Bobby Rydell

2022 - 4 - 5

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Deadline"

Bobby Rydell Dies: 'Wild One' Teen Idol, 'Bye Bye Birdie' Actor Was 79 (Deadline)

Bobby Rydell, the Philly-born teen idol of the early 1960s whose hits included "Volare" and “Wild One” and who took part in a scene-stealing dance number ...

In addition to his song duets with Ann-Margret, the two lead one of the film’s most memorable dance scenes, the musical number “A Lot of Livin’ To Do.” Despite serious health issues in later years, he performed occasionally in Las Vegas, Australia and elsewhere, and his official website lists upcoming summer concert appearances in, among other places, Atlantic City. Later that year came “Volare,” which went to #4 on U.S. charts.

Bobby Rydell, 1960s Pop Idol and Star of 'Bye Bye Birdie,' Dies at 79 (Variety)

Bobby Rydell, a teen idol who had hits including 'Wild One' and 'Volare,' and starred alongside Ann-Margret in 'Bye Bye Birdie,' has died.

And I’m not a movie star by any stretch of the imagination, but if I had to be in one picture, it’s a classic, such as ‘Grease.’ And I’m really happy to be involved with something that was that wonderful.” A new liver and a new kidney, because of all of the drinking. After having tried his luck with a handful of unsuccessful singles for small, independent labels, Rydell signed with Philadelphia’s Cameo Records (eventually Cameo/Parkway) and hit the charts with “Kissin’ Time” in 1959. “And I said to Frankie — and I called him Cheech, because in Italian, Frank is Cheech — I said, ‘Cheech, this is great, but how long is this going to last? The singer had 34 singles chart on the Billboard Hot 100, the most well-remembered of which include “Wild One,” which reached No. 2, and “Volare,” a No. 4 hit. In a 2020 interview, Rydell talked about the endurance of the trio as a touring act. “Now we do a show, I’m sure you’re aware of it, called ‘The Golden Boys,’ and we started that show in 1985, and it was a tremendous success,” he said. “It was so nice to know that the high school [in ‘Grease’] was named after me,” he said. He told the best stories, did the best impersonations and was the nicest guy.” “Out of all the kids” from that era, Blavat said, “he had the best pipes and was the greatest entertainer. An actor also portrayed him in a performance scene in the film “Green Book.” A mural of Rydell adorns the Wildwood, NJ boardwalk.

Bobby Rydell, Philly teen idol known for 'Wild One' and 'Volare' dies ... (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Mr. Rydell's name was so associated with the pre-British Invasion period of vintage rock and roll that the school in the 1971 musical and 1978 film Grease ...

Still, Mr. Rydell, whose face adorns murals in South Philadelphia and Wildwood, kept performing, mostly with Forte and Avalon. With the Golden Boys and as a solo performer, Mr. Rydell averaged about three dozen shows a year leading up to the start of the pandemic. “I had no right to feel sorry for myself,” he wrote in Teen Idol. “I knew damn well how I had gotten where I was. “He was just a Philadelphia guy who never forgot where he came from. When Mr. Rydell’s career took off in 1961, his father resigned from his job as a foreman for the Electro-Nite Carbon Company to become his road manager. “It’s the National Anthem of the Jersey Shore,” he said. Of all the teen idol singers, “he had the best pipes,” Blavat said Tuesday. “He could do Sinatra, he could do anything. Novey first met Mr. Rydell and Hoffman on a Malt Shop Memories Cruise where he was performing “and he just sat and talked and took pictures with everybody,” Novey said. It was “Wildwood Days,” the ode to the beach town where, when he was growing up in a row house on 11th Street in South Philly, he could escape to. His first was “Kissin’ Time,” followed by “We Got Love,” was his first million seller, and “Little Bitty Girl” his second. Blavat said the cause of death was pneumonia, and that Mr. Rydell’s wife Linda Hoffman was by his side at Jefferson Hospital. On Twitter, singer Tommy James called Mr. Rydell “a good friend and one of my idols. His hits were many, starting when he signed with Philly’s Cameo Records (which would later become Cameo Parkway) in 1959.

Bobby Rydell, teen idol and 'Volare' singer, dead at 79 (New York Post)

Bobby Rydell, the 1960s teen heartthrob who appeared in the 1963 musical comedy "Bye Bye Birdie," has died. He was 79.

I wasn’t a soft-shoe type of guy, but I was always a fairly good mover, and everything in ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ is all moves,” he said in a 2020 interview. But I’ve survived through all of that, and I’m continuing to do what I really enjoy doing.” “It’s been my life since like 7 years old,” said Rydell, who was a frequent guest on variety shows hosted by the likes of Red Skelton, George Burns, Jack Benny and Danny Thomas. “I can’t complain at all about my career. I wanna be that drummer,” Rydell said he told his father. Ukee Washington of CBS3 in Philly shared the news with social media on Tuesday. “A Philly Music Legend … has passed on. “That’s what you had to do to make it.

Singing Heartthrob Bobby Rydell Dead at 79 (TMZ)

Music legend Bobby Rydell, one of the first teen idols back in the 1960s, is dead. Bobby, whose famous songs include "Volare" and "Wild One," died Tuesday.

Bobby was a central part of the Philadelphia dynasty in music ... so big, streets were named after him. We're told it was not COVID-related. Singing Heartthrob Bobby Rydell Dead at 79 There's even a nod to Bobby in the Broadway and film version of "Grease" ... the high school, "Rydell High," was named after him. Singing Heartthrob Bobby Rydell Dead at 79 Bobby sold over 25 million records ... and his other hits include "Kissin' Time, "Sway," "I've Got Bonnie," "The Cha-Cha-Cha" and "Forget Him."

Bobby Rydell, singer and Philadelphia native known for 'Wildwood ... (WPVI-TV)

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Singer and Philadelphia native Bobby Rydell died from non-Covid-19 related pneumonia complications on Tuesday at Jefferson Hospital, ...

"I had the pleasure of meeting Bobby Rydell a number of times. "I had the pleasure of meeting Bobby Rydell a number of times. A consummate entertainer and more importantly, a real gentleman. A consummate entertainer and more importantly, a real gentleman. Producers of the 70s romantic comedy 'Grease' named the high school after Rydell to pay tribute to the era in which the popular musical was set. Producers of the 70s romantic comedy 'Grease' named the high school after Rydell to pay tribute to the era in which the popular musical was set.

Philadelphia Legend Bobby Rydell, 'Wildwood Days' Singer, Dies (CBS Philly)

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia and music legend Bobby Rydell has died. The former teen idol is probably best-known in the area for the song “Wildwood ...

The former teen idol is probably best-known in the area for the song “Wildwood Days,” but he had so many hits — “Volare,” “Wild One” and so many others.READ MORE: There are streets in Philadelphia and Wildwood named for Rydell.MORE NEWS: PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia and music legend Bobby Rydell has died.