Robert Louis Ridarelli (April 26, 1942 – April 5, 2022), known by the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Bobby Rydell, was an American singer and actor who mainly performed

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

and

traditional pop Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western culture, Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known ...

music. In the early 1960s he was considered a

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...

. His most well-known songs include " Wildwood Days," " Wild One" and " Volare" (cover of an Italian song by

Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno (; 9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel blu, dipinto di blu (song), Nel blu dipinto di blu", ...

, " Nel blu, dipinto di blu"); in 1963 he appeared in the musical film ''

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The short story "Dream Man", authored ...

''. In the 1980s, he joined a trio called The Golden Boys, with fellow former teen idols

Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" an ...

and

Fabian Forte Fabian Forte (born Fabiano Anthony Forte, February 6, 1943), professionally known as Fabian, is an American singer and actor. Forte rose to national prominence after performing several times on '' American Bandstand''. He became a teen idol o ...

. He continued to tour up until his death in 2022.

Early life

Rydell was born in April 1942 and was the son of Jennie Ridarelli (nee Sapienza) and Adrio "Al" Ridarelli. Both of his parents were of Italian descent. He grew up in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west. As a child, he mimicked the singers he saw on television, and at the age of seven his father took him around the clubs of Philadelphia, asking if he could sing and do some impersonations. 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 won the contest, and the show's presenter,

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, ...

, recruited him into the cast, where he remained for several years. It was here that his name was Anglicised to Bobby Rydell.

Music career

Rydell played in several bands in the Philadelphia area, including Rocco and the Saints, in which he sang and played drums. After releasing three unsuccessful singles for small companies, he signed a recording contract with Cameo Records. This was run by Bernie Lowe, who had been the pianist accompanying him on ''TV Teen Club.'' After a couple of flops, " Kissin' Time" made the charts in 1959. In May 1960, Rydell toured Australia with

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...

Billy "Crash" Craddock Billy Wayne "Crash" Craddock (born June 16, 1939) is an American country and rockabilly singer. He first gained popularity in Australia in the 1950s with a string of rockabilly hits, including the Australian number one hits " Boom Boom Baby" an ...

Marv Johnson Marvin Earl Johnson (October 15, 1938 – May 16, 1993) was an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist. He was influential in the development of the Motown style of music, primarily for the song " Come to Me," which was the first record iss ...

The Champs The Champs are an American rock band, most famous for their Latin-tinged rock and roll instrumental "Tequila". The group took their name from that of Gene Autry's horse, Champion, and was formed by studio executives at Autry's Challenge Recor ...

The Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ...

, and Lonnie Lee. His second success was " We Got Love". The album of the same name, his first, sold a million copies and obtained

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

status. "Wild One" was followed with " Little Bitty Girl" which was his second million-selling single. He continued releasing hit songs with " Swingin' School" backed by "

Ding-A-Ling "Ding-A-Ling" is a song released by Bobby Rydell in 1960. The song spent 11 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 18. Paired with its flip-side, Swingin' School, "Ding-A-Ling" reached No. 1 in Australia and No. 2 on Canada ...

" and "Volare" later in 1960, which also sold over a million copies. It is estimated he sold over 25 million records in total. In 1961, he performed at the Copacabana in New York City, where he was the youngest performer to headline at the nightclub. In February 1961, he appeared at the Festival du Rock at the

Palais des Sports de Paris Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace **Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées **Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River in t ...

in Paris, France. 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. Bobby Rydell Mural

In 1963, Rydell released the song " Wildwood Days," which reached Number 17 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and remained there for nine weeks. A mural on the

Wildwood, New Jersey Wildwood is a city in Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area and is a popular summer resort destination along the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's year-ro ...

, boardwalk, painted in 2014, honors Rydell, whose song placed the community in the national spotlight. That same year, Rydell portrayed Hugo Peabody in the film version of ''

,'' also starring

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in ''Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), ''B ...

and

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and telev ...

. The original stage production of ''Bye Bye Birdie'' had no real speaking role for the character of Hugo, but the movie script was rewritten specifically to expand the part for Rydell. In 2011,

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

digitally restored this film. Rydell and Ann-Margret were in attendance at the restoration premiere in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

by the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

During the 1960s, Rydell had numerous

hit record A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

. His recording career earned him 34 Top 100 hits, placing him in the Top 5 artists of his era (''Billboard''). They included his most popular successes: "Wild One" (his highest scoring single, at number 2), " Volare" (number 4), "Swingin' School" (number 5), "Kissin' Time" (number 11), " Sway" (number 14), " I've Got Bonnie" (number 18), and "

The Cha-Cha-Cha "The Cha-Cha-Cha" is a song released in 1962 by Bobby Rydell. Background The song tells of the singer's desire to have his "baby" dance the Cha-Cha-Cha, while bemoaning the dance trends of the day (directly referencing the Twist, Wah-Watusi, Hul ...

" (number 10). His last major chart success was " Forget Him", which reached number 4 on the Hot 100 in January 1964. The song, written by

Tony Hatch Anthony Peter Hatch (born 30 June 1939) is an English composer for musical theatre and television. He is also a songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer. Early life and early career Hatch was born in Pinner, Middlesex. Encouraged by his mus ...

