KWXY Presents ● An Interview with Bobby Vinton
Publicity photo of singer Bobby Vinton / William Morris Agency (Management) April 10, 1964
Bobby Vinton, nicknamed “The Polish Prince,” is a singer, musician, songwriter, actor and onetime teen idol. He was dubbed “the most successful love singer of the rock era” by Billboard with more number one hits in a ten-year stretch than any other solo artist.
He was born Stanley Robert Vinton on April 16, 1935 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He played clubs with his band in the Pittsburgh area while attending Duquesne University. During his time at Duquesne, Vinton’s official website reveals that he learned piano, clarinet, trumpet, drums, saxophone and oboe before graduating with a degree in musical composition. As his career grew, his father Stanley, a bandleader, suggested that Vinton adopt his middle name for professional reasons to avoid confusion.
His first big hit with Epic Records was nearly shelved. The song was “Roses Are Red (My Love)” in 1962, recorded but rejected by Epic. Vinton promoted the song on his own, sending a helper to deliver a copy of the record and a dozen red roses to every radio personality in the area. The plan worked, placing the song at number one for four weeks.
An even bigger hit arrived in 1963 with “Blue Velvet,” spending three weeks at number one, eventually becoming his best-known single and inspiring filmmaker David Lynch to name a movie after the song in 1986. “Blue Velvet,” was a cover of the 1951 song originally recorded by Tony Bennett which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, No. 1 in Canada (5 weeks), and number 2 in the UK in 1990.
Next came “Mr. Lonely” which he wrote during his time as an assistant army chaplain. A version by Buddy Greco failed to chart, but the release of Vinton’s version on the Bobby Vinton’s Greatest Hits LP saw it rise to number one in December 1964.
His streak of Top 40 hits continued into the 1970s and 1980s. One notable release during that time was the self-financed “My Melody of Love,” based on a German song and sung in a mix of English and Polish. It was yet another number one and went on to become the theme for his 1975-78 CTV television variety show, The Bobby Vinton Show.
Bobby Vinton performing from the television program The Ed Sullivan Show. Photo CBS Television August 1, 1969
Bobby Vinton remained active as a live performer and recording artist until 2015, when he contracted a severe case of shingles. He and his wife Dolores are retired and live in Englewood, Florida. His body of work consists of more than one hundred albums, 88 singles and seven movies.
Listen to Music and an Interview with Bobby Vinton today at 1pm on KWXY Music Radio 92.3FM ● 1340AM ● streaming at kwxy.com and ivoxradio.com