{"id":5334,"date":"2010-11-03T00:00:14","date_gmt":"2010-11-03T04:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=5334"},"modified":"2010-12-01T10:55:12","modified_gmt":"2010-12-01T15:55:12","slug":"gonzo%e2%80%99s-gems-from-mack-the-knife-to-beyond-the-sea-%e2%80%9cthe-legendary-bobby-darin%e2%80%9d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=5334","title":{"rendered":"Gonzo\u2019s Gems: From Mack The Knife to Beyond The Sea, \u201cThe Legendary Bobby Darin\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Sam \u201cGonzo\u201d Gonzales<\/strong><\/p>\n

I distinctly remember playing my aunt\u2019s \u201cOldies But Goodies\u201d collection, volumes 1 through 8. I was about 11 years old and I knew being entrusted with those vinyl platters and stereo console was a very big deal. I played through all 8 volumes on a pretty regular basis, always stopping at key tracks, lingering on them a little longer than others, really giving them a good listening to. \u201cSplish Splash\u201d by Bobby Darin was one of those tracks. It became an \u201cOldie But Goodie\u201d favorite of mine then and continues to be so to this day.<\/p>\n

Bobby Darin was born Walden Robert Cassotto on May 14, 1936, in Bronx, New York. As a young child he suffered from Rheumatic Fever which left him with a seriously weakened heart. Overhearing a doctor tell his mother he would be very lucky if he reached his 16th birthday, Bobby knew his time was short. He decided to make the most of his life and he began using his talents sooner than later. He was a man with a mission and he didn\u2018t have time to waste. He began exploring many different styles of music and by his teenage years he had learned to play a multitude of instruments: Piano, drums, guitar and later harmonica and xylophone.<\/p>\n

During the summers of \u201851 and \u201852, Bobby formed a group and played standards in the Catskills. From there he teamed up with songwriter Don Kirshner and helped write advertising jingles. Little by little, Bobby found his way into the music business and was signed on by ATCO. Sometime around 1956 he took the big step and officially changed his name to Bobby Darin. Legend has it that that Bobby was inspired by a Chinese restaurant\u2019s neon sign with the first three letters burned out. The malfunctioning electric sign read \u201cdarin\u201d instead of \u201cMandarin\u201d. But things were slow going at ATCO and eventually there was hushed talk in the ranks about releasing Bobby. That is until Jerry Wexler and Ahmet Ertegun overheard Bobby playing Ray Charles-like piano and realized his untapped potential.<\/p>\n

A session was booked and Bobby recorded his first album, \u201cBobby Darin\u201d. \u201cSplish Splash\u201d, \u201cQueen Of The Hop\u201d and \u201cDream Lover\u201d were three songs recorded. \u201cSplish Splash\u201d became an instant hit and \u201cQueen Of The Hop\u201d and \u201cDream Lover\u201d followed suit. With those rock \u2019n\u2019 roll hits under his belt, Bobby became a teen idol practically overnight. It was 1958 and he had conquered Rock \u2019n\u2019 Roll with \u201cSplish Splash\u201d, \u201cQueen Of The Hop\u201d and \u201cDream Lover\u201d.<\/p>\n

Now to be daring and to be Darin, Bobby turned the tables stylistically and dove into Pop standards with his second album, 1959\u2019s \u201cThat\u2019s All\u201d. \u201cCould it be our boy has done something rash?\u201d Bobby was now singing standards in a broad pop vein and nobody saw it coming. His first single, and one of his biggest hits, \u201cMack The Knife\u201d, was a violent story about a ruthless killer and sung exuberantly by Bobby. \u201cMack The Knife\u201d went to number 1 on the charts for 9 weeks straight, sold 2 million copies and won the Grammy Award for Record Of The Year in 1960. His second single, another big hit for Bobby, \u201dBeyond The Sea\u201d, was a gorgeous song based on the French song, \u201cLa Mer\u201d. The song sweeps you in with a feeling of majestic grace, with drums and horns dipping in and out between beautiful orchestration. Though \u201cMack The Knife\u201d and \u201cBeyond The Sea\u201d were the biggies on the album, \u201cIt Ain\u2019t Necessarily So\u201c was the Gem. Appealing to my blues-side, \u201cIt Ain\u2019t Necessarily So\u201d is a slow and bluesy tune about turmoil and triumph. With Richard Wess\u2019 brass and string arrangements, \u201cThat\u2018s All\u201c launched Bobby into traditional showbiz stardom. Impressive to say the least. Read what Sammy Davis, Jr. had to say in a Western Union Telegram, dated January 27, 1959: \u201cDear Bobby, have just heard the dubs for your new album. What can I say? They\u2019re so good I hate you. But seriously Bobby, I think the album\u2019s another step in a career that I feel will last a long time. I anxiously await the public\u2019s reaction to the album for in this day and age of gimic sounds and gimic records the choice of material and the arrangements of Dick Wess are a perfect combination of showmanship, performance and taste. In other words, I dig it. See you soon, Sammy Davis Jr.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> In the space of one single year, Bobby Darin had gone from \u201cSplish Splash\u201d to \u201cMack The Knife\u201d!<\/p>\n

