To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. All I Want Is You, for instance, was basically the same song as Stairway to the Stars, with a different melody. Ann-Margret, right, and Bobby Rydell dance during a scene from "Bye Bye Birdie" on the movie set in Los Angeles on Sept. 14, 1962. Surprisingly, those first three duds I cut for Cameo didnt faze Bernie and Kal in the least. Uncle Julieas he asked me to call himwas the guy who ran the Copa. Instead of the short walk around the corner to see Camille, the new lifeline of our relationship was a 10-milecar ride on the Schuylkill Expressway. I was driving to New York, and we pickedit up on WABC-AM. He started playing the drums at a very young age and at age nine, he won a TV talent contest and had his first paid performance which led to several years on the local, Soon afterwards, a band called Rocco and the Saints was booked to open for the name band at a club in Somers Point, N.J., called Bayshores. His son had passed away, and Bobby always felt he was looked upon by Mr. Skelton as a son.. Would you like to joinus? Then he asked me what I was drinking. From the firstmoment he played the record on his show, the stations switchboard lit up. As news of Bobby's death made entertainment headlines, tributes from fans poured in all over social media. [4], During that time, he performed on many television programs, including The Red Skelton Show, where a recurring role as Zeke Kadiddlehopper, Clem Kadiddlehopper's younger cousin, was written for him by Skelton. He was 79. It was great, he says. Columbia Pictures signed Mr. Rydell to a contract in 1961. RIP Bobby Rydell. , and unbeknownst to me, he was in the housethat night to see his old friend perform. He continued to tour up until his death in 2022. Bobby Rydell, a Philadelphia-born singer who became a teenage idol in the late 1950s and, with his pleasant voice, stage presence and nice-guy demeanor, maintained a loyal following on tours even after both he and his original fans were well past retirement age, died on Tuesday in Abington, Pa. Mr. Rydells recording prime encompassed the era roughly between 1959, when Elvis Presley was in the Army and Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, and 1964, when Beatlemania hit America. [4] After a couple of flops, "Kissin' Time" made the charts in 1959. Robert Louis Ridarelli was born April 26, 1942. No specific song title is given in The Beatles Anthology, but Bob Spitz writes in The Beatles: The Biography that McCartney originally modeled "She Loves You" on the Rydell "answering song" called "Swingin' School", and not "Forget Him", as is commonly cited. He didnt name the song, but Mr. Rydells 1960 hit Swingin School includes a Yeah, yeah, yeah refrain. Rydells new autobiography, Teen Idol on the Rocks: A Tale of Second Chances(Dr. Licks Publishing, 249 pages), recounts his life with unstinting honesty. My first experience recording for a big labelmight have overwhelmed me, but the three songs we cutPlease Dont Be Mad, All I Want Is You, and a tune penned by Paul Ankawerent particularly exciting. Philly was all in. [6], Rydell left Cameo-Parkway Records later in 1964 and signed with Capitol Records. Rydell mimicked the singers he saw on television as a child and at the age of seven, his father took him around the clubs of Philadelphia, asking if he could sing and do some impersonations. There was something about the lifestyle in California that I really wasnt used to. It reached No. I woke the next morning to see afront-page picture in the Philadelphia Inquirer of Camille andme walking down the steps of the church with close to onethousand of my fans in the street throwing rice at us as weentered a Rolls-Royce Silver Phantom limo. Mr. Rydell did not just have staying power; he also made a comeback after years of alcohol abuse, which he chronicled in his autobiography, Bobby Rydell: Teen Idol on the Rocks (2016), written with the guitarist and producer Allan Slutsky. Key points: Bobby Rydell's death was attributed to pneumonia complications Rydell sold more than 25 million albums and had 34 top-100 hits The famous rock musical Grease was set in the fictional Rydell High School This wasn't the star's first brush with a serious illness, though in fact, quite the contrary. A sad farewell to a teen idol from an era that has long since passed us by," said another. No specific song title is given in The Beatles Anthology, but Bob Spitz writes in The Beatles: The Biography that McCartney originally modeled She Loves You on the Rydell answering song called Swingin School (and not Forget Him, as is commonly