16 Magazine - January 1971 (typed by Cindy M.)

The Night Bobby Sherman Cried
(As told by his 14-Year-Old niece Debbie)

FRIDAY, September 4th, is one date I'll never forget - because that's the day Bobby Sherman appeared at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, about 100 miles and one hour and a half away from my home town. From the moment I found out he would be there and I would be able to see his "in person" concert - I was in another world and I couldn't wait for that special day to arrive. My dad would be working, but my mom, my eight-year-old sister Mary-Ann and my two brothers, Michael (12) and "Little Bobby" (6), would be going to the concert too - and they were just as excited as I was.

Aside from the fact that we're all Bobby Sherman fans - we had another reason for being thrilled that this super talented singer was appearing so close to our home. You see, Bobby Sherman isn't just my favorite performer - he's my very own uncle. My mom, Darlene, is Bobby Sherman's sister - and this was going to be a family reunion for us! Even my grandparents (Bobby Sherman's mother and father) were flying in from California, so that we could all be together.

FAMILY REUNION - The last time I had seen my Uncle Bobby was during the summer of 1969, when I went to California to visit with my grandparents. My mom had seen Uncle Bobby only a few months ago, when she was in California, and that's when she and Uncle Bobby made plans for this reunion. We were all especially happy that my sister Mary-Ann and my brothers Michael and Little Bobby would be coming along to the concert, cos they hadn't seen Uncle Bobby since 1965. Five long years had passed and we couldn't wait to see Uncle Bobby's reaction. After all, they had grown up so very much since he had last seen them.

THE BIG DAY ARRIVES! - Finally, the big day arrived - and we were on our way to the Merriweather Post Pavilion! The plans were all made and we would meet Uncle Bobby backstage during the show's intermission. Uncle Bobby had to leave right after the show, cos he had to be in New York City early the next day, so we wouldn't get to spend too much time with him. But that didn't matter - the important thing was we would see him again and we'd all be together!

We were sitting in the audience and when we got up from our seats to head for Uncle Bobby's dressing room - the strangest thing happened! A crowd of girls ran over to us - and you'll never guess what they did! They asked us for our autographs!! It seems they immediately recognized my grandparents and they even knew who we were, cos they had seen our pictures in 16 Magazine. Uncle Bobby's fans are all so nice - and they wanted to know all about him. We chatted for a little while and some of the girls even kissed my brothers! Michael really enjoyed that - he's never seen so many pretty girls all at the same time.

BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS - The most beautiful moment of all was when we opened the door and entered Uncle Bobby's dressing room. There he was - his blue eyes twinkling and a great big smile on his face. Then, all of a sudden, I noticed a trace of tears in Uncle Bobby's eyes as he looked at all of us standing together. I had never seen Uncle Bobby cry before, and I didn't know what to do. I guess he noticed the concerned look on my face, cos Uncle Bobby turned to me and softly said, "Don't worry Debbie, these are tears in my eyes - but I'm not at all sad. It's just that I'm so happy to see all of you!"

He was so wonderful - he understood just what I was thinking and I couldn't help but give him a great big hug and a kiss "hello"! From that moment on, it was as though we had all just seen him yesterday. Time seemed to stand still as we sat and talked with Uncle Bobby. He told us all his future plans and we brought him up-to-date on all the family news. Then there was a knock on the door and we knew that meant it was time for Uncle Bobby to go on stage.

SHOW TIME - We rushed to our seats in the audience, cos this was one show we didn't want to miss! Michael, Mary-Ann, Little Bobby and I had never seen Uncle Bobby in concert before - and we couldn't wait for him to walk on stage!

When Uncle Bobby appeared the entire audience went wild! They screamed, and jumped on their seats to wave - and you know what? Michael, Mary-Ann, Little Bobby and I were so carried away that we did the same thing! We were so proud of our Uncle Bobby! But while he was there on stage, he didn't belong to just us, he was loved by each and every person in the audience!

Uncle Bobby called the next day from New York City to say that he wants to come back to Maryland and visit with us for a few days. Needless to say, we're anxious to see him again and hope it will be very soon - Cos you know what? We miss him already!!