Bobby Rydell, the Philadelphia-born early 1960s teen idol whose hits included “Volare” and “Wild One” and who participated in a scene-stealing dance number in the 1963 film “Bye Bye Birdie” with Ann-Margret, died today. He was 79.
His death was reported by Philadelphia’s CBS affiliate. Further details were not immediately available.
So ingrained in the early ’60s pop milieu that the musical Grease named its Rydell High School after him, Bobby Rydell recorded a few local hits before landing his first top 20 with 1959’s “Kissin’ Time.” This song earned him a spot on an Australian concert tour with The Everly Brothers, The Crickets and others.
His next hit was even bigger: “We Got Love” went gold, followed by “Wild One,” a million-selling 1960s hit that remains a staple of golden oldies radio. Later that year came “Volare” which peaked at #4 on the US charts.
Bobby Rydell, Ann-Margret, “Bye Bye Birdie” (1963) Everett Collection
His success continued with his casting in the film version of the Broadway hit Bye Bye Birdie, expanding his character Hugo from the Broadway production to capitalize on Rydell’s popularity. Alongside his song duets with Ann-Margret, the two lead one of the film’s most memorable dance scenes, the musical number “A Lot of Livin’ To Do.”
In a 2020 interview, Rydell recalled the scene. “I was never a dancer. And by that I mean I never hung up. I wasn’t the soft shoe type, but I’ve always been a pretty good mover, and Bye Bye Birdie is all about moves. The shoulders, the legs… It took two weeks to rehearse and another two weeks to shoot. It was a very, very intense number with all these different camera angles and close-ups.”
Rydell continued to perform in nightclubs and casinos throughout the 1980s, and subsequently took part in oldies revue shows alongside Frankie Avalon, Fabian and others. Despite serious health problems in later years, he performed occasionally in Las Vegas, Australia and elsewhere, and his official website lists upcoming summer concert appearances in Atlantic City, among other places.
Alongside the Grease name check, Rydell’s legacy lives on in his hometown, where at least two streets bear his name, and in the 2018 Academy Award-winning film Green Book, in which he was portrayed by actor Von Lewis.
His influence can also be heard in one of the most enduring and popular songs of the 1960s: The Beatles’ “She Loves You”. Paul McCartney has said that he and John Lennon were inspired to write the instantly famous “Yeah Yeah Yeah” lyrics after hearing a similar call-and-response approach in a popular Rydell song, most likely in the 1960s -Hit “Swingin’ School”. what Rydell sings: “Yeah yeah yeah I go a swingin’ school.”