Italian American Heritage Month: Bobby Darin

Bobby Darin’s voracious desire for show business fame was fueled by a sense that the sword of Damocles was always hanging over him. Darin was born Walden Robert Cassotto on May 14th, 1936 in the Bronx to a family of very modest means.

At an early age Darin developed rheumatic fever which damaged the valves of his heart. He was a frail and sickly boy, and normal stickball in the streets or roughhousing with other kids his age was just not possible for him. He was however a very bright and gifted boy and his “mother” Polly realized this early on. Polly was a Vaudeville performer in her youth and she encouraged Bobby to explore music and to read constantly.

Music played a big part in the Cassotto household in Bobby’s youth. By the time he was in his early teens he could play the piano and drums. With Polly’s love and encouragement and with a deep desire to make Polly proud, Bobby began to plan and work towards his dreams.

Bobby attended the prestigious Bronx High School of Science which only very gifted students could attend. After graduation he attended Hunter College but dropped out after one semester. He concluded that college was not the path for him and he would “fight the fight in the streets to achieve his show business dreams.” He began to write songs and sing demos and hung around the famous Brill Building, which was the epicenter of music and creativity in New York City at that time.

The musical gods shined on Darin as a recording session on April 10, 1958 produced a song that would go to number 3 on the charts. ”Splish Splash” was written by Darin in 15 minutes after a half-joking dare from disc jockey Murray the K Kaufman’s mother. Other hits soon followed such as “Queen of the Hop,” and the beautiful Latin-flavored tune he wrote “Dream Lover,” which sold over a million copies and went to number 2 on the charts. With regular appearances on the Dick Clark and Ed Sullivan Shows and regular touring gigs, Darin began to fulfill the dream he and Polly had mapped out.

The 1959 album “That’ s All” launched Bobby Darin into another level of artistry, global fame and critical acclaim. “Mack the Knife” reached number one and stayed there for 10 weeks and sold over two million copies. “Beyond the Sea” reached number 6 and may be the most well known Darin song ever due to its constant usage in movies, ads, documentaries and TV shows. Darin won a 1959 Record of the Year Grammy Award for “Mack the Knife” and a Grammy for best new artist.

The early 60’s saw Darin perform to sellout crowds at the most prestigious nightclubs in the country, from the Copa in New York to the Flamingo in Las Vegas. He also began to do movies. He met his future wife Sandra Dee on the film “Come September” filmed in Italy in 1960. A seven-picture deal with Paramount showcased what a fine actor he was. His gritty performance with Sidney Poitier in the film “ Pressure Point" brought critical acclaim. His role in the 1963 film “ Captain Newman M.D.” with Gregory Peck garnered him a best supporting Oscar nomination.

In 1968 Bobby had become close with Senator Robert F. Kennedy and he campaigned for him actively. He was with the Senator the day before he was killed in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968. This stunned Bobby to the core but an even more painful chapter was about to be revealed. RFK had spoken at length with Darin about his running for political office. Darin was serious about it and when his sister Nina and “father” Charlie heard about it they had to unearth a very dark secret. Nina and Charlie feared that if Darin got into politics the press would uncover a hidden bombshell. His beloved Polly, whom he so revered, was not his biological mother but actually his grandmother. Nina, who he had known as his sister his entire life, was actually his biological mother.

This revelation emotionally scarred Darin for the rest of his life. He was angry with Nina and he felt that his whole life had been a lie. In the wake of a totally changed musical landscape, the death of RFK, and the revelation about his family, Bobby Darin sold all his possessions and moved into a trailer in Big Sur in northern California to reevaluate his life. He read voraciously, spent time with his son, and debated politics with friends who lived on the property with him.

Gone were the super polished Vegas act and the hipster swagger of a consummate showman. What replaced it was a man who was writing and singing about the issues the country was facing and what he personally was facing; turmoil. He told Dick Clark at the time that he was “lost” and that back in the day he “chose plastic when he should have chosen ethnic.”

By 1971 Darin was facing serious health problems. Throughout the 60’s he would battle heart arrhythmias and extreme fatigue. In February 1971 he underwent open-heart surgery to put in a pacemaker. The surgery was a success and he began to reemerge into the show business world again. In addition to Vegas gigs, he appeared as a guest on many TV shows of the era including the Flip Wilson Show, The Dean Martin Show and Sonny and Cher.

Darin was determined to not to be an old rocker or Vegas hipster simply to be trotted out for retirement conventions. In 1972 he got his own weekly variety show on NBC, which ran through 1973. He also had a regular gig at the prestige venue of the time, The Las Vegas Hilton which was home to Elvis and Barbra Streisand. Things were on the upswing for Bobby Darin after the tumultuous and deeply troubling times of 1967-68.

In early 1973 Darin was again having severe heart arrhythmias and exhaustion. The finest Doctors of the day could not find the cause. After wrapping his NBC TV show in May 1973 and then closing for the final time at the Las Vegas Hilton in August 1973, Bobby Darin went to LA to rest and try and get better. On December 20th, 1973 he underwent exploratory open-heart surgery. The Doctors found a massive infection in his heart and he died hours after the surgery. He left his body to medical research in the hope he could help other people. He was 37 years old.

Darin was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1999, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. His life was portrayed in the 2004 feature film “Beyond the Sea” for Lions Gate entertainment. The 1998 PBS documentary “Beyond the Song” told his story in a poignant way with interviews from his peers, friends and family woven with footage of him performing. There have been five books written about his life. Because

In 2018 “Dream Lover” The Bobby Darin musical broke box office records in Melbourne, Australia and won a Helpmann award, the equivalent to a Tony Award in the US. Now, the new Bobby Darin musical "Just In Time" is a big hit on Broadway.