Bobby Darin is remembered today as one of the most accomplished singers and songwriters in the world of show business.
But Darin, whose birthday was on Tuesday, May 14, lived a successful yet turbulent life. He reached great heights in the recording world thanks to songs like Dream Lover, Splish Splash, Mack the Knife, and Simple Song of Freedom. Darin starred in movies, Las Vegas nightclubs, the famed Copacabana in New York City, and on stages.
Going from a troubled, health-challenged youth to thrilling millions of people, his life paints a picture of success and struggle. Born in the Harlem section of New York City, Darin’s birth name was Walden Robert Cassotto. When he was older, he changed his name to Bobby Darin. Stories have varied around how he came up with the name.
Those don’t matter as much as his incredible career milestones. In celebration of his life and career, let’s look at three signature songs from the Darin songbook.
‘Dream Lover’ Secures His Place In Rock Music
In 1959, Bobby Darin was just coming off his first big hit in Splish Splash. He teamed up with fabled New York City disc jockey Murray “The K” Kaufman. Kaufman tossed a few lyrics Darin’s way and challenged the young singer-songwriter to come up with a tune. Taking the words “Splish Splash, takin’ a bath,” Darin worked up the song’s lyrics…and it was a big hit.
He followed that up with Dream Lover, also in 1959. Darin turned a plight for a lover to share his life with into a hit song. This put him on different television shows like American Bandstand. Dick Clark, the host of the show, had Darin on there to sing Splish Splash. He was such a great guest that Clark often had Darin pop up as a performer or guest host.
Singing Dream Lover on the ABC afternoon music show from Philadelphia kept Darin in the national spotlight. It would get even bigger in the days and months ahead.
Bobby Darin Scores Big With ‘Mack the Knife’
Thanks to his big success with Dream Lover, Bobby Darin earned more creative control over his recording plans. He wanted to make an album, though, with standards. Those songs are known by an earlier generation yet still beloved by many.
His first song? Mack the Knife, which originally showed up as a dirge in Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera. Yet Darin wasn’t the first one to turn the beats up. Louis Armstrong decided to add a jazz beat and recorded his own version.
Darin, though, had his own version. He also added a little jazz feel to it. But Darin had a hands-on delivery with the session musicians. The recording took a few takes. Over the years, a few of the unused cuts have been released. They show a creative process taking place in the studio. Mack the Knife became a major hit song, landing him at the top of the Billboard charts. Darin also picked up Grammy Awards, too.
From this point, Darin found himself also working as an actor in movies. He met Sandra Dee while filming Come September, and they got married in 1960. In 1961, their son Dodd Darin was born. But the marriage was troubled over the years. Bobby and Sandy didn’t always get along, and it affected their lives and careers. In 1967, they got a divorce.
Darin’s music career was going through changes, too. He had a hit in 1963 with You’re the Reason I’m Living. But there were a few years between hits. He’d changed from tuxes and toupees to denim and baldness. Out went the standards, in went folk music. Darin’s next hit cemented his spot in the genre.
Going All Folkie With ‘If I Were a Carpenter’
He took a song written by folk singer Tim Hardin and made it into a smash hit. Hardin wrote If I Were a Carpenter, a bit of a romantic song calling out for love. Darin released his version in 1966, making it all the way to the No. 8 spot on the Billboard charts.
By this time, Darin was performing in denims. His hair pieces, as we mentioned, were all dumped. Bobby also was quite public with his political stances. He supported presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy, going out and cheering up the electorate. Darin, though, was present at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. While there, Kennedy was assassinated.
It deeply affected Darin, sending him out of the public spotlight. He stopped recording, getting rid of his record label and recording rights. But show business lured him back. It’s been told over the years that Darin needed to work so he could get health insurance. His bad heart, something that plagued him since childhood, also sidelined him at times.
One open heart surgery in 1971 had surgeons put two artificial valves in his heart. Darin got back on variety shows in the early 1970s. He popped up on This Is Tom Jones, The Flip Wilson Show, and Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. By 1972, Darin had his own summer variety show, Dean Martin Presents: The Bobby Darin Amusement Company. Filled with comedy skits and music spots, Darin’s show changed in 1973 to The Bobby Darin Show. The music-centric show only lasted 13 episodes, ending in April 1973.
Darin’s health kept getting worse. It eventually led him to get another open heart surgery in December 1973. Hours after the surgery, though, Bobby Darin died in the recovery room. He was 37 years old.
Fans took time on Tuesday to remember him and his work. As a way of honoring him, the YouTube channel dedicated to the Bobby Darin Fan Club released a special recording. It’s the only known recording of Darin’s final performance in Las Vegas in 1973. It wasn’t the final stage appearance by him, though.
But his music and memories linger on, bringing happiness and joy to many people.
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