LIBRARY OF ROCK 'n' ROLL HISTORY News Archive Volume III News Archive: Vol.1 ~ Vol. 2

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A Portrait for Ralph Klein
Curtola presents retiring Alberta premier with a unique retirement gift.
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Read the whole story HERE

"Brandon Girls" 1960s Reunion Party



 

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SEE THE PHOTOS HERE
2006 FLEETWOOD COUNTRY CRUIZE IN
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BOBBY ENTERTAINS RECORD CROWDS IN CANADA'S LARGEST BIG TOP

Fabulous! As we were leaving Brooklyn's Waterfront Park  following the concert, somebody walking behind me used that adjective to describe the Bobby Curtola Concert, and that summed it up perfectly. While the majority of people in the audience would have been Bobby's contemporaries, there were also babies in the arms of parents, and people in their 90s. As you can see by the pictures, Bobby came down from the stage at various times to have fun with the fans.

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Oh What Fun--Some remained seated while singing and clapping but others jumped to their feet when invited by Bobby to form lines and circles. Among them was Region Of Queens municipal councillor, Mervin Hartlen, far right wearing the cap.	Bobby's Band, The Sensational Hot Rods, included Tommy (seen here with the saxophone) who is one of the originals of the band, having grown up with Bobby in Thunder Bay, Ontario. .

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Mayor John Leefe was among dignitaries who spoke briefly at the official opening of Seafest then took their seats to enjoy the Bobby Curtola Concert. Not all remained in their chairs, however, because there were reports that the mayor and his wife, Nancy, were among those dancing in the circle that Bobby formed in front of the stage. Left to right are Geno Wong, who was instrumental in the development of Waterfront Park and Brooklyn Marina; Butch Cook, president of the Brooklyn Boating Association; Hon. Rodney MacDonald, minister of tourism and culture; Mayor Leefe; Hon. Kerry Morash, our representative in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly and minister of the environment; and Jean Dexter-Robinson, chair of SeaFest 2005. (Photo by Jane Stevenson)

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Legendary Disc Jockey Frank Cameron. (Photo by Jane Stevenson)	The Sensational Hot Rods.  (Photo by Jane Stevenson)

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There Goes Judi Cleveland of Broad River having fun with other members of the audience at the Curtola Concert. She is a singer/songwriter/performer with her partner Robbie Smith, and known as the Songcrafters. Robbie, as many of us know, has written songs for, and even performed with, the internationally known Roger Whittaker.

Hey, What's Going On here??? We 60ish types thought we had a monopoly on Bobby Curtola's music but concert goers included many youngsters having a grand time. I noticed at least two persons in their 90s and there may have been more. A number of babies were also being rocked in the arms of their parents.  (Photo by Jane Stevenson--she is of a younger generation but was there to enjoy the music with her children). ..

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A Special Moment--Some fans joined large groups of people in the dancing but others simply stayed near their seats to enjoy the experience.	More Dancers in the aisles.  . .

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Before The Show, when many were already seated in their lawn chairs,
and others arrived on foot or via the Cole Ford shuttle service.

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Comments On Curtola

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I finally met Bobby Curtola not long ago when he dropped by the house here in Hunts Point but it was only after almost everybody else I know in Queens told me they've already exchanged greetings or comments with this guy on the street, in stores, at community fundraising breakfasts or suppers, or as they happen to be passing by his home.

He's genuinely friendly with a great sense of humour, polite, considerate and wants to do great things for his new community and beyond.

Here is a fellow who has enjoyed an amazing career in the music industry, and still performs around the globe.

He could have, but shows no signs of an inflated ego possessed by many who have acquired such a level of fame.

Bobby is special, yet Bobby is also like the rest of us, with ups and downs, joys and sorrows, and various challenges as we go through life.

He was interviewed recently by Beverley Ware of The Chronicle-Herald who did a wonderful story that told of his successes in the music industry as well as some disappointments of a personal nature, some quite recent.

So, as he continues to share his music with the world, and heads into his second year as a resident of our area, let's wish him all the best in his ongoing music career and business endeavours, and a long and happy future as a resident in this beautiful little part of the planet.

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Bobby Curtola's CD Set Now Being Sold Only $20 At Veinot's Print, Brooklyn

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Hi Mary:

As we all know, Bobby put on an Awesome Concert Friday night at the Brooklyn Marina Waterfront Park. What a wonderful gift to our community and the Sea Fest.

People have been asking where can they purchase his CDs. I am selling Bobby Curtola's CDs of his 25 Gold Records, Limited Edition at my print shop, Veinot's Print, 4036 Highway 3. Brooklyn.

Cost is $ 20., tax included. Cash purchase only. We are open from 8 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.

Susan MacLeod

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From: Fred Giffin, Liverpool

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The only word I can think of is AWESOME!!!

Bobby and the Hot Rods performed just about every rock and roll hit from the late 50's to the early 70's, every one with a touch and flair that was perfect! I'm sure that others who were teenagers to young adults during that era will agree that it transported us back to High School dances, sock hops, milkshakes and burgers and those teenage crushes.

