Robert Thomas Freeman, known as Bobby Freeman, was born on June 13, 1940, in Alameda County, California, U.S. He began his music career in his early teens as a singer with the doo-wop group The Romancers, recording for Dootone Records in 1956. His breakthrough came when he wrote and recorded "Do You Want to Dance" as a solo demo, which caught the attention of Mortimer Palitz from Jubilee Records. Released on Josie Records in 1958, the song reached number 5 on the pop chart and number 2 on the R&B chart. Freeman appeared on American Bandstand and toured with artists like Fats Domino and Jackie Wilson. His follow-up singles "Betty Lou Got a New Pair of Shoes" and "Need Your Love" also made the charts. After leaving Josie Records in 1960, he signed with King Records and had a hit with "Shimmy Shimmy". In 1964, Freeman's second top ten hit "C'mon and Swim", co-written by Tom Donahue and Sylvester Stewart (later known as Sly Stone), was released on Autumn Records. His final charting single that year was "S-W-I-M". Throughout the late 1960s and into the mid-1970s, Freeman continued to release singles on various local labels but saw little commercial success. He performed at the Bay Area Music Awards in later years and gained recognition among UK northern soul fans. Freeman passed away on January 23, 2017, aged 76.
