Bobby Mitchell

Biography

Bobby Mitchell (August 16, 1935 – March 17, 1989) was a New Orleans rhythm & blues singer and songwriter, born in the Algiers section of New Orleans — specifically delivered in a taxicab at the corner of Brooklyn and Houma Streets near the Mississippi River ferry landing. The second eldest of 17 children in a family that earned its living fishing the Mississippi, Mitchell grew up immersed in postwar New Orleans' vibrant musical culture and began recording in his teens as the lead voice of the doo-wop group The Toppers. When most of the group's members were drafted into military service, Mitchell continued as a solo artist, signing with Imperial Records — the same legendary New Orleans label that housed Fats Domino and Smiley Lewis.

At Imperial, Mitchell worked closely with bandleader and arranger Dave Bartholomew, the central creative force behind New Orleans R&B of the era. He scored a top-20 US Billboard R&B hit in 1956 with "Try Rock 'n Roll" and in 1957 recorded "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday," earning an appearance on American Bandstand. The song became nationally famous when Fats Domino re-recorded it in 1959 — Mitchell's original version, though locally celebrated, never reached the national charts. His Imperial run ended in 1958 when the label dropped its entire New Orleans roster except Domino. Mitchell continued recording for smaller labels including Show Biz Records and Rip Records into the early 1960s.

Despite never achieving sustained national stardom, Mitchell remained a beloved institution in New Orleans R&B. He graced the inaugural cover of Wavelength magazine in November 1980 and became central to the city's R&B revival through the 1980s, performing regularly at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and hosting a long-running show on WWOZ 90.7 FM. He died in March 1989 at age 53 after years of health problems, remembered by those who knew him as a "walking, talking, singing goodwill ambassador of New Orleans rhythm & blues."

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Fun Facts

• Mitchell was born in a taxicab at the corner of Brooklyn and Houma Streets in Algiers, Louisiana — next to the Mississippi River ferry landing.
• He was the second eldest of 17 siblings in a family that earned its living fishing the Mississippi River.
• His 1957 recording of 'I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday' directly inspired Fats Domino's famous 1959 hit version of the same song — Domino's version reached millions while Mitchell's original never cracked the national charts.
• Mitchell's face appeared on the very first cover of Wavelength magazine — New Orleans' premier music publication — in November 1980.
• He hosted a long-running show on WWOZ 90.7 FM in the 1980s, the same station that Jazzapedia is built around.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Dave Bartholomew - Arranger and producer on Mitchell's Imperial Records sessions; shaped the sound of virtually every major New Orleans R&B act of the era

Key Collaborators

• The Toppers - Mitchell's early doo-wop group with whom he began recording as a teenager
• Fats Domino - Labelmate at Imperial Records who later covered Mitchell's 'I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday' in 1959, turning it into a national hit
• Smiley Lewis - Imperial Records labelmate; Mitchell's style was described as falling stylistically between Lewis and Domino

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia