Bobby Rydell
Teen idol
BORN 1942
Raised in south Philadelphia, Robert Ridarelli got his stage name when he appeared on the TV show of bandleader Paul Whiteman as a kid. After playing drums in local band Rocco And His Saints, Rydell went solo as a singer in 1958. His chart success as a heart-throb, able to straddle rock’n’roll and crooning, spanned 1959’s Kissin’ Time to 1963’s Forget Him, a streak including 14 US Top 20 singles, as well as 1960’s Number 2 (and UK Number 7) Wild One. He also acted in films including Bye Bye Birdie and appeared on TV shows with Milton Berle, Jack Benny, George Burns and others. Eclipsed by the British Invasion – Paul McCartney later said She Loves You was inspired by listening to Rydell – he carried on singing in cabaret in Vegas, beat alcoholism and, from the early ’80s to 2021, sang with fellow south Philly natives Frankie Avalon and Fabian in The Golden Boys. He expressed amazement and delight that in the Broadway musical Grease and its 1978 movie adaptation, Rydell High School was named in his honour.
Ian Harrison