But perhaps the most outstanding feature is that Bobby's tireless energy and perfect stage presence made these songs live a new life!

During the whole performance, his bright, cheery, lighthearted approach and his interaction with the kids took it all to another level.

His closing talk left no doubt about his sincere love of Queens County. We have to be very proud that he and his manager and family have chosen our beautiful area as their home.

Fred Giffin

PS. I would like to take credit for the wonderful weather, but won't do that. If it had rained, I might have taken a few barbs; thankfully that didn't happen.

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From: Ray & Fay Slauenwhite, White Point

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Hi Mary,

Bobby Curtola's concert was an unbelievable experience.

It was more than just a first class Vegas show and a beautiful evening for young and old alike. It was more of a wake up call to Liverpool, Brooklyn and indeed Queens County...people, open your eyes. We are so fortunate to live in this wonderful pristine part of the world. We have it all here...scenery, fresh air, community spirit, small town flavour and very low crime rates.

I am sure your viewers can add many other benefits as well. But why does it take someone from "away" to remind us of that?

Bobby has embraced our community with a passion as has his manager, and numerous other residents from other parts of the province including myself. He made me proud of our decision to live here and I hope he will be with us for many years to come.

And the shows? Well they are just a bonus.

Bobby...from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!!!

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From: Linda G. Wentzell, Milton

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Hello Mary,

Just wanted to say how impressed I was with the performances by Bobby Curtola and his band. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

What a wonderful gift for Queens County. Thank you Mr. Curtola.

It was great to see so many faces from my youth and we just couldn't stop singing and dancing.

I would also like to comment on the excellent way this event has been organized. From the time we parked our car at Polsky until we arrived at the concert, via the Cole Ford shuttle bus, was only a matter of minutes. It was also effortless getting out of the parking lot and on our way home after the performance.

Thank you again, Mr. Curtola, for a summer to remember!

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From: George Fletcher, Mersey Point

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Mary,

Last night was a great night to be a baby boomer and to be alive.

My wife and I attended the Bobby Curtola concert at Seafest along with some friends and it was an evening of excitement to be part of such a great event.

The Sensational Hot Rods were just that (sensational) and Bobby was nothing short of awesome and Elvis was "All Shook Up".

After talking to Bobby a few times in passing it was great to see him perform. I liked the way that he incorporated the audience, especially the kids, into his show. If only for a short time it was nice to hear the music from a time that I look back on with such fond memories.

I also want to say that it was good to see Frank Cameron in person after hearing him so many times on the radio. Thank you Seafest volunteers for bringing to us such a great show and thank you Bobby for your great gift to our area.

It was an evening that I will remember forever.

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From: Robin Anthony, Beach Meadows

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Mary -

I didn't take my camera to the Bobby Curtola concert last evening, trusting that you would have it well covered!

It was an impressive event and a generous gift from Mr. Curtola to his new community. What fun to see such polished performers in action, in a great setting, on a picture perfect evening!

I particularly enjoyed Mr. Curtola's introductions to his songs. They helped those of us who weren't of that era understand Canada's young music scene at the time, particularly the significant role Frank Cameron played in promoting Canadian music and launching careers.

And what can be said about the planning and organization of all the Seafest volunteers who created the comfortable, safe environment for all those people -- great job everyone!

As I write this at a little before 7 a.m., the late risers (including our son and his team from Halifax) are heading out the harbour. There's been a steady drone of engines in the air since well before daylight. Another great Seafest day. See you there!

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From: Tony Roy, Liverpool

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Hi Mary

I just wanted to share a little knowledge about Bobby with you.

I had the honour of meeting Bobby when he first came to town. He showed up where I work to get his vehicle repaired. When he left, my boss said do you know who that was? I did not have a clue - never heard of him. So I did some research on the net to see who he was. I thought I would never care for his style of music, being the next generation of rock and roll.

Well, was I surprised when I attended his concert last night. He was great. I had a lot of fun and he entertained the crowd.
I just wanted to let you know I think Bobby is the same person on stage as off of stage. He loves what he does and is a great guy to talk to in everyday life. I'm glad Bobby came to this area.

This town needs something like Bobby. I just would like to thank all the people who made this possible and I believe everyone had a great time. And most of all, thank Bobby Curtola for making this an even better place to live.

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Photos and Text Copyright 2005 by Mary Mouzer

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BOBBY CURTOLA

LIVERPOOL - Bobby Curtola thinks it's kind of cool that he changed the ballast in the light of the dining room ceiling by himself the other day, and that he washed his own van in the driveway.

"That's not normal for me to do. It's a treat to do that stuff," says the rocker who in 1962 shot to fame as Canada's first homegrown teen idol. "I've got to get grounded. I live in a very surreal world."

That's no overstatement.

Hundreds of sequined and velvet jackets hang neatly on a mammoth clothes rack in the basement that runs pretty much the length of his house in Liverpool. They're covered in bubble wrap to protect them.

Just about every wall in his house displays photographs of him with people like Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Danny Thomas and Wayne Newton.

There are framed magazine covers, newspaper articles, record album sleeves and golden 45s that tell the story of an astonishing life.

