"The Next Champ?"
When Bobby Darin burst upon the scene out of left field, he did it with the impact of a rocket leaving its berth at Cape Canaveral. His dynamic delivery of Mack The Knife could only be likened, in effect, to Elvis' "Love Me Tender." Not only has this record sold in the staggering millions, but Bobby copped two Grammy Awards (the record industry's oscars) for Best New Performer of the Year, and also for Best Pop Single of the Year.
Bobby grows stronger and stronger with each personal and television appearance because he is a solid performer who is both versatile and appealing. Also, Bobby's screen test had studio officials bubbling with enthusiasm over its result and they predict a long and enduring movie career for him.
Some fans loudly proclaim that Bobby is a young Sinatra; others argue that he's a unique personality--much better than Sinatra ever was at this age. Others are convinced that he is the greatest showman of them all. No matter how you put it, Bobby is a talent-a big one-and Elvis is going to find him stiff competition on all fronts. Now that Bobby has broken through to the top, he's determined to prove that the whole thing wasn't a fluke--and his uniformly fine performances seem to bear this out.
For one so full of ambition, it seems strange that not long ago, Bobby felt that all the joys of living had been taken from him by the pronouncement of his girl friend that she had found someone new. Bobby, deeply in love, begged and pleaded with her not to go. Her decision was firm and Bobby, in black despair, fled to the solitude of his bedroom.
"I didn't even talk to my closest friends," Bobby said of that trying period. "Months went by while they tried to get me out of the house--to go to a movie, a walk, bowling--but I wasn't having any. I stayed in my room, just lying on the bed, with the shades down, and smoke from my cigarette drifting toward the ceiling."
At 18, Bobby Darin thought his life was through. He had no one to talk to, because he couldn't bear to talk to anyone about her. But a strange thing happened. Out of his anguish, his pentup feelings, grew a desire to express himself in song--he could write and sing about her. His story of "My First Real Love" became a song, and out of a broken heart a career was born.
It was born--but there was a lot of nurturing ahead to keep it alive. "Real Love" hardly set the industry on its ear. In fact, it never left obscurity. But it was a start and Bobby eagerly pushed on from that point. Finally, Decca heard one of his demonstration records and signed Bobby to a contract. A few days later Tommy Dorsey signed him to appear on his TV Show.
No one can deny that band singing is about the best groundwork a youngster can cover. This experience has given the great singers of today--the Sinatras, Crosbys, Staffords and Days--the know-how and the stature that separate them from the rest who fall by the wayside. Knowing this, Bobby learned everything he could from his relationship with Dorsey and put his knowledge into practice, with diligence.
Bobby continued to write, and one day he came up with a tune called, "Splish Splash", which he recorded. This was the flame that set off the fuse. The final thrust of Bobby Darin's rocket was set off by "Mack the Knife." And its final distance has not yet been recorded since it is still traveling. While this disc continues to zoom into the millions, Bobby has been making public appearances, singing on TV, cutting new sides, and preparing to do a movie. He once said, "there's no field in show business that I don't want to conquer."
Out of his despair, Bobby rose up to make this prophecy come true. He sang away his pain and sorrow, exchanged his bitterness for determination, turned in his solitude for hard work and emerged to find that he had resoundingly won his battle--both in his heart and on the stage. Bobby worked so avidly to forget--he worked his way to the top!
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