Comedy icons, writers, producers, actresses, and Saturday Night Live alumni Amy Poehler and Tina Fey announced they are adding dates to their sold-out Tina Fey & Amy Poehler: Restless Leg Tour, including four shows at The Beacon Theatre in February.
The initial leg of the tour included a sold-out, limited run of East Coast shows in Spring 2023, where fans saw the duo celebrate their 30 years of friendship with an evening of jokes, never-heard-before stories, and conversational entertainment.
Tina Fey is an award-winning writer, actress, author, and producer, known for creating and starring as Liz Lemon in 30 Rock, which holds the record for the most Emmy nominations in one season for any comedy series (22) and received a total of 103 Emmy nominations and 16 wins over seven seasons. Prior to creating 30 Rock, Fey completed nine seasons as head writer, cast member, and co-anchor of “Weekend Update” on Saturday Night Live.
While at SNL, Fey also wrote the screenplay for the hit comedy film, Mean Girls, which Fey subsequently adapted for Broadway (12 Tony Award nominations) and again as a new musical feature film, now in post-production for Paramount. Fey’s memoir, Bossypants, topped the New York Times best-seller list and remained for 39 consecutive weeks, and went on to sell over five million copies in the US thus far.
Amy Poehler is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and sought-after talents, with credits including actress, writer, executive producer, and bestselling author. Poehler, perhaps best known for her starring role on the Emmy-nominated NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation, can currently be heard as the titular character in the scripted podcast Say More with Dr? Sheila. She also serves as executive producer on the series in partnership with Audacy and her production company, Paper Kite Productions.
Last year, Poehler made her documentary directorial debut with Amazon’s Emmy-winning documentary Lucy & Desi, which she executive produced alongside Imagine Documentaries & White Horse Pictures. She also starred in and directed Netflix’s Moxie and will star in and produce the upcoming Roku film, First Time Female Director. She has several additional projects in development as part of Paper Kite Productions, including NBC’s thriller-drama The Mother-In-Law, and the Netflix animated feature Steps.
They will hit The Beacon Theatre on Wednesday, Feb. 7, Thursday, Feb. 8, and Friday, Feb. 9, with a matinee show on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.
Presales begin on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 10 AM, including an artist presale with code RESTLESS. General on-sale starts on Friday, Sept. 29 at 10 AM here.
AMY POEHLER & TINA FEY: RESTLESS LEG TOUR DATES:
Sat Sept 30 – Denver, CO – Buell Theatre
Sun Oct 1 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre – matinee show
Sun Oct 1 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre – evening show
Thur Oct 12 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
Fri Oct 13 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
Sat Oct 14 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall – matinee show
Sat Oct 14 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall – evening show
Sun Oct 15 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall – JUST ADDED
Wed Nov 8 – Highland, CA – Yaamava’ Theater
Fri Nov 10 – Las Vegas, NV – Resorts World Theatre*
Sat Nov 11 – Las Vegas, NV – Resorts World Theatre*
Thur Dec 14 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
Fri Dec 15 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
Sat Dec 16 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met – matinee show
Sat Dec 16 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met – evening show
Fri Jan 12 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall – JUST ADDED
Sat Jan 13 – Portland, OR – Alaska Airlines’ Theater of the Clouds – matinee show
Sat Jan 13 – Portland, OR – Alaska Airlines’ Theater of the Clouds
Fri Jan 19 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre – JUST ADDED
Fri Jan 26 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic – JUST ADDED
Sat Jan 27 – Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre – JUST ADDED
Wed Feb 7 – New York, NY – The Beacon Theatre – JUST ADDED
Thur Feb 8 – New York, NY – The Beacon Theatre – JUST ADDED
Fri Feb 9 – New York, NY – The Beacon Theatre – JUST ADDED
Sun Feb 11 at 2 pm – New York, NY – The Beacon Theatre – JUST ADDED
Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, is launching a new program to improve the lives of touring musicians and cut down on the growing costs traveling artists are facing.
Willie Nelson performs in concert during Farm Aid at Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center on Sept. 23, 2023, in Noblesville, Indiana. Gary Miller/Getty Images
As reported by Billboard, the concert giant has announced the launch of “On the Road Again,” a new program inspired by legendary singer/songwriter Willie Nelson to support developing artists and their road crews. The program has no expiration date and is expected to save artists tens of millions every year. It tackles the growing costs of travel expenses and the ability of artists to make money through merch sales.
