Bobby Darin has had some difficult moments in his life and he wasn't always as calm, cool and collected as he appears to be now. He signed to his first recording contract with Decca when he was only 19 (young for that time),and at 22 he wrote a tune Splish Splash recorded it and won a gold record for it. It was the first of four such records, the last being Mack the Knife which also bought him two Grammy awards.
He made his nightclub debut with George Burns at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas and immediately became the first young (22) entertainer to headline at top clubs and hotels around the country.
Then in 1960 he made his movie debut in "Pepe" and decided he would retire as a singer and concentrate on the screen. It was while he was making his second movie "Come September" in Rome that he met his wife-to-be, Sandra Dee. She was 18 and a Star. He was 24 and just
starting out in the motion picture business , but they married and had a son, Dodd, who is now 10. They divorced 5 years ago.
Then came Bobby's involvement in politics and his campaigning for Bobby Kennedy , whose death was a shattering experience for him. He went to live for a while up in Big Sur, CA and wrote some moving songs which were recorded in two albums, very well recieved by music critics but not by Bobby's fans, who wanted the slick, commercial songs he was known for. They didn't like his protest songs and his new blue-denim image.
After a short period of self-examination he finally decided to compromise and return to the saloon circuit a couple of years ago, more mellow and less revolutionary. Once again he was a success. Then in early 1971, after having lived for years with a damaged heart, he went to the hospital for open heart surgery. By last fall he was back playing nightclubs to capacity crowds.
Bobby would like to play more dramatic roles ( he recently appeared in episodes of Ironside, Cade's County and Night Gallery ) but producers aren't exactly breaking his doors down to sign him.
"It's not enough to want to play these roles .You must be asked," He says. "At one point in my life I resented the fact that I wasn't asked, but I no longer do. I now realize it's not because of my ability . Most people just don't think of me as a dramatic actor."
Bobby lives a fairly quiet life with his wife, Andrea (they are not legally married but consider that they are) and when he needs to relax and get away from it all, he goes camping. In fact, the trunk of his car is always packed with a sleeping bag, camp stove and other gear.
"Sometimes I go with Andrea, but many times I go alone if only for one day. Life is basically full of obligations and responsibilities , and when I'm alone at the beach or in the mountains, I can shake them off for awhile. Not that I
would want to shake them off forever, but it's nice to move from one lifestyle to another, from my world of work to one where there is a paucity of material things and where choices don't exist-- except whether to feed a particular nut to a squirrel or a bluejay."
Bobby in 1972
Special thanks to John Goldsmith at WGEL Radio FM 101.7,Greenville IL. home of
"The Goldie's Oldies Show" for contributing this article!
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