of it" Larry recalled "I saw the name Boyce and Hart stenciled on their road cases off to the side of the stage and thought how cool would it be to be in a touring band like that"

I went to see The Monkees on 21 June 1986 in Des Moines, Iowa as me and my friends Gail and Kevin were walking down the street (no pun intended) Incredibly I saw a man on the street corner holding a red cassette boombox talking to some female fans, as I got a little closer (again no pun intended) I recognized that it was in fact none other than Tommy Boyce interviewing fans for his radio show in Nashville, TN. so I stopped and asked "You're Tommy Boyce?" he responded "Yes, I am, how did you recognize me?" me "I am a huge fan of yours and Bobby" we proceeded to talk for about 20 min. when Boyce shut off his cassette recorder and said "Rik, your asking me so many questions I'm gonna run out of tape, and some of these I can not legally answer because of the contracts I signed in the 60s"

In August 1990 Michael G. Bush held a Monkees convention in Chicago where David Jones, Boyce And Hart Appeared and performed, so I got to see Boyce And Hart in concert on 17 August 1990 and meet them after the show, they signed a record and a guitar for me, I also met Tommy's 1st wife Bobbi the next day. Two days later I met Bobby in the hallway of the hotel and conveyed to him my friend John Jayne's request for a copy of Hart's single "Lover's For The Night" to go into Joel Whitburn's BillBoard Library. Bobby gave me his home address and said "Contact me next week and Do not give this out" and that's where my friendship with Bobby Hart began. In Summer 1992 I went to KIOA to present a proposal of a 1 hour radio show on Boyce And Hart, which was the genesis of my "PsychoGello Show" however DJ Dic Youngs informed me without a "Producer" I could never get this show on air. When Boyce passed away on 23 Nov 1994 I sent his widow Caroline a card in return she sent me one of Tommy's favorite shirts and some artwork he had made for her.

Many years later, in 2011, I met a woman who worked at Barbara's in Nashville, and she remembered she had waited on Boyce many times and recognized the shirt his widow had given me. In August 1997 I set it up for Bobby to appear on radio KIOA (Des Moines) Dic Youngs' Saturday Night Rock Roll And Remember radio show. Dic said Bobby was the best interview he ever had on the show. In Summer of 1997 I put together a video proposal for a "Behind The Music" on Boyce And Hart, I sent copies to Bobby, Billy Lewis and Boyce's widow Caroline. Bobby contacted me straight away "Rik this is really great we need to get this to MTV" alas they never picked it up for option, however many years later Bobby did appear in the documentary on Playboy Bunny Claudia Jennings (born in St. Paul) as Bobby was involved with her for over 5 years.

Bobby Hart's recording career.

1959 Radio Records "Stop Talkin Start Lovin" b/w "Love Whatcha Doin To Me"

1959 ERA Records "Girl in The Window" b/w "Journey Of Love" Both Harshman

1961 Bamboo Records "Spider And The Fly" b/w "Girl I Used To Know" Harshman

1962 Infinity "Lovesick Blues b/w I Think It's Called A Heartache" Harshman

1962 Infinity "Too Many Teardrops" b/w "People Next Door"

1964 DCP "That'll Be The Day" b/w "Turn On Your Lovelight"

1965 DCP "Jealous Feeling" b/w "Baby Let Your Hair Down"

1965 DCP "Cry My Eyes Out" b/w "Around The Corner"

Boyce And Hart
with Tommy Boyce (born Sidney Thomas Boyce Jr. 27 Sept 1939 Charlottesville, VA. 23 Nov 1994 Nasville)
4 albums
"Test Patterns" 1967. "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite" 1967. "It's All Happening On The Inside" 1969. "Anthology" and were the backing band for Trini Lopez's "Whole Enchilada" 1969. Unverified their 4th studio LP was to be on Aquarian Records under the title "Testify" including "I'll Blow You A Kiss" "Smilin" "Wake Up Girl" "I Thank You" "Let's All Take A Trip To Nashville"
8 singles with 8 songs on the BillBoard Charts. including:
"Out And About" #39 July 1967 with a promo film
"I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite" #8 Dec 1967
"Goodbye Baby" #53 April 1968
"Alice Long" #27 July 1968 with a promo film
"L.U.V." #111
Theme songs to the films "The Ambushers" 1967 and "Where Angels Go Trouble Follows" 1968
on the TV Shows "Days Of Lives" Nov 1965 "I Dream Of Jeannie" Oct 1967 "Bewitched" Feb 1970 and "Flying Nun" Mar 1970 and regulars on the "Joey Bishop Show"

1973 Chelsea "Easy Evil"

1974 WB "Hard Core Man b/w "You And Me" from the film "Feebie And The Bean"

Dolenz Jones Boyce and Hart
June 1975 to Aug 1976
2 albums "1st Album" and "Live In Japan"
2 singles "I Remember The Feeling" "I Love You"
1 Betamax "D.J.B.& H. No Record"
Incredibly I saw this band on "American Bandstand" summer 1976, when I lived in Jackson, MS. They also appeared on "Rock Concert" and "Dinah Shore"

Album 1979 WEA "First Solo Album"

1979 WEA "I'm On Fire" b/w "First Impressions"

1979 WB "Loneliest Night" b/w "Sometimes Love"

1980 Ariola "Lover's For The Night b/w Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" #110 on 20 Dec 1980

Book 2015 "Psychedelic Bubblegum"
Promo video for "Hurt So Bad"

Bobby also wrote for many other artists such as Jay And The Americans, Little Anthony And The Imperials, Paul Revere And The Raiders, The Leaves, Del Shannon, Dino, Desi And Billy, Andy Willimas, Dean Martin, The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Josie And The Pussycats, Austin Roberts, Scooby Doo, Helen Reddy, Partridge Family, New Edition, Robbie Nevil and of course The Monkees.

I have made several radio shows on Boyce And Hart: PsychoGello Shows #6 Aug 2017 and #7 Sep 2017 and #317 Sep 2025. And Mr. Zer0's "Evolation Show" Program #16 from 2019. And a "St. Cloud Buzz" Article #11 Feb 2012.

You can hear Mr. Zer0's PsychoGello Show on Radi0 WDGY 8am Sundays. AM740, Streaming, FM: 92.1, 103.7, 107.1. Since 2017. Hear the last 90 shows at www.MrZeroS.Com -Podcast. You can hear the "Evolation Show" for 32 Programs and Rick Burnette's "Hits And History" with MrZerr0 for 17 Programs at www.MixCloud.Com.

Until the next time ..... MrZerr0

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