Jazz Guitar Life Network
Bobby Darin: Legend
Bobby Darin. He swaggered, snapped his fingers and shrugged his shoulders to jazz, blues, gospel, pop, folk, rhythm & blues and Country Western. He was the first great cross-over artist before the term was even phrased. He had a sleepy-eyed charisma that kept his audience spellbound. He possessed a natural sense of rhythm and vocal timing that was unmatched among male vocalists. He did incredible impersonations, could dance with the best of them, and played any instrument he picked up like it was a natural extension of his very self. He possessed an incredibly high IQ and razor sharp wit. He is a member of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Las Vegas Walk of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; a Grammy Award winner, Golden Globe winner, Cannes Film Festival winner and was nominated for an Academy Award. When he died at only 37 years old in 1973, he was the highest paid performer in the history of Las Vegas.
For those unfamiliar with Darin as primarily a jazz singer, just listen to his covers of "Cry Me A River," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," or "The Work Song." His slurring of lyrics, singing behind the beat, placing rhythmic emphasis on certain notes to add excitement to the lyric are superb. If Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra can be classified as jazz singers, Darin and his soulfulness definitely belong at the top of the class. Check out his live versions of these and other jazz standards on youtube.com and be amazed. If Darin had a fault, it was his being so talented that he covered all genres of music and excelled at them all. Thus, people forget what a natural he was at singing jazz because he jumped in and out of musical genres so often and easily.
In a conversation Frank Sinatra had with his and Darin's mutual friend, actor Richard Bakalyan, Sinatra stated: "the truth is, nobody is as good as Bobby when he performs live." Sammy Davis, Jr. commented: "Darin is the only performer I would never follow on stage." From Henry Mancini to Rod Stewart; from Johnny Mercer to George Burns; from Dean Martin to Brian Setzer, and from Neil Young to Peggy Lee, the entertainment world knew Darin was a gargantuan talent. He had a cool style that was all his own, with tons of class, sophistication and panache.
He ingratiated himself to his audience like no other cabaret singer before or since, and everything he sang sounded like musically spun gold. Nobody could put across a song with more soul, more emotion than Darin. His birth-name was Cassotto. He had rheumatic fever as a child, and it destroyed his heart. He was not supposed to survive past twenty years old. Even Sinatra was in awe. Bobby made it to thirty-seven. No funeral, he left his body to UCLA Medical Center. "Beyond the Sea," If I Were A Carpenter," "Mack the Knife" and so many of his other tunes have become part of Americana. If he had lived a normal life span, he would have left his competition in the dust. Bobby Darin, Legend: 1936-1973.
For those unfamiliar with Darin as primarily a jazz singer, just listen to his covers of "Cry Me A River," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," or "The Work Song." His slurring of lyrics, singing behind the beat, placing rhythmic emphasis on certain notes to add excitement to the lyric are superb. If Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra can be classified as jazz singers, Darin and his soulfulness definitely belong at the top of the class. Check out his live versions of these and other jazz standards on youtube.com and be amazed. If Darin had a fault, it was his being so talented that he covered all genres of music and excelled at them all. Thus, people forget what a natural he was at singing jazz because he jumped in and out of musical genres so often and easily.
In a conversation Frank Sinatra had with his and Darin's mutual friend, actor Richard Bakalyan, Sinatra stated: "the truth is, nobody is as good as Bobby when he performs live." Sammy Davis, Jr. commented: "Darin is the only performer I would never follow on stage." From Henry Mancini to Rod Stewart; from Johnny Mercer to George Burns; from Dean Martin to Brian Setzer, and from Neil Young to Peggy Lee, the entertainment world knew Darin was a gargantuan talent. He had a cool style that was all his own, with tons of class, sophistication and panache.
He ingratiated himself to his audience like no other cabaret singer before or since, and everything he sang sounded like musically spun gold. Nobody could put across a song with more soul, more emotion than Darin. His birth-name was Cassotto. He had rheumatic fever as a child, and it destroyed his heart. He was not supposed to survive past twenty years old. Even Sinatra was in awe. Bobby made it to thirty-seven. No funeral, he left his body to UCLA Medical Center. "Beyond the Sea," If I Were A Carpenter," "Mack the Knife" and so many of his other tunes have become part of Americana. If he had lived a normal life span, he would have left his competition in the dust. Bobby Darin, Legend: 1936-1973.
Tags: Bennett, Bobby, Cabaret, Darin, Frank, Jazz, Sinatra, Tony, of, singer
Add a Comment
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Comment by Chris Rosato on November 10, 2009 at 6:11pm - Thanks, Robert. Nice of you to be so complimentary. I really liked Darin and feel he should be remembered as a fine artist.
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Comment by Robert Howard on November 9, 2009 at 9:28am - Great post. I really enjoyed Kevin Spacey as Darin in the movie that came out some time ago.
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