January 1960 saw the release of the album, \u201cThis Is Darin\u201d. The Gem here is the late 1800 folk song, \u201cClementine\u201c. Bobby brings the folk song to life with a swinging and rhythmic treatment. The horn drenched song is evocative of \u201cMack The Knife\u201d in it\u2019s feel, attitude and cool-cat delivery. January 1960 also saw Bobby boldly stating his goal in life to Life magazine. He wanted to be a Legend by the time he was 25 years old. Bobby Darin was thriving and well on his way, trading one-liners with Jimmy Durante on TV and trading shtick in Las Vegas with George Burns. Headlining major Las Vegas casinos, his live performances were electric. After seeing a Bobby Darin perform in Las Vegas, Sammy Davis, Jr. was quoted as saying, \u201cBobby Darin is the only person I never wanted to follow.\u201d Bobby was becoming an all-around entertainer by adding acting to his repertoire, eventually being nominated for an Oscar.<\/p>\n

Bobby\u2019s musical output continued with eclecticism and diversity through the 1960s. Bobby even flirted with Country and Folk Music. The Gems during this period were \u201cLazy River\u201d, \u201cWhat\u2019d I Say\u201d, \u201cYou\u2019re The Reason I\u2019m Living\u201c, \u201cMore\u201c, \u201cHello, Dolly!\u201d, \u201cThe Good Life\u201d and \u201cIf I Were A Carpenter\u201c. \u201cLazy River\u201d, from the 1961 album, \u201cThe Bobby Darin Story\u201c, starts off low and then builds up energy, the brass blaring dauntingly towards the end of the song. \u201cWhat\u2019d I Say\u201d, from the 1962 album, \u201cBobby Darin Sings Ray Charles\u201d is given a respectful going-over. Bobby gives the revered call-and-response R&B classic the respectful treatment it deserves. \u201cYou\u2019re The Reason I\u2019m Living\u201d, from the 1963 album, \u201cYou\u2019re The Reason I\u2019m Living\u201d, is a country-tinged song, with a pop approach and sad harmonica. \u201cMore\u201d and \u201cHello, Dolly!\u201d, from the 1964 album, \u201cHello Dolly To Goodbye Charlie\u201d, continued in the pop standard vein. \u201cThe Good Life\u201d from the 1965 album \u201cVenice Blue\u201d was a song written by Jack Reardon and Sasha Distel. A superb song, covered by countless artists including Frank Sinatra and the Count Basie Orchestra on the 1964 album \u201cIt Might As Well Be Swing\u201d and who actually was the first artist to cover it in a up-tempo manner. Bobby delivers a great vocal in his version as well. \u201cIf I Were A Carpenter\u201d from the 1966 album, \u201cIf I Were A Carpenter\u201d, was folk rock at it\u2019s best. With the 60s firmly underway, Bobby Darin had become politically aware and his music showed this. This song put him on the Pop charts alongside Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkle.<\/p>\n

On December 21, 1973, I was visiting my aunt\u2019s house and hanging out with my cousins when my aunt brought my attention to the newspaper article that said Bobby Darin had died. I was shocked to read that while undergoing Open Heart Surgery the day prior, Bobby Darin had died at the age of 37. I put the \u201cOldies\u201d record on and listened to \u201cSplish Splash\u201d a few times as my mini-tribute to Bobby Darin. As I collected music in later years, I came across the \u201cThat\u2019s All\u201d LP at a yard sale. For a mere $3 dollars, I was the proud owner of a true Gem of a record. Since then I have learned that Bobby was versatile and diverse as an artist. With his ear always searching out new sounds he was able to come up with something different and unique.<\/p>\n

Bobby Darin was a musician, songwriter, teen idol, smooth crooner, TV personality, lounge lizard, jazzman, bluesman, folky, country artist, Oscar-nominated movie star, political activist and a singer who withstood classification. He was able to sing Rock \u2019n\u2019 Roll, Pop Standards, Country and Folk. Bobby was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1990 and most recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Grammy Awards. He was once asked what he would like to be remembered for. \u201cTo be remembered as a human being and as a great performer.\u201d he answered. I remember him as a human being and as a versatile, cool, diverse, daring, motivated, stylish, outspoken, eclectic, smooth and as a great performer. Ladies and gentlemen\u2026 the legendary Bobby Darin!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em><\/strong><\/a>(DVD) \u201cBeyond The Sea\u201d
\n(CDs) \u201cThat\u2018s All\u201c and \u201cThe Legendary Bobby Darin\u201d
\n(Songs) Splish Splash, Queen Of The Hop, Dream Lover, Mack The Knife, Beyond The Sea, It Ain\u2019t Necessarily So, Clementine, Lazy River, What\u2019d I Say, You\u2019re The Reason I\u2019m Living, More, Hello, Dolly!, The Good Life, and If I Were A Carpenter<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

[youtube jA5AGhtzyu8?fs ]<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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To Send \u201cGonzo\u201d A Suggestion For An Article On Your Favorite Musician or Group<\/a><\/p>\n

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Purchase Boxing Interviews Of A Lifetime<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sam \u201cGonzo\u201d Gonzales I distinctly remember playing my aunt\u2019s \u201cOldies But Goodies\u201d collection, volumes 1 through 8. I was about 11 years old and I knew being entrusted with those vinyl platters and stereo console was a very big deal. I played through all 8 volumes on a pretty regular basis, always stopping at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2013,2014,2012,2010,2016,277,1708,2011,522,2018,2017,2015,1703],"class_list":["post-5334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boxing-news","tag-2013","tag-atco","tag-beyond-the-sea","tag-bobby-darin","tag-country","tag-frank-sinatra","tag-jack-reardon","tag-mack-the-knife","tag-music","tag-ray-charles","tag-standards","tag-swing","tag-the-good-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5334"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5800,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5334\/revisions\/5800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}