Brian Setzer: As Long As I'm Singing

This song originally written by Bobby Darin lasted a whole 90 seconds and was so good that I would play two or three times because it was just to darn short!  Brian Setzer channels Darin, and plays a freaking smoking guitar on this.  Then at the end they jump into Tequila, not literally of course:-)

Bobby Darin And Stevie Wonder

Not a great quality clip, but interesting nonetheless. Stevie Wonder joins Bobby Darin on stage during one of his TV Shows. I think judging from Bobby's haircut that this probably is around 1968 or so. Bobby went through a period where he gave up the hair piece, and grew a beard and went folkie. It didn't go over well with his fans and he was booed off the stage of the Copacabana in New York. After that he finally returned to the hair piece, and tux, and now you know the rest of the story:-)

BOBBY DARIN & STEVIE WONDER
Uploaded by super8monsters

Bobby Darin: You Are My Sunshine, Mojo, Splish Splash

I had this posted somewhere in the archive. This is a great clip so I figure if I have it posted twice why not! This has Bobby Darin getting down on piano, and is one of his last performances. Bobby Darin had contacted Rheumatic fever when he was a kid and wasn't expected to live past his teens, but he surprised everyone and thrived. Modern medicine did catch up to him and he did have heart value surgery that did help him. However, he contacted blood poisoning after visiting a dentist. (Today people in his condition take antibiotics when they get dental work) Darin was a performer who believed the show must go on, and instead of getting help for his blood poisoning he played out a string of performances that he had already booked. By the time he finally made it to the doctor it was too late and his heart finally gave out on him at the age of 37. The main reason I am writing this is that unfortunately there some recent misinformation about the death of Bobby Darin. An author (no name no links, he doesn't deserve it) wrote that Darin died of Cocaine Abuse. It just isn't true. Given the poor shape his heart was in Cocaine would have killed him. It is too bad that people don't do the simple research, and just write dumb rumors.

On a positive note, Bobby Darin got a big vote of approval from my elementary art students today!:-) I played a cd of Bobby Darin's music and they loved it! Even the high school kids tolerated it:-)

Bobby Darin: Rock Island Line

This is a interesting video of Bobby Darin's first TV appearance. Bobby explains during the clip how he had to write the lyrics on his hands since he couldn't see the cue cards:-) Pretty cool!

BobbyDarinRockislandline
Uploaded by audreywop

Bobby Darin: Multiplication

Kinda of a typical 50s movie song. Most of the time they were pretty forgetful.

Bobby Darin
Uploaded by Gladewater55

Bobby Darrin: Mack The Knife

This is a cool song that has been covered badly by so many people over the years. The reason Bobby's version is the best is all in the arrangement. This is a classic Bobby Darrin arrangement. Start small with a few instruments, and build it up until everyone is going to town. This is from the 70s, so enjoy the strange fashion and backdrops:-)

Bobby Darin - Mack the Knife
Uploaded by joss51100

Artist Of The Week: Bobby Darin

Artist of the week is the great performer Bobby Darin. Yup, I know he is not a bluesman, but sometimes I feel like putting someone up here who really inspires me. Bobby played all types of music from Rock and Roll, Swing, Blues, Spirituals, and Soul music. I can remember as a kid watching his TV show and enjoying all of the different music that he and his guests performed. I do believe the reason I played blues is because my parents listened to music from the 40s and 50s, and all different styles of popular music. In fact, it wasn't until I was around 10 or so that I bought my first rock album, (one of those K-TEL top hits LPS) so for my formative years I was listening to some really great music. Bobby Darin was certainly one of those artists. From Mack Then Knife, to Beyond The Sea, I truly enjoyed his songs. To hear some of his great music check out the Video bar powered by Youtube on the right side of the blog.

Bobby Darin: Beyond The Sea

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I found the ultra cool, hilarious not safe for tv in 1973 video of Bobby Darin singing Beyond The Sea! I have been looking for this since, well you know what happened. If you missed this clip before it was deleted. Then check it out now! This is the last episode of Bobby Darin's TV show. So he put on a heck of show, typical Bobby Darin to give it all even when he was dying. Darin was a tough guy no doubt about it!

Bobby Darin - Beyond The Sea
Uploaded by catrin345

Kevin Spacey: Beyond The Sea

Kevin Spacey from the movie Beyond The Sea. Okay, not really a blues song, but Darin was ultra cool, and certainly did blues. However, as good as Spacey sings Bobby's songs, I still think that he looks more like Carl Maldin than Bobby Darin. The only part where he really looks like Bobby is towards the end when he is dancing by himself in the dark, and for a second it looks like Darin, but for the most part I think it is Carl Maldin.

Bobby Darin: Lonsome Whistle

This is an old Hank Williams song. It is country, but a blues influenced country song. Hank followed a long line of country artists influenced by the "Singing Brakeman" Jimmie Rogers who basically took blues songs and added a yodel brake to them, and created country music. Also note in the beginning of the song Bobby is shaking his hand. This was due to his heart condition which was causing his hand to go numb. What people don't realize about Bobby Darin is that the saying "the show must go on" was something he took way to literally true. He performed 10 shows before his death while suffering from blood poisoning. Now I don't know if Bobby would still be alive today had he took care of it right away, but what I do know is that for him the fans came before his health. I also know that Darin did not die from snorting Cocaine which a new book(that I wont mention either the title or the author) recently put. I just wish that people in the media would quit being lazy and do a little research. It would have taken a couple seconds of a google search to find out how Bobby died. Lazy, lazy, lazy.

Bobby Darin: Simple Song Of Freedom

I had this video posted on my old blog. It has a gospel feel to it, and it truer today then it was 40 years ago.

Bobby Darin: Mojo

I think there was some sort of a remake of Muddy's classic Mojo, sometime in the 60s with different words, or perhaps Bobby was just ad libbing it, but what amazes me is how good he plays the harp, and the marimba. He certainly was an amazing performer.

Simple Song Of Freedom

Okay, not blues, a little gospel, especially towards the end. I know right wingers hate this song, but you know what WHO CARES. This song is just as good today as it was in the late 60s. In fact, everyday I swear George Bush sounds more and more like LBJ. I wonder if he is channelling Johnson, because it is the same sorry argument just 40 years later. If we don't kill them in Indo-China then they will be coming down main street. Just watch those dominos drop.