Bobby Darin was an American singer who performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk, and country. He started as a songwriter for Connie Francis, and recorded his own first million-seller "Splish Splash" in 1958. This was followed by "Dream Lover," "Mack the Knife" and "Beyond the Sea," which brought him world fame. In 1962, he won a Golden Globe for his first film, Come September which co-starred his wife, Sandra Dee. 1959 brought Darin his biggest musical success; his recording of "Mack The Knife" was not only a multi-million seller but the top single of the year.
Through the 1960s he became more political, and worked on Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign. He was present on the night of his assassination. This deeply affected him and sent him into a period of seclusion. Although he made a successful television comeback, his health was starting to fail, as he had always expected, following bouts of rheumatic fever in childhood. This knowledge had always spurred him on to exploit his musical talent while still young. He died at 37, following a heart operation in Los Angeles.
In 1990, singer Paul Anka made the speech inducting Darin into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Righteous Brothers refer to Darin in their song, "Rock and Roll Heaven", a tribute to dead musicians released months after Darin's death.
In 1998, PBS aired the documentary, Bobby Darin: Beyond the Song, produced by Henry Astor and Jason Cilo. In 1999, he was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In a 2003 episode of the NBC television series American Dreams, Duncan Sheik portrays Darin and performs "Beyond the Sea" on American Bandstand. May 14, 2007, Darin was awarded a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars to honor his contribution to making Las Vegas the "Entertainment Capital of the World", and to acknowledge his reputation as one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century. The sponsorship fee for his star was raised entirely by fan donations. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On December 13, 2009, Darin received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Grammy Awards ceremony.
In 1986, director Barry Levinson intended to direct a film based on Darin's life, and had begun preproduction on the project by early 1997. He abandoned the project, the rights to which were subsequently bought by actor Kevin Spacey, along with Darin's son, Dodd. The resultant biopic, Beyond the Sea, starred Spacey as Darin, with the actor using his own singing voice for the musical numbers. The film covers much of Darin's life and career, including his marriage to Sandra Dee, portrayed by Kate Bosworth.
JUST A FEW OF BOBBY'S MANY SUCCESSFUL RECORDINGS....
LEGENDS IN CONCERT...A ONE HOUR LIVE VIDEO FEATURING MR. DARIN SINGING SOME OF HIS ALL TIME GREATEST SONGS IN MANY DIFFERENT CONCERT VENUES. WHAT AN ENTERTAINER! WATCH IT ALL.....
Be sure to visit Bobby's own website, www.bobbydarin.com and check out our MUSIC MUSIC pages for a link to our own special playlist for THE VERY BEST OF BOBBY DARIN on spotify.com