Bobby Rydell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bobby Rydell
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Publicity photo, 1960
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| Born |
Robert Louis Ridarelli
April 26, 1942 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Died | April 5, 2022 (aged 79) |
| Occupation | Singer, actor |
| Years active | 1950–2022 |
| Spouse(s) |
Camille Quattrone
(m. 1968; died 2003)Linda Hoffman
(m. 2009) |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Rock and roll, traditional pop |
| Instruments | Vocals, drums |
| Labels | Cameo-Parkway, Capitol Records, Reprise Records, (U.S.) Columbia (U.K.) |
Robert Louis Ridarelli (born April 26, 1942 – died April 5, 2022), known as Bobby Rydell, was an American singer and actor. He was famous for his rock and roll and traditional pop music. In the early 1960s, he was a big star, especially with teenagers. People called him a teen idol.
Some of his most popular songs were "Wild One" and "Volare". In 1963, he acted in the movie Bye Bye Birdie. Later in his career, he toured with other former teen idols, Frankie Avalon and Fabian Forte. They called their group The Golden Boys. Bobby Rydell continued to perform until he passed away.
Career
Bobby Rydell was born in April 1942 in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Jennie and Adrio Ridarelli.
His professional career began early, in 1950. He won a talent show and joined the TV show Paul Whiteman's TV Teen Club. He stayed on the show for several years.
Later, he changed his name to Bobby Rydell. He played in different bands around Philadelphia. After releasing a few songs that weren't very successful, he signed with Cameo Records. His song "Kissin' Time" became a hit in 1959.
His next big success was "We Got Love". This song sold over a million copies. Then came "Wild One" and "Little Bitty Girl", which also sold a million copies. He kept releasing popular songs like "Swingin' School" and "Ding-A-Ling". His song Volare also sold over a million copies that year.
In 1961, Bobby Rydell performed at the Copacabana in New York City. He was the youngest performer to be the main act there. He also performed in Paris, France, at the Festival du Rock.
In 1963, Bobby Rydell released the song "Wildwood Days". It became very popular and stayed on the music charts for nine weeks. There is a mural in Wildwood, New Jersey that honors him and this song.
That same year, he played Hugo Peabody in the movie Bye Bye Birdie. He starred alongside Ann-Margret and Dick Van Dyke. The movie script was changed to give Bobby Rydell a bigger role. In 2011, the movie was restored, and Bobby Rydell attended the special premiere.
During the 1960s, Bobby Rydell had many hit songs. He had 34 songs that made it into the Top 100 charts. His most famous hits included "Wild One" (which reached number 2), "Volare" (number 4), "Swingin' School" (number 5), and "The Cha-Cha-Cha" (number 10). His last big hit was "Forget Him" in 1964.
After 1964, Bobby Rydell signed with Capitol Records. Around this time, the British Invasion happened, and new bands like The Beatles became very popular. This caused Bobby Rydell's popularity to decline.
He appeared on many TV shows during this time. These included The Red Skelton Show, The Danny Thomas Show, and The Milton Berle Show. In 1964, he had his first serious acting role in the TV series Combat!.
Bobby Rydell continued to perform in clubs and Las Vegas throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He often toured with Frankie Avalon and Fabian Forte as The Golden Boys. He also wrote his autobiography, which was published in 2016.
Personal life
Bobby Rydell was married to Camille Quattrone Ridarelli for 35 years. They had two children together. Camille passed away in 2003. In 2009, he married Linda Hoffman. Bobby Rydell lived in the same house in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania for 50 years.
Health and death
In 2012, Bobby Rydell had to cancel a tour because he needed major surgery. On July 9, 2012, he had a double organ transplant in Philadelphia. Doctors replaced his liver and one kidney. Just six months later, in January 2013, he returned to the stage in Las Vegas. He continued to perform around the world, including another tour in Australia in 2014.
Bobby Rydell passed away on April 5, 2022, at the age of 79. He died from problems caused by pneumonia.
Media
The high school in the musical Grease and its movie versions is named "Rydell High". It was named after Bobby Rydell.
In a book called The Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney talked about writing the song "She Loves You". He said that he and John Lennon were inspired by a Bobby Rydell song. They thought of an "answering song" style, which helped them create "She Loves You". Some people believe the song that inspired them was "Swingin' School".
In the movie Green Book (2018), an actor named Von Lewis plays Bobby Rydell in the first scenes.
Selected filmography
- Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
- Combat!: The Duel (1964)
- That Lady from Peking (1975)
- Mr. Rock 'n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story (1999)
Images for kids
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Publicity photo, 1960
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Rydell in 1998
See also
In Spanish: Bobby Rydell para niños
