Bobby Rydell
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In this Oct. 28, 2000 file photo, Bobby Rydell attends a dinner given by the National Italian American Federation at the Washington Hilton in Washington. (AP Photo/Linda Spillers)
South Philly-born singer Bobby Rydell was a dominant force in pop music in the late 1950s and early ‘60s — with half-a-dozen top ten hits, and an acting career that made him a teen heartthrob.
He along with Frankie Avalon, Fabian Forte, Chubby Checker and others put Philadelphia on the map as a hot bed for early rock and roll.
On this edition of Radio Times Rewind, we go back to Marty Moss Coane’s 1992 interview with Rydell, as he discusses his start on “Paul Whiteman’s Teen TV Club” at WFIL in West Philadelphia, his rise to fame as a teen idol, acting in ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ with Ann Margaret — plus tips for crafting the perfect pompadour.
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