TOUR NOTES BIOGRAPHIES
Bobby Darin
Born Walden Robert Cassotto, Bobby Darin was a very popular American teen idol in the late 1950’s.
Bobby Darin was born to a poor, working class family in the Bronx, New York. Due to his fathers death before he was born, his mother had to live on social assistance to take care of her son. When he was an adult, he learned that his sister, Nina, who was 19 years older, was actually his mother.
Bobby Darin was an outstanding student and graduated from the Bronx High School of Science. He attended college on a scholarship, but soon left college to act. In 1956, he changed his name from Walden to Bobby Darin and his agent negotiated a contract for him with Decca Records.
Bobby soon left Decca and signed with Atlantic Records in 1958 where he released the instant hit, "Splish, Splash". The record sold more than a million copies. In 1959, Darin released the balled, "Dream Lover" – a song that would become a multi-million seller.
Bobby Darin soon released his rendition of "Mack the Knife" which went to number one on the charts. He won the Grammy Award for Record of the year and Best New Artist at the 1960 Grammy Awards.
As many artists of his time, Bobby Darin soon moved on towards movies and co-starred with Sandra Dee, whom he married in 1960. Bobby soon took on more serious roles and won a Golden Glove for "Most Promising Male Newcomer" for his role in Pressure Point. He also won the French Film Critics Award for Best Actor.
By the mid-1960’s, Bobby Darin was headlining at Las Vegas casinos. He also became quite politically active and worked on the 1968 Robert Kennedy Presidential election. He also released two protest albums upon Kennedy’s assassination.
In 1971, Bobby Darin had his first heart surgery to correct complications he developed in childhood. On December 20, 1973, Bobby Darin died during surgery to repair a faulty heart valve.
He has since been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1735 Vine Street.
Visit Bobby Darin’s Official Website at: www.bobbydarin.net/main.html
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