Fabian

Early life

Fabian Forte was born on February 6, 1943, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born to Italian-American parents, he is the son of Josephine and Dominic Forte. His father was a Philadelphia police officer.

Music career

Early career

Talent manager Bob Marcucci was a friend of Fabian's next-door neighbor. One day, Fabian's father had a heart attack, and, while he was being taken away in an ambulance, Marcucci spotted Fabian. Fabian later recalled, "He kept staring at me and looking at me. I had a crew cut, but this was the day of Rick Nelson and Elvis. He comes up and says to me, 'So if you're ever interested in the rock and roll business...' and hands me his card. I looked at the guy like he was out of his mind. I told him, 'Leave me alone. I'm worried about my dad.'"

When Fabian's father returned from the hospital, he was unable to work. When Marcucci persisted in his recruitment efforts, Fabian and his family were amenable to them, and he agreed to record a single. Frankie Avalon, also of South Philadelphia, suggested Fabian as a possibility. Fabian later said, "They gave me a pompadour and some clothes and those goddamned white bucks and out I went." "He was the right look and right for what we were going for", wrote Marcucci later.

Fabian was given an allowance from the record company of $30 a week (equivalent to $344 in 2025). He also kept working part-time at a pharmacy as well as studying at South Philadelphia High School, while practicing his singing. Fabian later said "I didn't know what I was doing, but I knew my goal, to try to make extra money. That meant a lot to our family. I rehearsed and rehearsed, and I really felt like a fish out of water. And we made a record. And it was horrible. Yet it got on Georgie Woods. For some reason, Georgie Woods played it."

The song was "Shivers", which was a local hit in Chicago. This helped Fabian meet Dick Clark, who agreed to try Fabian at one of Clark's record hops, where singers would perform to teenage audiences. Fabian lip synched to a song and Clark wrote "the little girls at the hop went wild. They started screaming and yelling for this guy who didn't do a thing but stand there. I've never seen anything like it." Clark told Marcucci "you got a hit, he's a star. Now all you have to do is teach him to sing."

Clark eventually put the young singer on American Bandstand where he sang "I'm in Love". Fabian later admitted this song "was not very good either" but "the response – they told me – was overwhelming. I had no idea. All during that period, I was doing record hops. Not getting paid for it, but for the record company promotions. Just lip synching to my records. The response was really good."

Commercial peak

Marcucci heavily promoted Fabian's next single, "Turn Me Loose", which was released in 1959. Marcucci used a series of advertisements saying "Fabian Is Coming", "Who is Fabian?", and finally "Fabian is Here". The promotional efforts worked; "Turn Me Loose" reached the Top Ten, peaking at number 9.

"Turn Me Loose" was followed by "Hound Dog Man", (US number 9; UK number 46), and his biggest hit, "Tiger", which reached number 3 on the US chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.

A review in Variety of a concert featuring Fabian in early 1959 declared the singer "was undoubtedly the standout of the show, who floors the kids with his gyrations and groans of “Hard Headed Woman,” “I'm a Man,” “Turn Me Loose” and, for an encore, “Stop Thief”."

Other Fabian singles that charted included "String Along", "About This Thing Called Love" (written by a man who went on a crime spree) and "This Friendly World", which reached number 12 on the US chart. His first album, Hold That Tiger reached the top 15 within two weeks. The song "Think of Me", although it did not chart in the US, was a big hit in some Asian countries including Sri Lanka in 1964. A review of Hold That Tiger in Variety stated, "Fabian is a hardbelting rocking singer who has the faculty of projecting his emotions. Fabian's voice is only adequate but be delivers with a beat that is undeniably commercial. Fine backing by combo and chorus lend an important assist."

In October 1959, he toured five major cities in Australia including several concerts in Sydney that were turned into the Australian film, Rock 'n' Roll. Due to a contractual dispute, however, his appearance was quickly removed from the film. That same year, Fabian told a judge he was earning $250,000 a year (equivalent to $2,761,000 in 2025) though an earlier report put this at $137,000. He kept up his studies and graduated from high school in June 1960.

Fabian earned gold records for "Tiger" and "Turn Me Loose", as well as a gold album for "The Fabulous Fabian". By the time he was 18 years of age, 11 of his singles had charted on the Billboard Top 100.

Later career

In 1973, Fabian began singing again. To raise his profile, he posed nude for Playgirl magazine. "I knew it was a mistake the minute I saw the thing sold in a paper bag. I could barely live with myself."

In January 1974, he started an act at the MGM-Grand in Las Vegas. He was managed at this stage by Allan Carr. In March 1974, he performed at the Blue Max of the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago. A review said "he seems rather lost in the act he was putting on... he's giving it the old beach party try. But all that, unfortunately, can't distract for long from the basic lack of talent." In October 1974, Carr – by then no longer his manager – said that Fabian was "a sensational lounge act in Nevada and shouldn't play anywhere else except on prom nights. He's not a middle of the road act in a middle of the road room. At the 12.30 am show at the Blue Max, when the conventioneers had had a few drinks it was terrific... This boy probably made $18,000 last year; this year he'll make about $270,000."

