| Bobby Darin |
His constant relapses during childhood and adolescence forced him to spend long periods at home, prostrated in the bed. He would spend these periods of time in the company of his mother, who sitting on a piano in front of young Darin would perform a wide repertoire vaudeville. These tender moments with his mother would infect him with a love the for music and for world of show business. Darin, with an IQ higher than other kids at his age, not only was able to sing all those songs but also to play the piano and any other instruments that he would come across - guitar, drums, harmonica, xylophone... After graduating from The Bronx High School of Science and attending Hunter College for a year, Darin soon traded the microphone from his first band of school mates to work in the music business. He first started as a demo writer and later as a demo singer at the Brill Building in New York City. It was in this environment that Darin got to work along such future stars as Connie Francis and Don Kirshner. Kirshner, an old friend and schoolmate at The Bronx High School of Science, helped Darin get into the field of jingles for radio commercials in the NYC area. The radio spots that Bobby and Don made led to a meeting with George Scheck who was managing Connie Francis at the time. Scheck was impressed with their songs and used their material for his artists. Bobby's big break in show business came when Scheck discovered Darin could sing. Bobby had always performed as an eclectic artist with numerous influences; according to Kirshner, the most admired musicians at the time were black roots stars like Fats Domino, Ray Charles and Little Richard. Darin was able to sing like those R&B greats, but could also sing like Pat Boone or a white version of Ray Charles. Not only could he copy their vocal ability, but he could compose music according to each one of these artist. Scheck got Darin a recording contract with Decca Records and a first session was recorded on March 8, 1956. It was these sessions during which the sides for his first 45 were recorded; one of the first american covers of Lonnie Donegan's version of Rock Island Line and Timber - written by Darin, Don kirshner and George M. Shaw. Just two days after these sessions Bobby did a guest appearance on the Dorsey Brothers TV Show and sang Rock Island Line. Bobby had to read the lyrics from the palm of his hand since he hadn't had time to learn them! Three more recording sessions would take place before the end of the year and another two 45's were produced - one four track EP: Blue-Eyed Mermaid, Help Me, The Greatest Builder, Silly Willy, Hear Them Bells and Dealer in Dreams. These Decca recordings are collector items today and the EP is estimated to be worth over $200.00 with the picture sleeve. Darin's career at Decca was short lived, since none of the records were successful and in 1957 he moved to ATCO Records, a sub-label of Atlantic Records founded in 1955 by Herb Abramson. By the end of the year 8 new songs had been recorded in two different sessions. One during May in Nashville, Tennessee with Hank Garland on guitar and another in August in NYC, New York, 7of l them included in this CD with the addition of a couple of alternative unreleased takes of two of them. The truth was that Bobby Darin always wanted to be a swing crooner. As such a singer he could eclipse the very same Frank Sinatra in his own field, to be a resident artist of the prestigious Copacabana club... It was for this style that he's partially known as melodic singer from such recordings as Dream Lover and Beyond The Sea or in adaptations of classics like Mack the Knife by Kurt Weill, But let's not forget that apart from the standards, he felt comfortable playing jazz, folk, pop and gospel - not to mention Rock and Roll; a genre with which he would get first hit in 1958; Splish Splash getting to the top of the charts and selling over a million copies.. H e was a multifaceted artist, a true showman. His abilities were such that he was capable of undertaking a brilliant career as an actor in Hollywood and was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in a minor role in the film Captain Newman, MD (1963) by David Miller. As a composer, he wrote more than 150 songs, many of them Rock and Roll, and performed by artists like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly or Ruth Brown. Bobby Darin died on December 20, 1973 after heart surgery. Since that day his star has not ceased to shine. In 1990 he was inducted into the Rock n 'Roll Hall of Fame and more recently Kevin Spacey wrote, directed and starred in a "biopic" about his life named after one of his most popular songs - Beyond the Sea. The movie has only helped to increase the interest of the younger generation in his genius. Leo Castro, December 2007. El Ritual Nocturno radio show Barcelona 100.4 FM |
ETCD1018 BOBBY DARIN - EARLY BOBBY DARIN
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| Track Listing
: 1 - Silly Willy (B Darin/D Kirshner/GM Shaw) Decca 2 - Help Me (C Coben) Decca 3 - Rock Island Line (L. Donegan) Decca 4 - Wear My Ring (B Darin/D Kirshner) Atco 5 - (I Found A) Million Dollar Baby (B Rose /M Dixon /H Warren ) Atco 6 - The Greatest Builder C Coben/M Gabler) Decca 7 - Don't Call My Name (B Darin/D Kirshner) Atco 8 - Timber (B Darin/D Kirshner/GM Shaw) Decca 9 - Pretty Betty (B Darin/D Kirshner) Atco 10- I Can't Go On (D Pomus / M Shuman) Atco 11 - Hear Them Bells (M Garson/B Kaye) Decca 12 - Talk To Me Something (B Darin/D Kirshner) Atco 13 - Pretty Betty (take 5) (Bobby Darin/Don Kirshner) - Unreleased 14 - Dealer In Dreams (B Darin/D Kirshner) Decca 15 - Don't Call My Name (take 3) (B Darin/D Kirshner) - Unrelased 16 - Blue-Eyed Mermaid (B Short) Decca 17 - Just In Case You Change Your Mind (H Patterson / M Bell) Atco |
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