Bobby Van

b. Robert Jack Stein, 6 December 1928, New York City, New York, USA, d. 31 July 1980, Los Angeles, California, USA. Van's parents were vaudeville performers and at the age of four he occasionally joined in their act. He showed musical aptitude and studied at New York City's Metropolitan Vocational High School. He played trumpet in a band that entertained at resorts in the Catskills. This led to him turning to singing and dancing, which is where he found his niche. In the late 40s he played hotels and clubs, adopted his stage name, and gradually began attracting attention. He h...