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 He's Got it Made
It might be that the air of South Philadelphia is different. Certainly
fame and fortune seem to be catching on there, and Bobby Rydell is the latest singer to
prove it. Brought up in the same neighborhood as Fabian and Frankie Avalon, Bobby played
the drums as a child and made local TV appearances at the age of nine. Bobby's an Italian
boy, like Fabe and Avalon, and his story is very much like theirs -- a manager who
believed in him, and a father who agreed. There were the years of hard work to improve, to
learn how to belt out a song. At first no one would let Bobby record, do his agent Frankie
Day set up his own company. But their record was a bomb and the company folded. But in
time, Cameo Records decided to take on Bobby. Four times his records failed to catch on.
Then came Kissin' Time, and a new singer was born. Dick Clark picked him as the top
boy singer two years ago, and now, at 19, Bobby has it made. He has appeared on top TV
shows with Ed Sullivan, Como, Danny Thomas. He took New York's smart Copa by storm. What
has growing up done to Bobby Rydell? For one thing it, turned a shy teenager into a
whimsical practical joker. For another, it gave him enough self-confidence and poise to
let his impersonations of stars become a permanent part of his nightclub act. Now he has a
picture contract with Columbia, and he could have gone into a Broadway play, but he had
more money waiting in nightclub bookings. At this point Bobby can almost write his own
ticket. He has thousands of fans, and he's worked hard to live up to Day's description of
him as a talented young man with the shock of light hair. Since there is no wiggle in his
stance, just a beat in his song, Day's comment that "his only gimmick is talent"
is particularly pertinent. Bobby may date a starlet now and then, but his preference is
for home-yown girls, not in "the business." And he is sure to find the right
girl just as he has found everything else. He is patient, he works hard, and he bides his
time.
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