Rydell was born to an Italian family, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. In 1950, he won a talent show on the television series Paul Whiteman\'s TV Teen Club and gained a spot on the cast, where he remained for several years. He changed his name to Bobby Rydell and played in several bands in the Philadelphia area. After three unsuccessful singles for small companies, he signed a recording contract with Cameo Records. After a couple of flops, "Kissin\' Time" reached the charts in 1959. In May 1960, Rydell toured Australia with The Everly Brothers, Billy "Crash" Craddock, Marv Johnson, The Champs and The Crickets, recording an Australian version of "Kissin\' Time" for the event.\n', '

His second success, "We Got Love", was his first million-album seller, gaining gold disc status. His 1960\'s "Wild One", backed with "Little Bitty Girl", was his second million-selling single; his successes continued with "Swingin\' School" backed with "Ding-A-Ling", and the million-album selling Volare later that year. He performed at the Copacabana in New York in 1961, where he was the youngest performer to headline at the nightclub. In February 1961 he appeared at the Festival du Rock, at the Palais des Sports de Paris in Paris, France.\n', '

Rydell\'s success and prospects led his father, Adrio, a foreman at the Electro-Nite Carbon Company in Philadelphia, to resign in 1961 after 22 years to become his son\'s road manager.\n', '

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