Bobby Vinton
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Bobby Vinton | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Stanley Robert Vinton |
Born | Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. | April 16, 1935
Genres | Pop, lounge |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 1958–2015 |
Labels |
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Website | bobbyvinton |
Stanley Robert Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is an American singer, celebrity, and actor, who hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid tribute to his Polish heritage. One of his most popular songs is "Blue Velvet" (a cover of the 1951 song recorded by Tony Bennett) which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, No. 1 in Canada (5 weeks), and number 2 in the UK in 1990.
Early life
Vinton was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, the only child of locally popular bandleader Stan Vinton and Dorothy Studzinski Vinton.[1] He is of Polish and Lithuanian descent. The family surname was originally Vintula, and was changed by Vinton's father.[2] Vinton's parents encouraged their son's interest in music by giving him his daily 25-cent allowance after he had practiced the clarinet.[3]
At 16, Vinton formed his first
Vinton's birthplace of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, is also the birthplace of Perry Como,[6][7] Vinton's hometown named two streets, Bobby Vinton Boulevard and the shorter adjoining Bobby Vinton Drive, in his honor. These streets were built in the late 1970s; prior attempts to name a residential street after him failed. The residents had not cared for the singer always claiming Pittsburgh as his home town on TV interviews. Como always claimed Canonsburg as his hometown, so hundreds of people changed their address when the town renamed a street in the east end after Perry Como. The Canonsburg town fathers had plans to erect a statue in Vinton's honour, but Vinton himself vetoed the idea, noting that the $100,000 planned cost could go to far more important town needs.[8]
Career
1950s
According to his autobiography, Bobby was inspired to record his music by the Elvis Presley movie Jailhouse Rock. He formed his own record label, Bobby Records, in October 1958. His first release was "Twilight Time", backed with "Hallelujah". Bobby sang on the B-side of the 45 rpm release, making this his first commercially released vocal recording. This record did not chart. In March 1959, Bobby recorded for the Melody label out of Philadelphia, listed as "Bobby Vinton and his Orchestra" for the first time. His release of "Harlem Nocturne", backed with "Always in My Heart" with a vocal by Bobby, attracted attention in Pennsylvania. His 'young man with a big band' style was established here, and "Always In My Heart" would be a song he would return to. In August 1959, Bobby moved to another larger record company, Alpine Records. He released two self-written singles for Alpine, the first being "You'll Never Forget" backed by "First Impression". The second Alpine release was "A Freshman and a Sophomore", backed with the self-written "The Sheik"; this was released in February 1960. Both Alpine releases garnered Billboard magazine mentions.
1960s
After two years of service in the
Arguably, Vinton's most famous song is 1963's "
In 1964, Vinton had two number 1 hits, "
Vinton wrote and composed "Mr. Lonely" during his chaplain's assistant service in the U.S. Army in the late 1950s. The song was recorded during the same 1962 session that produced "Roses Are Red (My Love)", and the two songs launched Vinton's singing career. It was released as an album track on the 1962 Roses Are Red (and other songs for the young & sentimental) LP. Despite pressure from Vinton to release it as a single, Epic instead had Buddy Greco release it and it flopped. Two years and millions of records sold later, Bobby prevailed on Epic to include "Mr. Lonely" on his Bobby Vinton's Greatest Hits LP. Soon DJs picked up on the song and airplay resulted in demand for a single release. "Mr. Lonely" shot up the charts in the late fall of 1964 to reach number 1 on the Hot 100 on December 12, 1964. Epic then released the LP Bobby Vinton Mr. Lonely, giving the song a unique claim to fame since it now appeared on three Bobby Vinton albums released within two years. The song continued to spin gold for Vinton, its author-composer, in the 50+ years to date since reaching number 1; Harmony Korine named his 2007 film Mister Lonely after the latter and features the song in the film's opening, and it was also the basis for Akon's 2005 hit, "Lonely".
In 1965, Vinton continued his "Lonely" success streak with the self-written "
1970s
In the 1970s, Vinton continued to hit the Top 40, notably with "
Undeterred, Vinton spent $50,000 of his own money on "
In 1978, Vinton wrote his autobiography, titled The Polish Prince, which became a bestseller. In the same year, CBS-TV aired Bobby Vinton's Rock N' Rollers, a one-hour special that achieved top ratings.