cited). His first move was to buy me a $525, state-of-the-art, black oyster-pearl Ludwig drum setfrom Eighth Street Music. In the early 1960s he was considered a. I wasnt going to blow it a second time. His career continued to thrive, peaking in the 1960s, with recordings, concerts and many appearances in television series for decades. May he rest peacefully.". It was here that his name was Anglicised to Bobby Rydell. I think people see that attitude coming from the stage. I think itwas an Italian thing. In 2012 he was told With parents Adrio (Al) and Jeanie at age one. He grew up in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of South Philadelphia. But if any of us Italiancrooners wanted to distance ourselvesfrom the image of a mob-backed Italian singer, it became almost impossible after my fellow SouthPhiladelphian, Al Martino, played Johnny Fontane in, . It probably cost more than the combined value of all the other furniture. One of the tougher periods occurred in February 1966, when I toured South Vietnam for three weeks. Bobby Rydell, 1960s teen idol and star of the 1963 film "Bye Bye Birdie," has died at the age of 79. . Bobby Rydell, a pompadoured heartthrob of early rock 'n roll who was a star of radio, television and the movie musical "Bye Bye Birdie," died Tuesday. On April 5, 2022, TMZ revealed that Bobby passed away at the age of 79. In 1963, he starred with Ann Margaret in the musical film,Bye Bye Birdie. Hoffman is the president of the fan group, according to reports. In a radio interview in 2013 in Hamilton, Ontario, Mr. Rydell explained why he hadnt stayed in Hollywood to make more movies: I couldnt. Rydell and his fellow Philadelphia performers were ideal for "Bandstand" host Dick Clark, who sought to make rock n' roll palatable to young and old. By Pat Ciarrocchi. In Kon Tum, I sang What Kind of Fool Am I? to a large crowd of Marines while howitzers were laying down a barrage a fewmilesaway. [11], Rydell continued to tour for the remainder of his life, often with Frankie Avalon and Fabian Forte, performing under the name "The Golden Boys". Bobby Rydell, a pompadoured heartthrob of early rock 'n roll who was a star of radio, television, and the movie musical "Bye Bye Birdie," died Tuesday of complications from . Along with James Darren, Fabian and Frankie Avalon, Rydell was among a wave of wholesome teen idols who emerged after Elvis Presley and before the rise of the Beatles. Part of the key to Cameos success was that it was located in Philadelphia, a few miles away from the No. In January 1968, it was announced in the UK music magazine NME that Rydell had signed a long-term recording contract with Reprise Records. If I played Palumbos in South Philly, Nicky Scarfo, Philip Testa, or several of the other local Philly boys might be hanging at the bar. One night, they were booked as the opening act at a very popular club in Somers Point, N.J., called Bayshores. AP By the time he was eight, his reputation led to an appearance on a talent show on the national television series,TV Teen Club. It was her birthdayandshe was celebrating at a restaurant on the Delaware River with her sister and some friends. It didnt take them long to come up with the song thatwould kick-start my career. Rydell was the son of Jennie Ridarelli (nee Sapienza) and Adrio Al Ridarelli. Every time I leftespecially when I went outside the U.S.I missed Camille more and more. My favorite was Wild One. The headliner that night wasa prominent local act named Billy Duke and the Dukes, whose bass player was known as Frankie Day. "That hasn't changed. 1 record titled Butterfly with Cameos first artist, singer-guitarist Charlie Gracie. [2][6] In February 1961, he appeared at the Festival du Rock at the Palais des Sports de Paris in Paris, France. We had a 16-piece orchestrathree trumpets,three bones, drums, guitar, bass,full percussion., Rydell still loves to perform. I headlined the club three orfour more times before it finally closed its doors in 1973. He was one of the richest and most influential singers in the United States. He won the contest, and the shows presenter, Paul Whiteman, recruited him into the cast, where he remained for several years. There was a Bobby Rydell song out at the time and, as often happens, you think of one song when you write another. Born Robert Ridarelli on April 26, 1942, the star died on April 5, just weeks shy of what would . He recorded 34 Top-40 hit-records and sold more than 25 million records, including Volare, Wild One, We Got Love, Kissin' Time, Swingin' School, Wildwood Days, and Forget Him. hide caption. Mr. Rydell performing with the