Sadly, Bobby Rydell's recording career took a steep nosedive beginning with the single release of "Make Me Forget" which Bobby sings in this Bandstand clip. "Make Me Forget" only reached #43 on the national singles chart and Bobby never had a top 40 hit again. In as little as a year after this Bandstand clip Bobby was not even heard on the radio anymore. What happened? Does anyone know?
The Beatles happened. They were the leaders of the British Invasion which overran most of the American music scene. Bobby was just one of the many victims. I saw him, Frankie Avalon, and Fabian at a show in Lancaster, PA a couple of years ago. They bill themselves as the "Golden Boys of Rock and Roll." They put on a great show. Rydell has had some serious health issues over the past few years. I believe he has had a liver and kidney transplant, no doubt caused by his alcoholism.
As noted above, on this day in 1964 {April 4th} Bobby Rydell performed "Make Me Forget" on the Dick Clark ABC-TV Saturday-afternoon program, 'American Bandstand'... At the time the song was at #67 on Billboard's Top 100 chart, three weeks later it would peak at #43 {for 1 week} and it spent six weeks on the Top 100... The record that preceded "Make Me Forget" on the Top 100 also had 'Forget' in the title; that record was "Forget Him", which reached #4 on the Top 100... Between 1959 and 1965 the Philadelphia native had twenty-eight songs on the Top 100 chart; six made the Top 10 with "Wild One" being his biggest hit, it peaked at #2* {for 1 week} on March 28th, 1960... He just missed having two more Top 10 records when "Kissin' Time" {1959} and "Good Time Baby" {1961} peaked at #11 on the Top 100... Mr. Rydell, born Robert Louis Ridarelli, will celebrate his 76th birthday later this month on April 26th {2018}... * The week "Wild One" was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "The Theme from 'A Summer Place'" by Percy Faith and his Orchestra, "Summer Place" was in it's sixth of nine weeks at #1...
First of all, I wanted to thank you for this extremely rare goody. As a huge fan of Bobby, it is such a treat. :) I was wondering though if you were planning to reupload it without the gray bar, the way you reuploaded some of your other videos. I know personally, I would very much appreciate seeing it without the bar. Thank you again!
Oh cool! That would be lovely. I really appreciate you willing to do that. And just out of curiosity, is this Bandstand clip, and your other Beech-Nut clips you have posted with Bobby Rydell, the only clips you have with him in them? I'm always on the lookout for rare Bobby performances that I've never seen, and I was just wondering if I can look forward to seeing anymore great Bobby stuff that you might be posting in the future. Either way I'm grateful that you at least shared THESE. Thank you.
JUST READ THE BOOK BOBBY RYDELL TEEN IDOL ON THE ROCKS A GREAT BOOK. I NEVER MET BOBBY PERSONALLY BUT SEEN HIM AT NEUMANN HIGH SCHOOL ALOT. WE HAD THE SAME COURSE A CLASS APART. THANK GOD HE IS DOING WELL.