“Touring is a crucial part of an artist’s livelihood, and we understand travel costs take one of the biggest bites out of artists’ nightly profits,” a press release from Live Nation reads. “By helping with these core expenses, we aim to make it easier for artists on the road so they can keep performing to their fans in more cities across the country.”
Starting today, all acts playing Live Nation-owned and operated clubs, from headliners to support acts, will receive a $1,500 gas and travel cash stipend per show to all headliners and support acts, on top of nightly performance compensation. The company’s clubs will no longer charge merchandise selling fees, allowing artists to keep 100% of merch profits, which many artists rely on to generate cash for the band while they’re on the road.
Participating venues.
In January, Ineffable Music Group became the first company to waive merch fees for the company’s venues and showrooms. The decision by Live Nation to waive these fees will likely lead to more cash in the hands of touring artists. Participating venues in New York State include Warsaw, Gramercy Theatre, and Irving Plaza.
“Touring is important to artists so whatever we can do to help other artists, I think we should do it. This program will impact thousands of artists this year and help make touring a little bit easier,” said Nelson, who provided his hit song On the Road Again as the anthem for the program.
On the Road Again also includes financial bonuses to local promoters who help execute shows as well as tour reps and venue crew members who have worked over 500 hours in 2023. It also includes $5 million to Crew Nation, a fund created during the pandemic to support crew across the industry facing unforeseen hardship.
Some industry workers have commented that this program could kill independent venues, who wouldn’t be able to compete. Prices on other things may increase as well to pay for the program as well. The National Independent Venue Association said in response “Temporary measures may appear to help artists in the short run but actually can squeeze out independent venues which provide the lifeblood of many artists on thin margins…it appears to be a calculated attempt to use a publicly-traded conglomerate’s immeasurable resources to divert artists from independent venues and further consolidate control over the live entertainment sector. Such tactics threaten the vitality of small and medium-sized venues under 3000 capacity, many of which still struggle to keep their doors open.”
Company officials added that On the Road Again is “a true collaboration that draws on insights from Nelson’s years on the road as well as feedback from touring artists, their teams, and venue operators to help support day-to-day life on tour. All benefits from On the Road Again are being provided directly from the venue’s existing earnings, with no increases to consumers.”
For more information on the program and a list of participating venues, visit here.
The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters, known for their on-court extravagancy, longevity and dominance of the Washington Generals, make their triumphant return to UBS Arena at Belmont Park to open 2024.
Following a New Year’s Eve performance from Billy Joel, the record-breaking basketball entertainers will bring their unforgettable blend of athleticism and skills to the court to UBS to open the new year, taking on their fierce rivals, the Washington Generals, on Sunday, January 1, 2024 at 1pm. See Hammer, TNT, Bulldog, Cheese, Torch, Hot Shot, Jet, Wham and Thunder – just to name a few – as they run circles around the Washington Generals on the court and bring the hype to the crowd.
Presented by Jersey Mike’s Subs, the Globetrotters will continue to bring a show with unrivaled fan engagement. With pre-game offerings like the Magic Pass, unforgettable post-game access and more in-game fan interactions than ever before. Plus, fans might even find themselves at mid-court as part of the all-new, fan-filled Halftime Skills Showcase.
But that’s not all – this year’s edition of the Globetrotter will be sponsored by their new official ball partner, Spalding. Moreover, beginning in December, the world’s most renowned basketball brand will be a constant at every destination. Additionally, fans will be able to take home an official Spalding Harlem Globetrotters basketball or get their hands on the new Harlem Globetrotters Marble Series ball on game day.
The Harlem Globetrotters were originally organized in Chicago in 1926, first as the all-Black “Savoy Big Five” and would debut in January 1927 in Hinckley, Illinois as the New York Globetrotters. The name would change in 1930 to the Harlem Globetrotters, reflecting on the cultural notoriety of the African-American neighborhood in Manhattan, home to the burgeoning Harlem Renaissance.
