Bye Bye Bobby
RIP boomer music icon Bobby Rydell, 79. Born Robert Louis Ridarelli in Philly, he won a talent show at age eight on Paul Whiteman’s TV Teen Club and gained a spot in the cast, which he held for several years. The host gave him his stage name after being unable to pronounce Ridarelli. At 15 Rydell was a drummer for a rock n roll combo named “Rocco and His Saints” that featured Frankie Avalon on trumpet. Several of his early singles failed to fly. His first hit came in 1959 when Kissin’ Time rose to #11 on the Billboard chart, and was followed by We Got Love, which climbed to #6. 1960 was a big year, Wild One hit #2, Volare #4 and Swingin’ School #5, and three other tracks entered the top 20. In ’62 The Cha Cha Cha rose to #10 and two other tracks were in the top 20. His last big hit came in ’64, Forget Him rising to #4. He toured throughout his career, often with Avalon and Fabian, until his health failed him. In 2013, six months after double transplant surgery, he returned to the stage in Las Vegas for a three night engagement to a sold out audience. He did a little acting as well. There are 14 titles under his name in that category at IMDb, the most notable, of course, the classic Bye Bye Birdie (1963). In 1964 he put in an appearance on one of my favorites, Combat!, a rare dramatic turn. He has been honored by having the high school in perennial favorite Grease named after him, and also a block in the City of Brotherly Love. Awesome, sir. Thank you. (Facts from Wiki and IMDb)
It’s always fun to see the left skewered by one of its own. Headline from foxnews.com: “LGBTQ reporter says MSNBC ‘misgendered me,’ refuses to fix it.” The noiv!
I gave the book shop a shot after a long rain delay, displaying only 25% of the wares, staying only an hour-and-a-half. No luck. Hope the forecast for tomorrow is wrong.
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