Fabian often performed in Las Vegas in the mid-1970s until he fell into difficulties with the authorities after attacking a Las Vegas district attorney and resultant bankruptcy.

Fabian retired once more in 1977 but resumed performing in 1981.

Acting career

20th Century-Fox had enjoyed success casting teen idol pop stars in movies, such as Elvis Presley and Pat Boone. They decided to do the same thing with Fabian and signed him to a long-term contract. His first leading role was Hound-Dog Man (1959), based on the novel by Fred Gipson (who had written Old Yeller) and directed by Don Siegel. He co-starred with the more experienced Stuart Whitman and sang several songs, including the title track. The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film featured a photo of Fabian's screen test where he appeared in the same outfit that Elvis Presley wore in Fox's Love Me Tender. "Acting came natural to me. I don't know why", Fabian later said.

Fabian's recording of the Hound Dog Man title song was a top-ten hit, but the film was not a financial success – in contrast to Presley's and Boone's first films. The studio, however, tried again in two smaller roles, supporting a bigger star – High Time, with Bing Crosby, and North to Alaska, with John Wayne. Both films were popular, especially the latter, and, in November 1960, his contract with the studio was amended with an increase in salary – it was now a seven-year deal with an option for two films a year. He later said that "acting wasn't like the singing, because it was very private – quiet on the set. No screaming [teenage fans]. It was a wonderful experience. I got to meet and work with John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Peter Lorre. Elvis came over to meet me when I was on the lot. Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood and Gary Cooper were also on the lot. I was on the plane with Marlon Brando for eight hours coming back from Tahiti."

The Fox contract included television series as well as films. Fabian was cast by director Robert Altman as a psychotic killer in "A Lion Walks Among Us", an episode of the television series Bus Stop. This episode was highly controversial due to its violent content, with many affiliates refusing to run the program, so much so that it even was mentioned in the U.S. Senate. However, the series was good for Fabian's acting career, and saw him regarded with more respect. He later said that he regarded this as his best performance.

Paramount borrowed him from Fox to co-star with teen idol Tommy Sands in Love in a Goldfish Bowl (1961). In 1961, Bob Marcucci announced that Fabian and Avalon would star in Virginia Ridge by Clarence Fillmore about the Battle of New Market, where Virginia Military cadets took on Union soldiers. The movie was never made. In April 1961, Fox announced Fabian would star in Blue Denim Baby and Bachelor Flat; the former was never made, and the latter starred Richard Beymer in his stead.

Personal life

Fabian was drafted, but rejected, for military service during the Vietnam War. According to USMC Lt. Col. Arthur Eppley, he was declared 4F (unfit for service).

Due to the pressures of his career and home life, Fabian started drinking in the 1960s.

In 1982, Fabian was arrested for reportedly sticking his cigarette into a passenger who asked him to put out the cigarette in a non-smoking section of an aircraft. The passenger turned out to be a district attorney, but ultimately no charges were brought.

Race car accident

In 1978, Fabian was participating in a charity racing event in Watkins Glen, New York. He was practicing at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park under the instruction of professional driver Bill Simpson when he rolled his car and suffered minor cuts and bruises.

In 1982, a jury found him 40% liable for the accident (Fabian testified that Simpson repeatedly urged him to drive faster while Simpson testified that Fabian suddenly accelerated wildly in spite of his orders to slow down). He received $32,000 in an out-of-court settlement (equivalent to $107,000 in 2025).

The Idolmaker lawsuit

The film The Idolmaker (1980), 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) and Frankie Avalon (called Tommy Dee). In the movie version, singer Caesare—a pretty boy with little singing talent—goes through a whirlwind of success in a short time. In a fit of pique, he abruptly fires his songwriters and quits his record label. The real-life Fabian launched a $64 million lawsuit at the time of the picture's release, claiming the film made him look like "a totally manufactured singer, a mere pretty face without any singing ability or acting talent". The filmmakers insisted that the movie presented only fictional characters (although Marcucci was a paid consultant on the film). Fabian claimed they settled out of court, where he and his wife received apologies and Marcucci's 7.5% ownership of the film passed to Fabian.

Marriages

Fabian has been married three times. His first marriage was to model Kathleen Regan in September 1966. They had two children together, Christian and Julie, before separating in June 1975. In October 1975, when Fabian and Regan were estranged, he was arrested after an argument with her and her mother. He was accused of hitting them. He was put on probation for two years. The couple divorced in 1979. Fabian has blamed himself for the divorce.

He married Kate Netter in 1980; they divorced in 1990.

In 1998, he married Andrea Patrick, a former Bituminous Coal Queen and Miss Pennsylvania USA. He and Andrea were later sued for unpaid bills by the resort where they were married.

Fabian relocated from Los Angeles to southwestern Pennsylvania, to be closer to his wife's family; he and his wife were sued by the builder of their house, also for unpaid bills. They live on 20 acres (8.1 ha) in Dunbar in a home that his wife designed. In 2013, he said he played "25 shows a year. It gets me out of the house ... I've never been happier. [At home] I ride my ATV and tractor and cut the grass. Where I grew up, there wasn't any grass."