Proud inductees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, The Harlem Globetrotters epitomize basketball entertainment. With dynamic athletes and unmatched skills, they’ve team showcased their iconic brand of basketball in over 124 countries and across six continents since 1926. Winners of 2 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards and Emmy nominated for their hit NBC weekly series, Harlem Globetrotters: Play it Forward, they continue to make waves and stand as leaders across diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Information on the Harlem Globetrotters 2024 world tour is on their official website along with tickets.
Festival of Firsts returns to the David Rubenstein Atrium as part of the Lincoln Center Presents fall/winter season, from Oct. 5-27.
The Festival of Firsts features artists embarking on new journeys and celebrating significant moments in their careers, with milestones spanning Lincoln Center debuts, World, U.S., and NYC Premieres, album releases, fresh collaborations, and more. With a wide array of genres and artists, Lincoln Center invites audiences to enjoy these free performances.
Festival of Firsts Schedule
Rami Khalifé’s LOST, Return to Beirut
Thursday, October 5 at 7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
LINCOLN CENTER DEBUT
*THIS EVENT WILL ALSO BE LIVESTREAMED*
Considered “a musician of extreme caliber and pure expression” by the Daily Star UK, the adventurous Lebanese pianist Rami Khalifé presents work that is as eclectic as it is bold, ranging from improvised concerts, original film soundtracks, reimagined electronic club music with his AUFGANG project, and live tours with his father, the famed composer and oud player Marcel Khalifé. His musicality has led him to classical training at Juilliard; solos with Globalis Orchestra, the Qatar Philharmonic, the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, as well as live performances at the Kennedy Center, the Sydney Opera House, and Queen Elizabeth Hall.
J Noa
Friday, October 6 at 7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
LINCOLN CENTER DEBUT
J Noa’s 2023 major label debut Autodidacta is a blazing-hot introduction to the San Cristobal rapper’s considerable gifts: tongue-tying rhymes, nonstop bars, and the skills to switch up her flow from heartbeat to heartbeat. Her intricate lyricism ties together relevant social and political statements on drug addiction, racism, homophobia, and clapbacks at local government mismanagement. At the ripe age of 17, J Noa can already boast a ten-year songwriting career and a million-plus viewed YouTube hit with “Betty,” depicting the challenges of teen pregnancy.
Vuyo Sotashe and Chris Pattishall
Wednesday, October 11 at 7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
NEW SINGLE RELEASE
Presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center
Over the past decade, South African vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and American pianist/composer Chris Pattishall have become mainstays of the NYC live club scene, with each contributing separately to a wide range of projects spanning jazz, gospel, theater, and film. Now they will present their live debut collaborative performance at the Atrium with an evening of soulful original arrangements. In a program that references Duke Ellington, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, and traditional South African Xhosa hymns, Sotashe and Pattishall will celebrate the release of their first single, “They Say I Look Like God.”
Photo by Yekaterina Gyadu.
Salty Brine’s And If You Listen Very Hard: The Led Zeppelin Show
Thursday, October 12 at 7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
LINCOLN CENTER DEBUT
The showy performance artist, playwright, and vocalist Salty Brine is the next big name in outré downtown alt-cabaret. As part of the Festival of Firsts, Brine makes his Lincoln Center debut with a show from his ongoing Living Record Collection, a thus far 20-chapter series of expeditions into the heart of popular music. Each event merges the live recreation of an entire classic album with stories of personal experience alongside literature and theater, autobiographical monologues, a musical celebration of great LPs, and a fresh look at the artistic process. This evening features Robert Louis Stevenson’s immortal pirate adventure Treasure Island and the heavy metal folk-rock masterpiece, Led Zeppelin IV.
Lady Wray
Friday, October 13 at 7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
LINCOLN CENTER DEBUT
A mainstay of the U.S. Billboard charts since the early 2000s, Nicole “Lady” Wray’s clear voice, potent storytelling, and deeply emotive performances combine the 70s soul and the hip-hop-inflected R&B of the 90s. The Guardian calls Lady Wray’s long-awaited third album, Piece of Me, which boasts a recent remix from New York’s own Pete Rock and a guest verse from Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah, “a classy retro-soul LP… steeped in experience, familial warmth, and overcoming heartbreak.” She will make her long overdue Lincoln Center debut with songs from Piece of Me interspersed with favorite covers and classic hits, all supported by a full live band packed with special guests.