City Rhythm Orchestra in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center in Manhattan in 2016. He gave up alcohol and received a liver and a single kidney transplant, and became a major spokesman for organ donation. On October 6, 1964, he made a guest appearance on the episode "Duel" of the television series Combat!. We finally got married on October 5, 1968, at Stella Maris Church in South Philly. Dubbed by Variety as one of the world's original teen idols, Rydell's icon status was cemented in "Grease," with the film's characters as students at Rydell High School. [4], Rydell played in several bands in the Philadelphia area, including Rocco and the Saints, in which he sang and played drums. A cause of death was not stated when his passing was announced. They dubbed themselves "The Golden Boys of Bandstand," and the shows were so successful that the trio ended up touring for three years and performing 300 shows nationwide. 11 record in the country. Six decades later, teamed with his fellow singers Frankie Avalon and Fabian, he was still drawing crowds. Ill never forget the first time I heardKissin Time on the radio, Rydell says. the release of Kissin Time. We did it up right with a beautiful reception at the Warwick Hotel, and then left the nextmorning for a honeymoon in Hawaii. Singer Bobby Rydell is shown aboard a luxury liner in New York City after arrival from Europe on March 12, 1962. ; it was Rydells first dramatic acting role. We have details. Rydell reveals how life was in the early days of rock n rolland how he once needed some help fromPhiladelphias mob bossat the time, Angelo Bruno, to secure a role in a movie. In the 1980s, he formed a trio called, In 1968 at age 26, he married Camille Quattrone, who died of cancer 35 years later. [19], Rydell served in the U.S. National Guard, and began his service in 1964 with two months of basic training at Fort Dix. [10], That same year, Rydell portrayed Hugo Peabody in the film version of Bye Bye Birdie, also starring Ann-Margret and Dick Van Dyke. Learn more at, Governor touts No. Six months after his transplants, he sang on stage in Las Vegas for a three night engagement to a sold out audience, and then continued on, Dr. Gabe Mirkin is a Villager. Rydell left Cameo-Parkway Records later in 1964 and signed with Capitol Records. The three had toured extensively together since 1985, billed as the Golden Boys, and were still performing together this year. Mr. Rydell, Mr. Avalon and Fabian would perform their own songs and then sing together; there would also be tributes to Frank Sinatra and to Mr. Rydells favorite singer, Bobby Darin. 5, 2022. Wed planned an answering song where a couple of us would sing she loves you and the other ones would answer yeah yeah. Rydell never strayed far from his Philadelphia roots, living in the area for most of his life. and Cameo soon developed. I didnt know what to think. Bobby Rydell is an American professional singer, mainly of rock and roll music. The bands drummer was sick so Frankie Avalon asked Rydell to play the drums and sing a few songs. He had great success on the oldies circuit into his last years. His death was caused by complications from pneumonia, a rep for the artist confirmed . He made his performance debut as a 7-year-old drummer, not a singer. "Popular Singer Now Training at Indiantown Gap", Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, History of Italian Americans in Philadelphia, List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand, "Bobby Rydell Wall Mural Wildwood Boardwalk", "Bobby Rydell, 1960s Pop Idol and Star of 'Bye Bye Birdie,' Dies at 79", "Academy Premiering Digital Restoration of Bye Bye Birdie; Ann-Margret and Bobby Rydell to Attend", "Bobby Rydell, Teenage Idol With Enduring Appeal, Dies at 79", "Bobby Rydell Comes Clean in His New Autobiography", "60s singer Rydell gets 2 organ transplants in Pa", "Bobby Rydell, singer and Philly native known for 'Wildwood Days' dies at 79", "Local singer is in national movie 'Green Book', "Bobby Rydell Charts & Awards Billboard Singles", "The Man Who Knew It Wasn't Only Rock 'n' Roll", Bobby Rydell obituary on Best Classic Bands, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bobby_Rydell&oldid=1138024217, People from Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Everything Seemed Better (When I Was Younger)", This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 16:37. Leopold Stokowski, Dizzy Gillespie and Bobby Rydell, he mused. Bobby Rydells influence on popular music was profound. He is survived by his wife, Linda J. Hoffman (who is not related to Linda F. Hoffman); two