Bobby Rydell was born Robert Ridarelli in Philadelphia on April 26 1942. He was only six years old when he started playing drums and singing. By the time he was seven years old he was performing professionally in the Philadelphia area. In 1950 he won a talent contest on the TV show Paul Whiteman's TV Teen Club. He went onto become a regular on the show. After three years on the programme he took the stage name "Bobby Rydell" and started playing with such local Philadelphia bands as Rocco and The Saints.
In 1958 his first single, "Dream Age," was released on the independent Veko label. It failed to chart. Bobby Rydell then signed with Cameo Records. His first two singles on the label, "Please Don't Be Mad" and "All I Want is You" also failed to chart. He finally had a hit with "Kissin' Time," which went to no. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was followed by "We Got Love," which went to no. 6 on the chart. With "The Wild One" Bobby Rydell went all the way to no. 2. He continued to have hits in the late Fifties, including 'Volare," which peaked at no. 4 in the Billboard Hot 100. In the late Fifties he appeared on such shows as The Dick Clark Show and The Red Skelton Show. He guest starred on the sitcom The Danny Thomas Show.
Bobby Rydell continued to have hits into the Sixties. the biggest of which was "Forget Him," which peaked at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. His career slowed in 1964, with "Forget Him" being his last major hit. His next few singles failed to reach the top forty. His last single to chart was in 1965. "Diana" peaked at no. 98 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bobby Rydell continued to appear on television variety and talk shows in the Sixties, including Tonight Starring Jack Paar, American Bandstand, The Jerry Lewis Show, Sunday Night at the London Palladium, Thank Your Lucky Stars, The Joey Bishop Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, Shindig!, Shivaree, The Perry Como Show, The Jimmy Dean Show, The Milton Berle Show, Hulabaloo, The Merv Griffin Show, Where the Action Is, The Red Skelton Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and The Mike Douglas Show. He guest starred on The Jack Benny Show and Combat!. He made his film debut starring as Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie (1963).
Bobby Rdyell continued to release music into the Seventies. His disco version of "Sway" actually peaked on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at no. 27. He performed in night clubs and in Las Vegas. On television he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, In Concert, The Mike Douglas Show, The Wolfman Jack Show, and Sha Na Na. He appeared in the movie The Lady from Peking (1975) and provided the voice of the title character in the animated movie Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon (1972).
In 1985 Bobby Rydell joined with fellow former teen idols Frankie Avalon and Fabian as part of the Golden Boys stage show. The trio toured ever since and had been planning a tour for the spring and summer of 2022. In 1987 he guest starred as himself on the TV sitcom The Facts of Life. In 2016 he appeared as himself in the feature film The Comedian.
Bobby Rydell was an incredible singer. He was blessed with a voice that had incredible range and the talent to deliver a song in a way that few others could. It was that voice and his talent that allowed him to adapt to changing times. When teen idols were in vogue, he topped the charts. When teen idols went out of fashion with The Beatles, he became a performer in nightclubs and in Las Vegas. He would tour very nearly to the end. Few performers ever had the enduring popularity that Bobby Rydell has.
1 comment:
Lijke all of us, he had his demons to overcome. I watched many of his solo nightclub acts later in his life and it was a joy for him to bring smiles to the many fans who enjoyed a night of nostalgia. RIP to a great one.
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