On This Day – Bobby Darin Sings Rock Island Line
Mar 10, 2010 On This Day
On this day in 1956 Bobby Darin made his first appearance on TV when he sings “Rock Island Line” on ‘The Stage Show’.
‘The Stage Show’ was a variety programme on CBS US TV. One of the interesting things about the show (this blog was going to be about Bobby Darin, then it was going to be about ‘Rock Island Line’, now it looks like it is going to be about some defunct US TV show. Go figure) was that it had alternate hosts. One week it was Tommy Dorsey the next it was his brother Jimmy. Both were noted jazz musicians and band leaders.
At that time Jimmy had stopped leading his own band and was working with Tommy’s which was billed as ‘The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra Featuring Jimmy Dorsey’. A bit of a mouthful but it seems to have worked.
Apart from Bobby Darin’s first TV appearance the show also gave Elvis a spot on 28 Jan 1956. The response was so overwhelming they booked him for another 5 appearances in the next 8 weeks!
Tags: bobby darin, elvis, jimmy dorsey, On This Day, rock and blues, tommy dorsey
On This Day – Bobby Darin Leaves Vegas For The last Time
Aug 25, 2009 On This Day
On this day Bobby Darin finished performing at the The Las Vegas Hilton for the last time in 1973. He would be dead 4 months later after a heart operation.
Although not often remembered these days Darin was a versatile singer and actor. He was born with a heart condition that dogged him throughout his life but that did not prevent him from pursuing a glittering career. He is remembered as a rock ‘n’ roll singer (and for that dreadful single Splish Splash) and was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Songwriter’s Hall of fame in 1999.
He also moved into Jazz and is best remembered for a stunning version of Mack The Knife taken from Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht’s wonderful Threepenny Opera. There was time when ,after this move into ’serious’ music that Darin was compared favourably to Sinatra.
He also showed talent as an actor being nominated for an Oscar, winning the French Film Critic’s Actors award (1963), and being awarded a Golden Globe as the Most Promising Newcomer (1962).
Tags: bobby darin, mack the knife, On This Day, rock and blues