, was his fifth and final gold disc winner. Rydell left Cameo-Parkway Records later in 1964 and signed with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. By this point, the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on b ...

had arrived and acts such as Rydell suffered a dramatic decline in popularity. Bands such as ''The Beatles'' became more popular, and Rydell unwittingly contributed to his own downfall by inspiring John Lennon and Paul McCartney to write ''"She Loves You",'' a song which catapulted their success way beyond his. During this time, he performed on many television programs, including ''

The Red Skelton Show ''The Red Skelton Show'' is an American television comedy/variety show that aired from 1951 to 1971. In the decade prior to hosting the show, Richard "Red" Skelton had a successful career as a radio and motion pictures star. Although his televis ...

'', where a recurring role was written for him by Red Skelton as Zeke Kadiddlehopper, Clem Kadiddlehopper's younger cousin. He also appeared on ''

The Danny Thomas Show ''The Danny Thomas Show'' (titled ''Make Room for Daddy'' for its first three seasons) is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the show f ...

'',

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

Joey Bishop Joseph Abraham Gottlieb (February 3, 1918 – October 17, 2007), known professionally as Joey Bishop, was an American entertainer who appeared on television as early as 1948 and eventually starred in his own weekly comedy series playing a talk ...

, and ''

The George Burns Show ''The George Burns Show'' is a comedy television program that aired on NBC for one season ( 1958–59). The program was sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive. ''The George Burns Show'' immediately followed the eight-season run of ''The George Burns and ...

''. He was a regular on ''

The Milton Berle Show ''Texaco Star Theater'' was an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Mi ...

'' and was a panelist on '' To Tell the Truth'' in 1964. On October 6, 1964, he made a guest appearance on the episode "Duel" of the television series ''

Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American sol ...

''; it was Rydell's first dramatic acting role. In 1963, Rydell starred in an unsold television pilot called ''

Swingin' Together ''Swingin' Together'' is a 30-minute unsold television pilot co-produced by Desilu Productions and Ludlow Productions. The proposed musical comedy series stars Bobby Rydell as the leader of a rock band called Bobby Day and the Four Knights, who tr ...

'' produced by

Desilu Productions Desilu Productions () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as ''I Love Lucy'', ''The Lucy Show'', ''Mannix'', ''The Untouchabl ...

, which featured him as the frontman for a four-piece rock 'n roll band seeking their big break. Also during this time Rydell served in the

Pennsylvania Army National Guard The Pennsylvania Army National Guard, abbreviated PAARNG, is part of the United States Army National Guard and is based in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Together with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, it is directed by the Pennsylva ...

's 103rd Engineer Battalion. In January 1968, it was announced in the UK music magazine ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' that Rydell had signed a long term recording contract with

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

. He continued to perform in

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s, supper clubs and

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

venues throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but his career was hampered by Cameo-Parkway catalog owner

ABKCO Records ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. (Allen & Betty Klein Company) is a major American independent record label, music publisher, and film and video production company. It owns and/or administers the rights to music by Sam Cooke, the Rolling Stones, the ...

' refusal to reissue Rydell's music, so the entire catalog was unavailable until 2005 (although he re-recorded his hits in 1995 for

K-tel K-tel International Ltd is a Canadian company which formerly specialized in selling consumer products through infomercials and live demonstration. Its products include compilation music albums, including ''The Super Hits'' series, ''The Dynami ...

Records). He would have one more hit after 1965, a

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

re-recording of "Sway" which reached ''Billboard''s

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart in 1976. Rydell continued to tour throughout the remainder of his life, often with Frankie Avalon and Fabian Forte; they performed under the name The Golden Boys. His autobiography was published in 2016.

Personal life

Rydell was married to his first wife, Camille Quattrone Ridarelli, for 35 years from 1968 until her death in 2003; they had two children. He married Linda Hoffman in 2009. Rydell was a longtime resident of

Penn Valley, Pennsylvania Penn Valley is an unincorporated community located within Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn Valley residents share a zip code with Merion, Narberth, or Wynnewood because the town does not have its own post office. However, ...

, and lived in the same house from 1963 to 2013. Rydell served in the U.S. National Guard and began his service in 1964 with two months of basic training at Fort Dix. The street on which he was born in Philadelphia was renamed Bobby Rydell Boulevard, in his honor.

Health and death

Rydell cancelled a 2012 Australia tour because his health had deteriorated significantly and he was in need of urgent major surgery. On July 9, 2012, he underwent a double organ transplant to replace his liver and one kidney at

Thomas Jefferson University Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...

in his hometown of Philadelphia. In January 2013, six months after the double transplant surgery, Rydell returned to the stage in Las Vegas for a three night engagement to a sold-out audience. He continued to perform internationally and returned to tour Australia in 2014. Rydell died from complications of pneumonia at

Jefferson Abington Hospital Jefferson Abington Hospital is the flagship hospital of Jefferson Health–Abington (part of Jefferson Health), located in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia. The hospital was formerly kno ...

on April 5, 2022, at the age of 79.