Story of the Sky by the Bruces & Friends
Saturday, October 14 at 11:00 am
David Rubenstein Atrium
DEBUT CHILDREN’S ALBUM
Husband and wife team Morley and Chris Bruce recently self-released and produced their debut family and children’s album, Story of the Sky. This multi-cultural and inter-generational beginning-of-life narrative centers our inter-belonging—connecting human beings with one another and the natural world.
Truth to Power Café
Wednesday, October 18 at 7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
U.S. PREMIERE
From Adelaide to Zagreb and now in New York for its U.S. premiere, Jeremy Goldstein’s Truth to Power Café is a profound theatrical reflection on loss, hope, and resistance. This inspirational event is told through memoir, image, film, poetry, music, and true and authentic stories in response to the question: “Who has power over you and what do you want to say to them?” Truth to Power Café is inspired by the political and philosophical beliefs of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter and his inner circle “The Hackney Gang,” which included Café creator Jeremy Goldstein’s late father, Mick Goldstein, and poet and actor Henry Woolf.
Photo by Kate Holmes.
Erni Lu
Thursday, October 19 at 7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
FIRST ALBUM & LINCOLN CENTER DEBUT
Peruvian-born singer-songwriter and guitarist Ernesto “Erni Lu” Lúcar has found his true musical home in New York. From a young age, he fell in love with the city’s music scene, particularly the rhythms of boleros, waltzes, acid jazz, and funk, using these genres and strains of contemporary Latin pop and traditional Peruvian folk in his sound. Over the past several years, Lu has gained significant experience composing film scores for movies such as Gary Terracino’s Elliot Loves and Gonzalo Benavente’s Rocanrol 68. He will make his Lincoln Center premiere, backed by a full live band performing a set of original songs celebrating the release of his debut album Siempre, including the new hit single, “Amor Platónico.”
¡VAYA!
Uptown Royalty
Friday, October 20 at 7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
LINCOLN CENTER DEBUT
A Lincoln Center favorite since 2015, ¡VAYA! is a showcase for the finest Latin dance traditions. It offers devotees of Latin music a friendly community, excellent orchestras, and the city’s most inviting dance floor. The husband and wife duo of trombone player and bandleader Ron Renaissance and the glamorous vocalist Jodi Music are at the heart of the NYC-based Uptown Royalty, a combo at the forefront of the future of the modern salsa revolution, fusing classic salsa with contemporary pop, disco, rock, and R&B. Backed by a multi-piece band, their fresh approach to live performance has irresistible charisma, energizing audiences with their spectacular energy.
Migguel Anggelo’s JOY
Wednesday, October 25 at 7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
WORLD PREMIERE
Venezuelan-born and Brooklyn-based artist Migguel Anggelo’s work explores the intersections of queer, Latiné, and immigration identities. As a musician, he has released three albums (English with an Accent, La Casa Azul, Dónde Estara Matisse). As a theater creator, he has been awarded residencies to develop new works at MASS MoCA, the Kimmel Center, Washington Performing Arts, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. For his new multidisciplinary project, Anggelo dons the whimsical persona of JOY, inspired by the mime Marcel Marceu’s immortal Bip the Clown, who asks us to consider the power of silence in new ways. With the addition of an all-star lineup of live musicians, JOY features original music by Migguel Anggelo and Michelle J. Rodriguez.
Truth Future Bachman’s Skyward: An Endling Elegy
Thursday, October 26 at 7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
WORLD PREMIERE
Brooklyn-based composer, playwright, vocalist, and La MaMa resident artist Truth Future Bachman interweaves three of the most compelling cultural threads of our moment: musical theater, gender fluidity, and superhero/sci-fi parables. Following the 2022 presentation of Luna and the Starbodies at last year’s Festival of Firsts, Lincoln Center is proud to host the world premiere of Bachman’s next great origin story within their multiversal mythos, Skyward.
Larissa Luz
Friday, October 27 at 7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
NYC & LINCOLN CENTER DEBUT
*THIS EVENT WILL ALSO BE LIVESTREAMED*
Presented in collaboration with AFROPUNK
The multitalented and Latin GRAMMY-nominated Brazilian singer-songwriter Larissa Luz also hosts a popular talk show, has acted in numerous television and film roles, and placed second this year in Brazil’s nationally televised edition of The Masked Singer. She is a social activist, speaking out against sexism, racism, and colorism in a field that’s still greatly defined by it. She is a regular performer in music festivals, including Lollapalooza and Rock in Rio, and will be performing music from across her career, including new songs and cuts from her most recent release, the trap pop EP Deusa Dulov.
