Fabiano Anthony Forte (born February 6, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) better known as Fabian, is an American teen idol of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He rose to national prominence after performing several times on American Bandstand. In total, he charted 11 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
Biography
Early life
Fabian was born the son of Josephine and Domenic Forte. His father was a policeman and had ill health. Fabian was discovered in 1957 by Bob Marcucci and Peter DeAngelis, owners of Chancellor Records. At the time, record producers were looking to the South Philadelphia neighborhoods in search of teenage talents with good looks, and Frankie Avalon, also of South Philly, suggested Fabian as a possibility. Fabian was sitting on the front steps of his house crying because he had just seen his father taken away in an ambulance. He was spotted and, due to his good looks, Marcucci and DeAngelis asked him if he wanted to get into the record business.
Fabian's father could not work any longer and since Fabian was the oldest of three brothers, he took a chance at making some money in the music business to help his family out. He never thought of singing and recording as a career, only as a way of stepping in for his father at the time. And yet, before he knew it, Fabian's popularity soared, and soon thousands rushed to his concerts. At fifteen, Fabian won the Silver Award as "The Promising Male Vocalist of 1958".
Career
With songwriters Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, Fabian released a series of hit singles for Chancellor Records including "I'm a Man", "Hound Dog Man", a #9 hit in the U.S., "Turn Me Loose" (U.S. #9), and his biggest hit, "Tiger", which reached number 3 in the U.S. charts. His career in music basically ended with the payola scandal of the 1960s, when it was alleged that his records were doctored significantly to improve his voice.[1]Fabian was rejected for military service.[2]
The 1980 film The Idolmaker, written by Edward Di Lorenzo and directed by Taylor Hackford, was a thinly-disguised biography of Fabian (called "Caesare" in the film), as well as songwriter/producer Marcucci (called "Vinnie Vacarri" in the film) and Frankie Avalon (called "Tommy Dee" in the film). In the movie version, singer Caesare - a pretty boy with very little singing talent - goes through a whirlwind of success in a short time, and in a fit of pique, he abruptly fires his songwriters and quits his record label. The real-life Fabian threatened a lawsuit at the time of the film's release, though the filmmakers insisted that the film presented only fictional characters (though Marcucci was a paid consultant on the film).
Fabian went on to appear in more than 30 films, including Five Weeks in a Balloon, High Time, Ten Little Indians, North to Alaska, The Longest Day and Ride the Wild Surf (1964) (with Tab Hunter). Most of his early films were comedies, and cast him as a restless teenager with a penchant for singing. After 1965, his film and singing career began to fade, along with his popularity as a teen idol. Fabian also appeared in a 1982 TV record commercial, for The Idols of Rock n' Roll.
He never regained his former stature, but has continued performing for more than 40 years. Fabian was one of the few celebrities to pose with semi-frontal nudity during the late 1970s, posing for Playgirl magazine in its September 1973 issue. Recently he has been appearing with Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell to perform concerts as The Golden Boys.
He appeared in the 2005 documentary film The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania.
In his latest endeavor, Fabian hosts and headlines in the hit show, "The Original Stars of Bandstand" at The Dick Clark Theater in Branson, Missouri.[3] The show stars Fabian and Bobby Vee and features The Chiffons, Brian Hyland, Chris Montez and rare footage of the performers and Dick Clark.
Personal life
Fabian has been married twice — to Kate Netter Forte from 1980 to 1990 and to his current wife Andrea Patrick, a former Bituminous Coal Queen and Miss Pennsylvania USA, whom he married in 1998.[4] He has a son Christian and a daughter Julie from his first marriage. Christian is a screenwriter with the 1996 movie Albino Alligator starring Matt Dillon, Faye Dunaway, and Gary Sinise and directed by Kevin Spacey to his credit. He also both wrote and directed Deep in the Valley with Denise Richards, Chris Pratt, and Brendan Hines, released in October 2009[5]. And he is also the co-screenwriter for The Monkey Wrench Gang, which is scheduled for release in 2010. Christian and his wife are the parents of Fabian's granddaughter, Ava Josephine.
Fabian and his wife are actively involved in the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association and Fabian has helped raise money for veterans with his Celebrity Golf Tournament in North Carolina. They live on 20 acres (81,000 m2) in Southwestern Pennsylvania with their dog Max, in a home which Andrea designed.
Other
In a dialogue held at the University of Santo Tomas on Friday, November 13, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "Many, many, many years ago, when I was young, there was a singer in the United States whose name was Fabian. Some of you who are my age remember," and then admitted she was the "president of the Fabian fan club." "There were 3 of us in it. But we took it very seriously," she said.
Filmography
See also
References
External links
