The Bluegrass Arts Association presents The Bobby Darin Tribute Show featuring Bill Kelly and The Jessamine Jazz Ensemble at Comedy Off Broadway, 161 Lexington Green Circle Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door or for reservations call 859-881-8247 or go to bluegrassarts.org to purchase on-line.
From performing in New York City coffeehouses to recording in the late 1950s, Darin hit the charts in 1958 with "Splish Splash," a novelty song he reputedly wrote in 12 minutes, that became an international hit. Other hit singles followed, and in 1959 he began recording adult standards à la Frank Sinatra. The first was a reworking of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's ominous "Moritat" from The Threepenny Opera into the finger-popping amoral swagger of "Mack the Knife" (1959). Though other adult hits followed, including "Beyond the Sea" (1960), it was "Mack" that became Darin's signature song and earned him two Grammy Awards. In the 1960s, while pursuing a film career, Darin explored a variety of styles before embracing the folk rock movement. In 1966 he had a hit with Tim Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter," and many, many others.
