From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Tue May 14, 2002  1:15 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Bobby Darin
 
BOBBY DARIN

Born Walden Robert Cassotto, 14 May 1936, The Bronx, New York City
Died 20 December 1973, Los Angeles, California

Singer / songwriter / actor. One of the most versatile entertainers to emerge
from the rock 'n' roll era, Darin rose from poor beginnings in Harlem and the
south Bronx. He fought rheumatic fever as a child which damaged his heart
and plagued him throughout his life. As a result of these obstacles, he worked
extremely hard to overcome them. Knowing his life would not be a long one,
his ambition to succeed was fueled by an overwhelming desire to make it
big in show business .
Darin's musical career started as a demo writer, later as a demo singer at
the Brill Building in NYC. In 1956 he recorded for Decca, then signed with
Atco Records in 1957. After three flops, production duties were taken over
by Ahmet Ertegun (1958), resulting in two million sellers : "Splish Splash"
(# 3) and "Queen of the Hop" (# 9). Between these, he had a hit with "Early
In The Morning", recorded at a moonlighting session for Decca, but reclaimed
and rereleased by Atco. Late in 1958, Darin recorded the album "That's All" ,
an LP of standards, upon the suggestion of his publicist and friend Harriet
Wasser. This album contained his signature song "Mack The Knife", which
won the 1959 "Record Of The Year" and Darin the "Best New Artist" Grammy.
"Mack The Knife" was number one on the Billboard charts for nine weeks in
1959. Targeting an adult fanbase, Darin would soon adopt the persona of a
tuxedoed cabaret singer, playing to packed houses in Las Vegas.
In 1960 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career (culminating in
an Oscar nomination for his role in "Captain Newman, M.D.", 1963) and
married actress Sandra Dee soon afterwards. Hits on Atco continued, in
a variety of styles. In 1962 he switched to Capitol, where his biggest hits
were "You're the Reason I'm Living" (# 3) and "Eighteen Yellow Roses"
(# 10), both in 1963. He returned to Atlantic in 1965, changed his style
again with the folk-styled "If I Were A Carpenter" (# 8, 1966) and the protest
album "Born Walden Robert Cassotto" on his own Direction label in 1967.
It was not until 1968 that his older sister, Nina, revealed to him that she
was not his sister after all but his mother, and he her illegitimate son. The
woman he had grown up in the Bronx calling "Mama" was his grandmother.
In the early seventies he signed with Motown and hosted his own TV show
on NBC. He died after surgery to replace a heart valve.
Latest news (as yet unconfirmed) : A biopic about his life, called "Mack The
Knife" has finally been given the green light. Kevin Spacey will play the role
of Darin, while Sandra Dee will be portrayed by Drew Barrymore.

Recommended CD's: Splish Splash : The Best of Bobby Darin, Vol. 1 (Atco).
Rare, Rockin' & Unreleased (Ring Of Stars) - 30 tracks (many outtakes),
in exceptional sound quality.
Biography: Al DiOrio, Borrowed Time : The 37 Years of Bobby Darin.
Philadelphia : Running Press, 1981.
Website (one of the best of its kind): http://www.bobbydarin.net (Over 700
webpages)