Bobby Curtola wears a chunky gold ring on his right hand that once belonged to his friend, Elvis Presley. "He was a hell of a guy, a great guy."

The ring, of poured gold studded with two large diamonds and a hefty black diamond, belonged to the King's father. Mr. Presley's estate gave it to Mr. Curtola after the King's death in 1977.

"Imagine where my mind flashes back to when I look at that," Mr. Curtola says. "It captures a moment in my life forever."

Mr. Curtola is 62 now and, in his words, "still going strong." He said he has lived a blessed life. "Everything from now on is a bonus."

It hasn't been without its ups and downs - some of them quite recently. He moved to Liverpool (he has other homes in Las Vegas, Edmonton and Vancouver) with his girlfriend and her two young children a year ago. Before that, he had been married for 29 years. Now he's single again, but he's not singing the blues.

"It's disappointing," he says, and he's clearly saddened at the end of his relationship, but he takes great pride in his sons Bob, 42, Chris, 26, and Michael, 24. And the phone has already started ringing.

As always, work will carry him through. Mr. Curtola still performs, though these days instead of on a Dick Clark show or at a Howard Hughes hotel in Las Vegas, it's smaller casinos and conventions and a lot of work for charity. He helps raise about $7 million a year for disadvantaged children and those with disabilities.

"We are our brother's keeper," he says.

Mr. Curtola likes to keep his work and home life separate, but this weekend he's breaking his own rule by giving a free concert tonight at 7 o'clock at the Queens County Sea Fest in Brooklyn, just outside Liverpool.

He's doing it because he wants to give something back to a community where so many people give of themselves to help others.

"It's all about volunteers. To me, they're the stars; we're just the vehicle to get people to stop, look and listen."

Each year, all the money raised at Sea Fest goes to help people in the community - kids who can't afford to play organized sports, seniors and the disabled.

"That's the real story," Mr. Curtola says. "The more people I can bring out, the more the community benefits."

Mr. Curtola was appointed to the Order of Canada in October 1997 for his tireless charity work for muscular dystrophy and service clubs across Canada. Now, the first man to turn a jingle into a Top 40 hit with Coca Cola's The Real Thing, has what he hopes is another hit in the works.

He wants to bankroll a multi-purpose complex and waterfront condominiums in Liverpool. Mr. Curtola said he's already spent $100,000 developing the concept. He met with municipal council to explain the concept and is taking the polished plans before the Region of Queens next week.

His plan is to set up a Maritimes headquarters for the children's charity Variety Club and use that as a base upon which to build a community recreation complex. "It would have a rink, a pool, seniors residence, medical wing. It'll be a world-class facility but it's designed specifically for here."

He praised municipal council and Mayor John Leefe for having the initiative to enhance their community without impinging upon its seafaring history. "John wants to get something done," Mr. Curtola said, adding that he wants to help him.

And it seems when Bobby Curtola wants to do something, he does.

His standout career began with performances for his Italian family in front of the fridge. As a schoolboy, he took shortcuts home from school through alleys where the acoustics were far better than on the main road.

"My neighbor used to say to my mother, 'Mary, here comes Bobby!'" as he wound his way home with a tune on his lips.

Once he hit his teens, he went to the rink in his hometown of Thunder Bay every Saturday night with his friends. It closed at 9 p.m., so just before that they'd form a chain and whip around in a circle as he sang the rock 'n' roll hits of the day.

Next it was noontime sock hops. Then he was loaned out to other high schools where another student told his father about Bobby. That man became Mr. Curtola's manager.

He recorded his first record, Hand in Hand With You, in the fall of 1959 when he was 15 and pumping gas at his father's station. "That first record changed my life," he says.

By the time he turned 16 a few months later, he was opening the Bob Hope Show. Throngs of teenage girls screamed his name as he became the first Canadian singer to do a coast-to-coast tour. Within two years, he recorded his first gold seller, Fortune Teller.

Mr. Curtola went on tour with Dick Clark and his Cavalcade of Stars and in 1964 became the first pop singer to record a jingle that sounded like a hit single with Things Go Better with Coke, then the spinoff, Coke's The Real Thing.

Coke is still the real thing for Mr. Curtola, although today the inductee into the Coca Cola Hall of Fame says he only drinks Diet Coke.

Mr. Curtola made the transition from teen idol to Canada's highest paid night club entertainer in the early '70s, eventually signing a five-year multimillion-dollar contract with a hotel chain owned by Howard Hughes, a relationship that lasted for 15 years.

Today, Mr. Curtola does about 20 shows a year and manager Robert Hubbard says there are two special projects in the works for next year.

First, he says, "Bobby will go back out on tour."

Second, he said, is to hit the big screen. He has been approached to do a $15-million movie about his life and the rock 'n' roll era, which would be made in the style of the Kevin Spacey film, Beyond the Sea, about the life of Bobby Darin.

But first, he has tonight's concert to get under his belt, and he says he can't wait. Music from the '60s is all about letting your hair down and having fun with your family and friends.

"It's not wrong to have a good time," he says.

CONTACT BOBBY

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