For more information about the free Festival of Firsts performances, visit here.
The Eighth Step at Proctors in Schenectady will present the award winning contemporary folk duo Magpie, celebrating their 50th year anniversary on Saturday, September 30th. Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalists Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner will perform a variety of instrumental harmony vocal originals with long time collaborator Ralph Gordon playing the acoustic bass.
For 50 years, Leonino and Artzner have turned their harmonies towards themes of peace and justice: civil rights, politics, diversity and the environment with an emphasis on the Chesapeake Bay, the Hudson River, worker’s rights and a world at peace. They sing for justice with a joyous verve of 30’s swing and American folk to support social activism.
“Terry and Greg are proud to be more links to the chain, dedicating their lives and music to leaving this world a better place.”
– Pete Seeger
Magpie has spent their musical career playing folk festivals, concert halls and more while gathering fans from independent stages large and small. The duo creates an instrumental sound that’s powerful, rich and moving inspiring people to come together through the art of song. Since 1973, they have brought their unique sound and remarkable versatility to audiences in the U.S. and abroad through their influential songs.
The duo Magpie looks forward to celebrating their 50th anniversary and many more to come. For more information visit online at Eighth Step.
Buffalo Iron Works plans to host an exclusive 10th anniversary party to celebrate a decade of success, featuring the renowned Melvin Seals & JGB on Thursday, October 19th, promising an unforgettable night to commend this milestone of intuitive, expressive, and soulful music.
Melvin Seals has had a remarkable three-decade career as a recording artist, performer and producer and will take center stage during the Buffalo Iron Works anniversary festivities. Melvin is celebrated for his electrifying performances on the keyboard and B-3 organ while accompanying the stage with Jerry Garcia Band. Both Melvin and JGB have played pivotal roles in the jam band music scene with a mix of blues, funk, rock, jazz, gospel and R&B that captivate an audience of all tastes.Their onstage chemistry fuels a psychedelic experience for concert goers that keeps them dancing, smiling and engaged in the rhythm of rock-gospel blues fusion.
In addition to the performance with Melvin and JGB, Buffalo Iron Works 10 year anniversary party will feature drink specials, exclusive signed merchandise and more. The venue offers an intimate music lounge setting that hosts a diverse range of national, regional and local artists across various genres. Not only is it a haven for music but welcomes all types of events, from concerts, acoustic shows, and book signings, ensuring an inclusive and vibrant versatile cultural space.
Join Buffalo Iron Works on Thursday, October 19th to celebrate a decade of music, community and unforgettable moments that have made BIW a cherished part of Buffalo’s cultural landscape. For more info visit here.
Grammy-nominated duo The Milk Carton Kids were among the multitude of hosts at the Americana Music Awards in Nashville on September 20th. In addition to their co-hosting duties, the duo took the stage alongside Noah Kahan for a cover of Paul Simon’s “American Tune.”
Formed in 2011, The Milk Carton Kids are an American folk duo hailing from California. Nominated for Best Folk Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards, the group’s new record I Only See The Moon released this past May on LA-based ANTI- Records.
Noah Kahan, the New-England native singer-songwriter, rose to global fame with the release of his third full-length album, Stick Season. Taking the stage with The Milk Carton Kids, he and the duo offered smooth vocals against a lone acoustic guitar.
The Milk Carton Kids are set to embark on a US tour this fall, stopping at Kingston’s Broadway Theatre at UPAC, as well as New York City’s Beacon Theatre. Both New York dates will be in support of fellow folk artist Gregory Alan Isakov.
The Milk Carton Kids Upcoming Tour Dates
October 8—Los Angeles, CA—Los Angeles Folk Festival
October 10—San Francisco, CA—The Independent*
October 12—Portland, OR—Aladdin Theater*
October 13—Seattle, WA—St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral*
Long Island radio personality Brian Orlando launched Rock and Soul Tarot, a podcast combining tarot card reading and rock music. Orlando uses the songs as a way to deliver messages and explain meanings of the tarot cards.