1980s–1990s
While appearing at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium prior to Game 4 of the 1990 National League Championship Series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, Vinton delivered a mixed-up rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" that left out many of the words and was off-key. Controversy ensued after CBS broadcaster Jack Buck said on air, "Well, when you're Polish and live in Pittsburgh, you can do anything you want with the words!"[15][16]
Honors and achievements
In the early 1990s, Vinton found himself booked as a guest star at the Roy Clark Theatre in Branson, Missouri. He was unsure of his ability to draw at what was then a country-western-themed resort, and was shocked at the massive turnout for his concerts there. He was so impressed with the Branson model that he invested millions in building the Bobby Vinton Blue Velvet Theatre and enjoyed ten successful years there. In 2002 the theatre was sold to David King, creator and producer of Spirit of the Dance.[9][11] Vinton returned to Branson periodically for limited engagements at the theatre.
Vinton's alma mater, Duquesne University, awarded him an honorary doctorate in music in 1978.[4][14]
Acting
Vinton appeared in seven acting roles during his singing career, commencing with the beach party movie Surf Party in 1964. In 1965, he played George Reynolds in the episode "Patty and the Newspaper Game" of ABC's sitcom The Patty Duke Show. He was also cast as Jeff McCandles in the 1971 John Wayne film Big Jake and as Ben Young in another Wayne film, The Train Robbers (1973). His last role as a character was as Bobby Gaines in the 1983 episode "Chance of a Lifetime" of the NBC family drama television series Boone, starring Tom Byrd, while his last scripted role as himself was in 1997, appearing in part one of the three part series finale of Coach.
Personal life
Vinton and his wife, Dolores, have been married since December 17, 1962. They reside in Englewood, Florida, and have five children.[1][9] In 2015, after contracting a serious case of shingles, Vinton retired from live performing and recording.[17] He spoke to his fans and friends in February 2018 on The Cousin Brucie Show on Sirius XM radio, and encouraged all to get a shingles vaccination.
Discography
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1964 | Surf Party | Len Marshall | also theme song ("If I Were an Artist") |
1965 | The Patty Duke Show | George Reynolds | Episode: "Patty and the Newspaper Game" |
1965 | Harlow | Theme song ("Lonely Girl") singer | Voice only |
1971 | Big Jake | Jeff McCandles | |
1973 | The Train Robbers | Ben Young | |
1976 | The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox | Theme song ("Lemondrops, Lollipops and Sunbeams") singer | Voice only |
1980 | The Gossip Columnist | Marty Kaplan | Television film |
1983 | Boone | Bobby Gaines | Episode: "Chance of a Lifetime" |
1985 | Benson | Himself | season 6 episode 17 "Solid Gold" |
1997 | Coach | Himself | Episode: "Leaving Orlando: Part 1" |
References
- ^ a b c d e Bishop, Pete (June 5, 1983). "Bobby Vinton Finds That Hits Can Be Elusive". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
- ^ a b c "The Whirling Disks". Reading Eagle. August 10, 1975. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
- ^ a b Wilson, Earl (June 2, 1970). "Last Night". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
- ^ a b "Vinton gets a doctorate". The Gettysburg Times. October 10, 1978. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
- ^ Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
- ^ Funk, Harry (May 14, 1999). "A celebration for Mr. C." Observer-Reporter. Washington, PA. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
- ^ Hazlett, Terry (January 13, 2009). "National music spotlight fell on area thanks to Vinton and Powers". Canonsburg Friends. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ "Vinton: Tribute Is Just Too Much". The Beaver County Times. Beaver, PA. December 28, 2004. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
- ^ a b c Rizzo, Marian (March 22, 2002). "After 40 Years, Bobby Vinton Isn't Slowing". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-8522-7745-1.
- ^ a b Hayes, John (March 2, 2002). "Bobby Vinton still smooth as blue velvet". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-2142-0512-5.
- ISBN 978-0-8230-7693-2.
- ^ a b "Vinton enjoys career as multi-talented performer". Portsmouth Daily Times. August 4, 1990. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
- ^ "Vinton, Buck Apologize for Wayward Words: Baseball: Singer flubbed national anthem and sportscaster's remarks angered Polish community". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 11, 1990. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015.
- ^ "Polish group takes broadcaster Buck to task". Chicago Sun-Times. October 11, 1990. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012.
- ^ Robinson, Aimee (August 15, 2022). "Bobby Vinton health: 'Serious' condition forced singing star into retirement". Daily Express. London. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
External links
- Official website
- Bobby Vinton at AllMusic
- Bobby Vinton discography at Discogs
- Bobby Vinton at IMDb
- Classic bands