Bobby Curtola
Encyclopedia
Robert Allen "Bobby" Curtola, CM
(born April 17, 1943 in Port Arthur
, Ontario
) is an early Canadian
rock and roll
singer and teen idol
.
(named after Curtola's manager, Maria Martell), Curtola went on to record hits such as "Indian Giver", "Hand in Hand with You" and his biggest chart topper, "Fortune Teller" in 1962, which was also successful internationally. Between 1960 and 1968 he had continual single and album releases on the Tartan label in Canada. The managers and main songwriters were brothers Dyer and Basil Hurdon. The Del-Fi label released some of those singles in the US.
In 1966 he won a RPM Gold Leaf Award
for becoming the first Canadian to have an album go gold. In the early 1970s, Curtola hosted a CTV
musical series entitled, Shake, Rock and Roll and Curtola went on to a successful singing career at Las Vegas, Nevada
casino venues and still performs at various clubs today. In the 1980s, in an attempt at updating his image, Curtola briefly adopted the billing Boby Curtola and released one album under this name before reverting to his original spelling.
In 1998, in recognition of his long service to the Canadian music industry as well as his humanitarian work around the world, he was made a member of the Order of Canada
. His pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
.
Besides his musical work, Curtola is also a business entrepreneur, marketing a successful brand of Caesar cocktail. He is also chief executive officer of Home Farms Technologies, a Canadian-based company which is attempting to develop an environmentally friendly waste management
system for hog waste. It is a development stage company and has not found the financing for its first plant yet.
In 2011, Curtola received a star on the Italian Walk of Fame
in Toronto, Canada.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born April 17, 1943 in Port Arthur
Port Arthur, Ontario
Port Arthur was a city in Northern Ontario which amalgamated with Fort William and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Port Arthur was the district seat of Thunder Bay District.- History :...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
) is an early Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
singer and teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
.
History
Curtola had several songs on the Canadian music charts beginning with "Hand In Hand With You". Backed by The MartelsThe Martels
The Martels were a Canadian rock band formed in 1957 in Midland, Ontario, Canada. The band first emerged on the music scene when musicians Tom Ambeau , Milt Budarick , Bert DesRochers , Larry French and Gary French , formed The Corvettes...
(named after Curtola's manager, Maria Martell), Curtola went on to record hits such as "Indian Giver", "Hand in Hand with You" and his biggest chart topper, "Fortune Teller" in 1962, which was also successful internationally. Between 1960 and 1968 he had continual single and album releases on the Tartan label in Canada. The managers and main songwriters were brothers Dyer and Basil Hurdon. The Del-Fi label released some of those singles in the US.
In 1966 he won a RPM Gold Leaf Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for becoming the first Canadian to have an album go gold. In the early 1970s, Curtola hosted a CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
musical series entitled, Shake, Rock and Roll and Curtola went on to a successful singing career at Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
casino venues and still performs at various clubs today. In the 1980s, in an attempt at updating his image, Curtola briefly adopted the billing Boby Curtola and released one album under this name before reverting to his original spelling.
In 1998, in recognition of his long service to the Canadian music industry as well as his humanitarian work around the world, he was made a member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. His pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on the internet on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre....
.
Besides his musical work, Curtola is also a business entrepreneur, marketing a successful brand of Caesar cocktail. He is also chief executive officer of Home Farms Technologies, a Canadian-based company which is attempting to develop an environmentally friendly waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
system for hog waste. It is a development stage company and has not found the financing for its first plant yet.
In 2011, Curtola received a star on the Italian Walk of Fame
Italian walk of fame
The world's first and only Italian Walk of Fame is located in Toronto, Canada, the city that is home to the largest community of Italians outside of Italy...
in Toronto, Canada.
Albums
| Year | Album | CAN |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Hitch-Hiker | — |
| 1962 | Mr. Personality | — |
| 1963 | Truly Yours | — |
| 1964 | 12 Tickets to Cloud 9 | — |
| 1965 | Love Story in Stereo | — |
| 1966 | Magic Moments | — |
| 12 Golden Hits | — | |
| 1970 | Changes | 71 |
| 1971 | Curtola | 88 |
| 1974 | Shake, Rattle and Roll | 93 |
| 1991 | 15 Greatest Hits | — |
| 1992 | Christmas Flashback Album | — |
| 1993 | Gotta Get Used to Being Country | — |
| 1998 | Turn the Radio Up | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC | CAN Country | US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
||
| 1962 | "Fortuneteller" | — | — | — | 41 |
| "Aladdin" | — | — | — | 92 | |
| 1964 | "As Long as I'm Sure of You" | 11 | — | — | — |
| "Come Home Little Girl" | 25 | — | — | — | |
| "Alone and Lonely" | 11 | — | — | — | |
| 1965 | "It's About Time" | 9 | — | — | — |
| "Mean Woman Blues" | 3 | — | — | — | |
| "Walkin with My Angel" | 11 | — | — | — | |
| "Makin' Love" | 2 | — | — | — | |
| "Forget Her" | 10 | — | — | — | |
| 1966 | "While I'm Away" | 7 | — | — | — |
| "Real Thing" | 15 | — | — | — | |
| "Wildwood Days" | 47 | — | — | — | |
| "It's Not Funny Honey" | 57 | — | — | — | |
| 1970 | "Jean" | 39 | — | — | — |
| 1971 | "Way Down Deep" | 74 | — | — | — |
| 1973 | "Songman" | — | 32 | 83 | — |
| 1976 | "Oh My Marie" | — | 23 | — | — |
| 1990 | "Playin' the Shadows of Glory" | — | 31 | 25 | — |
| "Drivin' Down a Phantom Road" | — | — | 52 | — |