Credit: Stevie Price
The podcast looks at tarot meanings and lessons through the lens of rock music, which Orlando pulls from over 17 years of rock radio stories, memories, and knowledge.
Music was my first love and I always related everything I learned about to a song. So, I started equating tarot meanings to my favorite songs to help memorize them and as I started doing readings it seemed the best way to explain the messages from the cards was through the one language I knew fluently…. Rock and Roll
Brian Orlando
The connection between music and tarot cards is already apparent. For example, the Judgement card depicts a trumpet with seven emanations, symbolic of seven musical notes. In addition, the Hierophant card is associated with the physical and interior sense of hearing, depicting two crossed keys on the ground, suggesting tapping into hidden vibrations.
Many famous rock musicians have incorporated symbolism and iconography of tarot cards into their work, including Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Tool, and Rush.
To me it’s an honor if I help guide someone to their highest path. Rock and Soul Tarot is the guide to cards for anyone and everyone, using song lyrics, and stories about musicians and bands, to help channel the energy of each card. We look at tarot “Through the lens of Rock and Roll”
Brian Orlando
Orlando began the Rock and Soul Tarot podcast by explaining the meaning of each card outright. Next he will begin to incorporate guest readings and discussions with renowned psychics, musicians, and familiar faces from the entertainment industry.
John McCutcheon and Tom Paxton have announced a joint concert in Schenectady on Oct. 27 at the Eighth Step. The duo have been friends for decades, but began writing songs together in the past few years and have an album titled Together coming out October 13.
Credit: Michael G. Stewart
Grammy Lifetime Achievement honoree Tom Paxton has been a force in the folk music world since the 1960s, writing songs made famous by Peter, Paul, & Mary, John Denver, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, and more. John McCutcheon is part of the generation of folk musicians who grew up singing Tom Paxton songs. His own catalog spans forty-four albums, six Grammy nominations, and numerous awards and accolades.
The duo’s most recent single, “Life Before You,” debuted last month. The track is a sweet ballad, showing the compatibility of the two musician’s immense skills.
Paxton and McCutcheon’s joint music spans topics from history, baseball, cowboys, love, the remembered, and the forgotten. With McCutcheon’s crew of supporting musicians, including Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Jon Carroll (keys), JT Brown (bass), and Charlie McCoy, the album has full, lively arrangements and stunning performances.
Tickets to the Schenectady show at the Eighth Step at Proctors are available here.
Bobby Darin, a multi-genre star and activist known for his talents in the ’60s and ’70s, has announced his first ever digital release of two landmark ’60s albums, including Born Walden Robert Cassotto and Commitment.
Born as Walden Robert Cassotto in East Harlem, Darin was raised by his grandmother Polly and fell in love with music in his teens. He could play piano, drums, and guitar, and later added harmonica and xylophone to his repertoire. He later moved to the Bronx, where he graduated from the prestigious Bronx High School of Science. Later, he went to Hunter College but quickly dropped out after two semesters to pursue an acting career. He coined his stage name from the actor Darren McGavin later in his career, but his legal name remains Cassotto.
Bobby Darin was, by any definition, a superstar – a chart-topping, multimillion-selling, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, a Golden Globe-winning actor, visionary entrepreneur, and committed political activist. By 1966 the 30-year-old was already more than a decade into his one-of-a-kind career, his diverse body of work characterized by frequent changes in musical direction, spanning pop and cabaret to show tunes and contemporary folk.
Restless and daring, Darin refused to be constrained by genre, instead placing his signature vocal style upon rock ‘n’ roll, pop, country and western, folk, big band, and jazz. The result was a seemingly endless string of top 10 hits, including “Splish Splash,” “Queen of the Hop,” “Dream Lover,” “Beyond the Sea,” and “If I Were a Carpenter,” the latter found on 1966’s If I Was A Carpenter (recently re-released by Direction Records and available everywhere now).
While he appeared to be “living the life,” the shifting cultural winds and strains of celebrity life affected his professional and personal successes, from his 1967 divorce from Sandra Dee and the traumatic uncovering of family revelations, on top of a heart condition sustained following childhood bouts with rheumatic fever.
