Full sail with ‘Bobby Darin: Directions — A Listener’s Guide’ word slinger Shane Brown
Bobby Darin’s rapport with Elvis Presley, supposed Frank Sinatra feud, sudden burst of protest songwriting inspired by the assassination of Robert Kennedy, Motown misfires, the mess that is the current state of the entertainer’s legacy, and tons more are dissected in a riveting conversation with British researcher Shane Brown, who holds a PhD in Film, Television, and Media.
“Splish Splash,” “Queen of the Hop,” “Dream Lover,” “Beyond the Sea,” “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” “Things,” “You’re the Reason I’m Living,” “18 Yellow Roses,” and “If I Were a Carpenter” were all Top Ten hits for the driven East Harlem native and ran the gamut from rock ’n’ roll, pop, country and western, folk, big band, and jazz.
Obviously multifaceted and adept at arranging, production, and guitar-piano-harmonica, Darin won the 1959 Record of the Year Grammy for “Mack the Knife” and would have continued conquering the stage, studio, and even screen [nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar as a World War II corporal unable to move past a harrowing plane crash aided by Gregory Peck’s Captain Newman, M.D.], if open heart surgery to replace two faulty heart valves had not ended the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s life way too soon at age 37.
