Beyond The Sea

The life of legendary singer Bobby Darin is already a classic story from a purely dramatic perspective: young kid from the poorest of backgrounds learns he has a ticking time bomb in his chest (i.e., a bad heart) and becomes determined to make a name for himself before it kills him. However, there was another level to Darin: that of a man perfectly and precariously balanced between warring show-business camps. It's not that Bobby couldn't decide whether he wanted to be a swinging lounge hipster, a rock-and-rolling teen idol, or a folk/protest singer... he simply didn't want to have to choose. The hard-luck kid inside him railed against that sort of restriction in much the same way that his faulty heart told him he couldn't afford to be choosy.

Therefore, Bobby became a man obsessed with fame on his terms AND in his own time. Depending on who you talk to, the miracle is either a) that the singer of "Mack The Knife," "Splish Splash," and "If I Were A Carpenter" almost managed to pull it off while he was alive, or b) that he's actually starting to pull it off now, 31 years after his death in December 1973. Whichever camp you belong to doesn't matter much, in the end; Bobby Darin entertained everyone then and now, through sheer force of will.

Below are links to some of the finest Bobby Darin sites available on the web. If you know of one that isn't listed here, but should be, please feel free to e-mail me at oldies.guide@about.com.

• History of Rock and Roll A good concise bio of Darin's life and career. Contains a few pictures and audio samples.

• The Legendary Bobby Darin The best Darin fan site on the net (and the only official one). Features exhaustive biographies, discographies, galleries, and anything else you might ever need. Also keeps up-to-date on Darin news.

• TV Party An article about Darin's 1972 TV variety show. Features rare clips and reminiscences.

• The Blacklisted Journalist Al Aronowitz reprints some of his old columns dealing with Darin's last days at the Copa.

• Elektra The Darin site at his record label.

• Lions Gate Films The official site for the new Bobby Darin biopic Beyond The Sea, written and directed by Kevin Spacey.

• Chart Attack Spacey himself talks about Darin's influence on his life.

• Bobby Darin at Pricegrabber Oldies.about.com presents the best Bobby Darin music, movies, and books, at the cheapest possible price!

• The Internet Movie Database Darin's own film career, movie by movie.

• Silver Clover Online Want to know the best place to start building your Darin collection? This fan has a few helpful hints.