“In terms of his career, the constant hits and the glory of his early days were long gone by this point,” says Dodd Darin, the only son of Bobby Darin and Hollywood sweetheart Sandra Dee. “Gone also was his relentless need to be at the top of the entertainment industry. The brashness and bravado that was so evident in his youth had been mellowed. The changing music scene and his perceived lesser place, combined with a serious medical condition, will humble a man.”
While his public persona was all bright lights and glamour, Darin was, like so many of his era, driven and inspired by the generational shifts and social upheaval of the 1960s. Despite his weakened health, Darin devoted nearly all his free time towards multiple causes: such as tirelessly campaigning for his friend Robert F. Kennedy until his assassination in June 1968. Shattered by Kennedy’s death and disheartened with the changing world around him, Darin withdrew from the spotlight and embarked on an unlikely personal journey to convey his truest self. He swapped his crooner’s tuxedo for folk singer denim, his toupee for an outlaw mustache, and a Beverly Hills mansion for a secluded trailer at Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur.
More importantly, Darin was determined to express himself through his own songwriting, penning two albums worth of original songs that in many ways pre-date the singer-songwriter movement that would bloom in the early 1970s. Though the voice heard on 1968’s Born Walden Robert Cassotto was familiar, the songs were something very different than Darin’s previous fare. Gone was the big band pop of his biggest hits, the brass, and glamour in favor of arrangements inspired by contemporary folk rock, country, and soul.
Lyrically, Born Walden Robert Cassotto began to explore a range of issues – the environment, loss of faith, capitalism, and police brutality. “Long Line Rider,” tells the timely tale of three skeletons found on an Arkansas prison farm, while “Change” sees Darin explicitly examining his own seismic personal and creative shifts, singing, “Get yourself up off your past, friend//There’s so much to rearrange//Tomorrow sits right next to never//Damned if what your feelin’ isn’t change.”
Fearless, compelling, and undoubtedly cathartic, Born Walden Robert Cassotto set the stage for an even braver work. Released under the name “Bob Darin”, Commitment is even grittier than its predecessor. From the counterculture anthem “Me and My Hohner” and the soul-searching “Sausalito” to the wryly autobiographical “Distractions (Part 1)” the album’s studio experimentation and songcraft affirms Darin’s generational talent of uniquely c crossing the borders of age and politics.
The evolution from Bobby Darin to Bob Darin was not without its headwinds, however. The music critics, fans, and industry folks didn’t know what to make of the albums as they were such a large departure from the Darin they knew. They did not really chart or achieve commercial success. His longtime friend Dick Clark told him he was ‘a latter-day hippie and to put his tuxedo back on.’ The Landmark was paying him $40,000 a week and people were walking out because he refused to do the old hits. He told them, ‘That was yesterday and the door is right over there.’ Elvis was a genuine friend and came to see his show and told him, ‘Bobby, do the hits.’ I believe he was brave and acted on his conscience by doing the material he was doing. If his career took a hit – and it did – so be it; at least he could sleep at night.
Dodd Darin
Sadly, in December 1973, Bobby Darin fell ill and died in a Los Angeles hospital at just 37 years old following emergency open heart surgery. Darin’s remarkable legacy has only grown in the years that followed, with honors including induction in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, an award-winning stage musical, a Golden Globe-nominated film biography, and multiple top-selling career anthologies. Though at the time the Direction albums seemed a risky left turn for a star near the top of his game, time has shown both Born Walden Robert Cassotto and Commitment to be milestone works of the folk-rock renaissance, and in character for an artist whose forward-thinking, boundary-free approach in many ways predated the creative freedom today.
In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of his tragic 1973 passing, the Bobby Darin Estate recently relaunched Direction Records: the groundbreaking label founded by Darin in 1968. Distributed by Secretly Distribution, the Direction Records collection kicked off with the release of five classic albums recorded between 1966 and 1967 and newly reverted to the Bobby Darin Estate, all available on digital platforms for the first time ever. The new releases include: Bobby Darin Sings The Shadow Of Your Smile (1966), In A Broadway Bag (1966), If I Were A Carpenter (1966), Inside Out (1967), and Bobby Darin Sings Doctor Dolittle (1967). A special trailer heralding the return of Direction Records is streaming now on the official Bobby Darin YouTube channel.
Now, with the relaunch of Direction Records and future archival releases to come, Bobby Darin’s groundbreaking life and career can remain timeless, and reach audiences like never before.