children from his first marriage, Robert Ridarelli and Jennifer Dulin; and five grandchildren. Mr. Rydell and Ann-Margret in a scene from the 1963 movie musical Bye Bye Birdie.. He was a regular on The Milton Berle Show and was a panelist on To Tell the Truth in 1964. His main source of income is from his career as an actor and singer. At first, I thought he meant Frankie Day, until I realized he was referring to Sinatra. Dick Van Dyke and Janet Leigh were the films stars, but the parts of Hugo and Kim were considerably beefed up in the transition from stage to screen. Changing musical tastes ushered in by the Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion defused the hit-making careers of Rydell and his compatriots, and he continued performing and recording music with limited success in the late 1960s and 1970s. But in 1985, he joined his old friends Avalon and Fabian for what they thought would be a few appearances. He was part of a South Philadelphia musicinvasion that included Frankie Avalon and Fabian, and Rydell toured the country and the world as part of 1960s showcases that introducedhim and his songs to tens of thousands of fans. This set wasnt relegated to the basement like my red Revere drums. hide caption. [23], Rydell died from complications of pneumonia at Jefferson Abington Hospital on April 5, 2022, at the age of 79. They had two children. When the producers of Grease wanted to pay tribute to the era in which the popular musical was set, they named the high school where most of the action took place Rydell High in his honor. Singer Bobby Rydell is shown aboard a luxury liner in New York City after arrival from Europe on March 12, 1962. Bobby Rydell and his wife Linda Hoffman married on 17th January 2009, after dating for a year in 2008. Rydell released the song Wildwood Days in 1963; it reached Number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and remained on the chart for nine weeks. [18] He had one more hit after 1965, a disco re-recording of "Sway", which reached the Billboard Easy Listening chart in 1976. Up walks this very dapper-lookinggentleman oozing power and charisma. In February 1961, he appeared at the Festival du Rock at the Palais des Sports de Paris in Paris, France. Meanwhile, Tommy James of Tommy James and the Shondells shared via Twitter that he was "deeply saddened by the loss of Bobby Rydell, a good friend and one of my idols. His recording career earned him 34 Top 100 hits, placing him in the top five artists of his era (Billboard). At the end of the show, Sinatra gets up and leaves, and Im thinking to myself, Idiot! Part of the Philadelphia music scene which also spawned Frankie Avalon and Fabian, Rydell was undoubtedly the most talented of the teen idols. But the only movie in which he made much of an impact was Bye Bye Birdie, released in 1963 and based on the hit Broadway musical of the same name, which poked fun at show business in general and rock n roll frenzy in particular. Cameo was started in 1956 by songwriters Bernie Lowe andKal Mann in the basement of Bernies West Oak Lane home. He continued to perform for the rest of his life. But if any of us Italiancrooners wanted to distance ourselvesfrom the image of a mob-backed Italian singer, it became almost impossible after my fellow SouthPhiladelphian, Al Martino, played Johnny Fontane in The Godfather. Actor: Bye Bye Birdie. He and Kal had gotten off to aflying start penning Teddy Bear for ElvisPresley, and then landing a No. The song was released in mid-June. He had a nose like a bloodhound when it came to sniffing outa hit, and luckily for me, he caught a strong scent of Kissin Time and gave it his blessing. However, he canceled a 2012 Australia tour because his health had deteriorated significantly and he was in need of urgent major surgery. Rydell and Ann-Margret were in attendance at the restoration premiere in Beverly Hills by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The same type of thing happened to me at lotsof other venues around the country. The Australian police had to make a wedge to get us out of Sydney Stadium. I asked around and was told Louie owned a restaurant called Separate Tables and supposedly was connected with the Gambino family. Rydell died of complications from pneumonia at a hospital in a suburb of his hometown of Philadelphia, according to a statement posted by his marketing and event coordinator Maria Novey. 