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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. Now, in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of his tragic 1973 passing from heart disease at just 37 years old, the Bobby Darin Estate is proud to officially relaunch Direction Records, the groundbreaking label founded by Darin in 1968. Distributed by Secretly Distribution, the Direction Records collection kicks 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 on July 14. 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 Doolittle (1967). A special trailer heralding the return of Direction Records is streaming now at the official Bobby Darin YouTube channel.
WATCH DIRECTION RECORDS TRAILER
“The purpose of Direction Records is to seek out statement-makers,” Bobby Darin said of the label’s foundation, heralding the two landmark albums in which he masterfully reinvented himself as a serious, socially conscious singer-songwriter equal to any of the era – 1968’s Born Walden Robert Cassotto and 1969’s Commitment, both set for deluxe reissue in the coming months. In addition, the Direction Records catalog will include Songs From Big Sur, a previously released anthology of non-LP singles, rare tracks, alternate takes, and music recorded live during Darin’s May 1969 residency at West Hollywood, CA’s venerable Troubadour.
“Direction Records will expand to include previously released albums as well as newly found recordings,” says Amy Abrams of 7S Management. “It’s fifty years since Bobby Darin passed this coming December, and taking a good look at the legacy of a performer who passed so young, we want to make sure that legacy is well preserved and available for the fans to share. We’ve spent some time in the archives and believe we have some gems. It takes time to go from discovery to release, but we’re excited for releases this year and in the years to come.”
“It feels good to know the Bobby Darin ship is being well captained going forward,” says Dodd Darin, the only son of Bobby Darin and Hollywood sweetheart Sandra Dee. “Thank you to all of those who enjoy my Dad’s work and have been so supportive over the years. He put everything he had into every musical genre he explored and he deserves to be remembered as the special talent and human being that he was.”
By 1966, Bobby Darin 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, the 30 year old, NYC-born artist 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 Were A Carpenter, included among the new Direction Records releases.
Bobby Darin’s remarkable legacy has only grown in the years since his passing, with posthumous 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 this era of Darin’s career to be absolutely in character for an artist whose forward-thinking, boundary-free approach in many ways predated the creative freedom today enjoyed by contemporary pop superstars. Now, with the relaunch of Direction Records and future archival releases to come, Bobby Darin’s groundbreaking life and career can be viewed for its prismatic artistry, timeless craftsmanship, and courageous refusal to stand still, his rich voice – as both singer and songwriter – only burnished as time catches up with his bold vision and electrifying talent.
“It’s hard to believe that in December of this year my Dad will have been gone fifty years,” says Dodd Darin. “The process of revisiting his work to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his passing has been wonderful for me. Over the past few months I have been immersed in his recordings from his later career. This period of his life was one of great angst and introspection on both a personal and professional level. The brashness and bravado that was so evident in his youth had been mellowed. The changing music scene, combined with a serious medical condition, will humble a man.
“One of the most poignant things about the recordings from this era is that you can hear for yourself how at the end of his life he blended together all the musical genres he explored, and delivered them in his live performances. I guess what I’m trying to say is that he was finally comfortable in his own skin and for 90 minutes on stage he was genuinely happy and at the peak of his powers. This is how I hope he will be remembered.”
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