Media

In the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical drama '' Grease'', its film adaptation, and the film's sequel ''

Grease 2 ''Grease 2'' is a 1982 American musical romantic comedy film and the sequel to the 1978 film ''Grease'', adapted from the 1971 musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Originally titled ''More Grease'', the film was produced ...

'', the high school was named "Rydell High" after Rydell. In 2000, in the book ''

The Beatles Anthology ''The Beatles Anthology'' is a multimedia retrospective project consisting of a television documentary, a three-volume set of double albums, and a book describing the history of the Beatles. Beatles members Paul McCartney, George Harrison and R ...

'' (p. 96),

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

said:

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
ennonand I wrote "
She Loves You "She Loves You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and recorded by English rock band the Beatles for release as a single in 1963. The single set and surpassed several sales records in the United Kingdom charts, and set a record i ...
" together. There was a Bobby Rydell song out at the time and, as often happens, you think of one song when you write another. We'd planned an "answering song" where a couple of us would sing "she loves you" and the other ones would answer "yeah yeah". We decided that was a crummy idea but at least we then had the idea of a song called "She Loves You". So we sat in the hotel bedroom for a few hours and wrote it—John and I, sitting on twin beds with guitars.

No specific song title is given in ''The Beatles Anthology'', but

Bob Spitz Bob Spitz is an American journalist and author best known for biographies of major cultural figures, including '' Reagan: An American Journey'', the ''New York Times'' bestseller '' The Beatles: The Biography'', the ''New York Times'' bestseller '' ...

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). In the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

-winning film '' Green Book'' (2018), Rydell is portrayed in the opening scenes by actor Von Lewis.

Albums discography

Source: *''We Got Love'' (1959) *''Bobby Sings, Bobby Swings'' (1960) *''Bobby's Biggest Hits'' (1961) (U.S. No. 12) *''Bobby Rydell Salutes the Great Ones'' (1961) *''Rydell at the Copa'' (1961) (U.S. No. 56) *''Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker'' (1961) (U.S. No. 7) *''Twistin'' (1962) Venise (also includes tracks by Barry Norman and Stephen Garrick) *''All the Hits'' (1962) (U.S. No. 88) *''Bobby's Biggest Hits Vol. 2'' (1962) (U.S. No. 61) *''All the Hits Vol. 2'' (1962) *''Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) *''Wild (Wood) Days'' (1963) *''Chubby Checker & Bobby Rydell'' (1963) *''Top Hits of 1963'' (1963) (U.S. No. 67) *''Forget Him'' (1964) (U.S. No. 98) *''16 Golden Hits'' (1965) *''Somebody Loves Me'' (1965) *''Born With a Smile'' (1976)(1999) *''Best of Bobby Rydell'' (1976) (AUS No. 87) *''Bobby Rydell at His Best: Today and Yesterday'' (1983) *''Best of Bobby Rydell'' (2000) Prestige *''Now and Then'' (2000) Para Group International *''The Complete Bobby Rydell on Capitol'' (2001) Collectors' Choice *''Cameo Parkway 1959–1964: Best of Bobby Rydell'' (2006) *''Bobby Rydell Salutes the Great Ones/Rydell at the Copa'' (2010) Ace *''Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell'' (2012) Hallmark *''Very Best of Bobby Rydell'' (2012) *''Return of the Original American Idol'' (2014) *''All the Hits'' (2017) Eclipse *''Seven Classics Albums PLus'' (2017) *''All the Hits/Bobby Rydell and Chubby Checker'' (2017) Liberty Bell *''Bobby Rydell Salutes the Great Ones'' (2017) Liberty Bell *''Bobby Sings/We Got Love'' (2017) Liberty Bell *''Wildwood Days'' (2017) Liberty Bell *''Bobby Rydell Sings'' /Strand *''Starring Bobby Rydell'' /Spin-O-Rama

Singles discography

†

Chubby Checker Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American rock and roll singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including The Twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighte ...

and Bobby Rydell * b/w = "backed with"

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1963) * ''

: The Duel'' (1964) * ''

That Lady from Peking ''That Lady from Peking'' is an Australian crime film directed by Eddie Davis and starring Carl Betz, Nancy Kwan and Bobby Rydell. Although shot in 1969 it was not screened commercially until 1975. It was the last of three films Eddie Davis made ...

'' (1975) * '' Mr. Rock 'n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story'' (1999)

References

External links

Official website
* Bobby Rydell at Billboard.combr>History-of-rock.com Cameo Parkway history, pictures, listsBobby Rydell obituary on Best Classic Bands
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rydell, Bobby 1942 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers American impressionists (entertainers) American autobiographers American male film actors American male musicians American male pop singers American male television actors American people of Italian descent American rock singers Cameo Records artists Comedians from Pennsylvania Deaths from pneumonia in Pennsylvania Kidney transplant recipients Musicians from Philadelphia People from Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania Reprise Records artists Singers from Pennsylvania Traditional pop music singers