1 marketing tool in popularmusic at the time: Dick Clarks American Bandstand. "I remember when Bobby Rydell was a young guy on American Bandstand and in movies like Bye Bye Birdie. Since news broke of Rydell's death, countless celebrities have voiced their admiration of him. Before he graced the covers of teen magazines and movie screens, Rydell made his bones as a youngster in Philadelphia clubs. Bobby Rydell net worth was estimated at around $10 million. Just as we started to talk, who should come walking outof the kitchen door but Sinatra and a group of his friends. As reported by Variety, Bobby Rydell, who found fame as both a musician and an actor, has died at the age of 79 -- a mere few weeks away from his 80th birthday -- due to pneumonia.Rydell's . As such, the official announcement of Rydell's death reiterated the importance of organ donation, stating, "Rydell lived to be 79 years old through the gift of organ donation," and urging fans to become donors. Bobby Rydell, a teen idol from the '60s known for songs like "Wild One" and his role as Hugo Peabody in the 1963 film "Bye Bye Birdie," has died, according to a statement released by his. Among countless other cultural references such as The Beatles' hit "She Loves You," which as Vulture pointed out, was a response to Rydell's "Swingin' School" further preserving Rydell's memory is his own repertoire of hits. Rydell performed on many television programs, including The Red Skelton Show, where a recurring role was written for him by Red Skelton as Zeke Kadiddlehopper, Clem Kadiddlehoppers younger cousin. [6] It is estimated he sold over 25 million records in total. Bobby Rydell reclines on a couch in his sports-themed basement in Penn Valley, a lit Winston purring in his right hand. A lot of Italian singers from my eraand probably a decade or two beforewere rumored to have mob affiliations or mob backing. [7], Rydell's success and prospects led his father, Adrio, a foreman at the Electro-Nite Carbon Company in Philadelphia, to resign in 1961 after 22 years to become his son's road manager. Instead of spending all of the money on himself, his father bought his son a very expensive ($525), oyster-pearl Ludwig drum kit that cost more than all of the furniture in their house. To avoid rejection of his kidney and liver transplants, he had to take drugs to suppress his immune system, and on April 5, 2022, 10 years after his transplants, he died of pneumonia, an infection in his lungs. The bass player for the main band was Frankie Day who liked Rydell and offered to manage his career. After a number of song hits, including "Wild One" and "Volare", he starred in Bye Bye Birdie (1963) before hitting the nightclub circuit. In addition, Cameo had a secret weapon in its corner that became the most important factor in breaking not only Kissin Time, but my career, aswell. ", A second fan tweeted: "We have lost so many legends. I was so nervous and intimidated I declined the offer. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Everybody has known us for the better part of 50 years. From then on, everybody just took it for granted: Oh, youre a bigItalian singing star; you must have the Mafia behind you., Hooters Drummer Celebrates Rock and Souls Philly Connection. As news of Bobby's death circulated in the press, fans of. DJ Jerry Blavat spoke of his friend's talents to The Philadelphia Inquirer, claiming, "He could have been as big as Bobby Darin, but he didn't want to leave Philadelphia." He married his second wife Linda Hoffman, they had their marriage ceremony in 2009. Cameo got right down to business, cutting three songs with me in their primitive, monaural studio. Bernie and Kal would supply the show with a steady streamof acts and would bail out Dick with someone from their lineup whenever an artist from another label cancelled on him at the last moment. [19] His autobiography was published in 2016. Since my teen idol days were nowin the rearview mirror, Frankie Day was OK with it and happy for both of us. Therefore the treatment is to never be around alcohol. By the time he was eight, his reputation led to an appearance on a talent show on the national television series, TV Teen Club. He had recurring roles on "The Red Skelton Show" and other television programs, and 1963's "Bye Bye Birdie" was rewritten to give Rydell a major part as the boyfriend of Ann-Margret. Still, he sold a lot more records than some of those who were. Rydell's childhood sweetheart and first wife, Camille, died in 2003. According to a statement shared on Rydell's verified Facebook page, the crooner died. A drunk driving suspect blamed his intoxication on his impending divorce. Rydell, a pompadoured heartthrob of early rock 'n roll who was a star of radio, television and the movie musical "Bye Bye Birdie," died Tuesday, April 5, 2022.